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Evaluating ecosystem processes in willow short rotation coppice bioenergy plantations

Evaluating ecosystem processes in willow short rotation coppice bioenergy plantations
Evaluating ecosystem processes in willow short rotation coppice bioenergy plantations
Despite a growing body of research linking bioenergy cultivation to changing patterns of biodiversity, there has been remarkably little interest in how bioenergy plantations affect key ecosystem processes underpinning important ecosystem services. In this study, we compare how the processes of predation by ground arthropods and litter decomposition varied between Short Rotation Coppice (SRC) willow bioenergy plantations and alternative land-uses: arable and set-aside (agricultural land taken out of production). We deployed litter bags to measure variation in decomposition, and a prey removal assay coupled with pitfall traps and direct searches to investigate variation in predation pressure. Decomposition rate was higher in willow SRC and set-aside than in cereal crops. Willow SRC had the highest abundance and diversity of ground-dwelling arthropod predators, but land-use had no detectable influence on predation of fly pupae or the combined activity-density of the two principal Coleoptera families (carabids and staphylinids). Overall, our study demonstrates that the conversion of arable land to SRC may have implications for the rate of some, but not all, ecosystem processes, and highlights the need for further research in this area
1757-1693
257-266
Rowe, Rebecca
82078780-059a-4a05-83a9-d636a9939eea
Goulson, David
a27f8ec6-3ccd-4355-8cc4-e5e8c47af356
Doncaster, C. Patrick
0eff2f42-fa0a-4e35-b6ac-475ad3482047
Clarke, Donna
f5db577c-32e8-400f-8b1c-c7adf8b00e91
Taylor, Gail
Hanley, Mick
7e49f05f-6a21-43b0-b9ac-12f202cd0fb8
Rowe, Rebecca
82078780-059a-4a05-83a9-d636a9939eea
Goulson, David
a27f8ec6-3ccd-4355-8cc4-e5e8c47af356
Doncaster, C. Patrick
0eff2f42-fa0a-4e35-b6ac-475ad3482047
Clarke, Donna
f5db577c-32e8-400f-8b1c-c7adf8b00e91
Taylor, Gail
Hanley, Mick
7e49f05f-6a21-43b0-b9ac-12f202cd0fb8

Rowe, Rebecca, Goulson, David, Doncaster, C. Patrick, Clarke, Donna, Taylor, Gail and Hanley, Mick (2013) Evaluating ecosystem processes in willow short rotation coppice bioenergy plantations. Global Change Biology Bioenergy, 5 (3), 257-266. (doi:10.1111/gcbb.12040).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Despite a growing body of research linking bioenergy cultivation to changing patterns of biodiversity, there has been remarkably little interest in how bioenergy plantations affect key ecosystem processes underpinning important ecosystem services. In this study, we compare how the processes of predation by ground arthropods and litter decomposition varied between Short Rotation Coppice (SRC) willow bioenergy plantations and alternative land-uses: arable and set-aside (agricultural land taken out of production). We deployed litter bags to measure variation in decomposition, and a prey removal assay coupled with pitfall traps and direct searches to investigate variation in predation pressure. Decomposition rate was higher in willow SRC and set-aside than in cereal crops. Willow SRC had the highest abundance and diversity of ground-dwelling arthropod predators, but land-use had no detectable influence on predation of fly pupae or the combined activity-density of the two principal Coleoptera families (carabids and staphylinids). Overall, our study demonstrates that the conversion of arable land to SRC may have implications for the rate of some, but not all, ecosystem processes, and highlights the need for further research in this area

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More information

Published date: May 2013
Organisations: WorldPop, Centre for Biological Sciences

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 356862
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/356862
ISSN: 1757-1693
PURE UUID: 1bb77433-f053-4c73-a17e-1d2f2fd17813
ORCID for C. Patrick Doncaster: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0001-9406-0693

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Date deposited: 16 Sep 2013 07:56
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 02:49

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Contributors

Author: Rebecca Rowe
Author: David Goulson
Author: Donna Clarke
Author: Gail Taylor
Author: Mick Hanley

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