Trophic niche but not abundance of Collembola and Oribatida changes with drought and farming system.

ABSTRACT: Higher frequencies of summer droughts are predicted to change soil conditions in the future affecting soil fauna communities and their biotic interactions. In agroecosystems drought effects on soil biota may be modulated by different management practices that alter the availability of different food resources. Recent studies on the effect of drought on soil microarthropods focused on measures of abundance and diversity. We here additionally investigated shifts in trophic niches of Collembola and Oribatida as indicated by stable isotope analysis (¹³C and ¹⁵N). We simulated short-term summer drought by excluding 65% of the ambient precipitation in conventionally and organically managed winter wheat fields on the DOK trial in Switzerland. Stable isotope values suggest th

SUBMITTER: Meyer S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8761369 | biostudies-literature | 2022

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature