Farmland bird invertebrate food provision in arable crops

• Published in: Annals of applied biology Vol. 160; no. 1; pp. 66 - 75
• Main Authors: Holland, J.M., Smith, B.M., Birkett, T.C., Southway, S.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.01.2012; Blackwell; Wiley Subscription Services, Inc
• Subjects: Agricultural land; Agroecology; Agronomy. Soil science and plant productions; Animal and plant ecology; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Biological and medical sciences; Biomass; Birds; chick food; Chickens; Community composition; Cropping systems. Cultivation. Soil tillage; Crops; ecosystem services; farmland birds; Farms; Fauna; Food; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; General agroecology; General agroecology. Agricultural and farming systems. Agricultural development. Rural area planning. Landscaping; General agronomy. Plant production; Generalities. Agricultural and farming systems. Agricultural development; Generalities. Cropping systems and patterns; invertebrate biomass; Invertebrates; Relative abundance; Synecology; Vegetables; Plant production; Vegetals; Cropping system; Farmland; Ecology; Agricultural soil; Biomass; Ecosystem service; Agroecology; farmland birds; Vertebrata; Applied biology; chick food; Ecosystem; Arable land; Rural area; Arable cropping system; Ecosystem functioning; Cultivated plant; Aves; Invertebrata; invertebrate biomass; ecosystem services
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1744-7348.2011.00521.x
• ISSN: 0003-4746

Invertebrates are an essential food source for most farmland birds yet their relative abundance and biomass in the most commonly grown arable crops are poorly understood. Dvac suction sampling was used to determine the abundance, biomass and community composition of those invertebrate groups considered important in the diet of farmland birds for the commonest arable crops. Approximately 40 fields were sampled at the edge and mid‐field over 2 years in three different locations in England. In cereals, the fauna was primarily comprised of Araneae (10%), Coleoptera (30%) and Hemiptera (58%), whereas the oilseed rape fauna was dominated by Coleoptera (65%) and peas and potatoes by Hemiptera (89%). Beans contained a high proportion of Coleoptera (39%) and Hemiptera (49%). Aphididae were the most abundant family (20–86% of total), although in oilseed rape and beans, Chrysomelidae, Curculionidae and Nitidulidae formed ca 20% of the fauna. Aphids only formed a small proportion (7%) of the total biomass, except in peas (32%). Instead, Araneae, Carabidae, Heteroptera, Homoptera and Tipulidae formed much larger and more equal proportions. The highest abundance and biomass of invertebrates were recorded in cereals and least in potatoes. The Grey Partridge chick‐food index in all crops was only a half or less of the level required to ensure that chick survival is sufficient to maintain numbers of this red‐listed species. The total number of invertebrates, their biomass, diversity and the Grey Partridge chick‐food index were higher at the crop edge compared to mid‐field. Conservation measures are needed to help reverse the long‐term declines of invertebrates on farmland, which should include developing further invertebrate‐rich, agri‐environment scheme options and management techniques to encourage invertebrates considered important as bird food within arable crops.