The role of hedgerows in the recolonisation of arable fields by epigeal Collembola

Abstract

The role of hedgerows as reservoirs for beneficial arthropods in agroecosystems has been extensively studied, but their importance as habitats for springtails (Collembola) is largely unknown. Population recovery in arable fields by epigeal Collembola can occur either from population sources in non-crop habitats or in-situ reproduction of field-dwelling species. In this study we investigated the recovery of springtail populations in a spring-sown cereal crop following a physical disturbance due to tillage. To investigate the role of a hedgerow in population recovery, replicated lengths of hedgerow were isolated from the field using exclusion barriers. Some species of Collembola (e.g. Isotomurus spp., Bourletiella hortensis) were consistently more abundant next to the hedgerow than within the field. Areas of the field adjacent to barriered sections of hedgerow developed significantly different populations and community structures compared to unbarriered ‘controls’. Abundance of several species in the field (e.g. Isotoma viridis, Sminthurinus elegans, Sminthurus viridis) was reduced by hedgerow barriers, providing the first evidence that hedgerows could be important source habitats for the colonisation or recolonisation of arable fields by Collembola.