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Lookup NU author(s): Dr Roy SandersonORCiD
This is the authors' accepted manuscript of an article that has been published in its final definitive form by Wiley-Blackwell Verlag GmbH, 2018.
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Vegetation species composition and structure are known to affect taxonomic composition and life history characteristics of arthropod communities. Soil conditions alter vegetation composition and structure, and thus soils have indirect effects on arthropods. Whilst grassland management affects soil properties, and hence vegetation, the direct effects of soil on arthropod communities within the sward is less clear. We used a long-term hay meadow experiment to assess both direct and indirect effects of various fertiliser regimes on arthropod community composition and feeding guilds. Arthropods were sampled via pitfall traps and sweep nets, then analysed using principal components and redundancy analyses (RDA) to determine relationships between soil properties, vegetation community, forage quality and arthropod community. Vegetation community composition, measured by the first vegetation principal component, was used as a constraining variable in partial RDA, to estimate direct effects of soil on the arthropods. Variance partitioning quantified the relative roles of vegetation and soil on the arthropod community. Our results indicate that available soil nitrogen and carbon-nitrogen ratios are important determinants of arthropod community composition. Once the effects of the vegetation were removed it was found the soil acidity and the available potassium altered arthropod community composition. Further research is required to determine the mechanisms by which these soil properties affect arthropod communities
Author(s): Evans C, Sanderson R
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: Journal of Applied Entomology
Year: 2018
Volume: 142
Issue: 1-2
Pages: 230-240
Print publication date: 01/02/2018
Online publication date: 01/06/2017
Acceptance date: 12/04/2017
Date deposited: 25/04/2017
ISSN (print): 0931-2048
ISSN (electronic): 1439-0418
Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell Verlag GmbH
URL: https://doi.org/10.1111/jen.12410
DOI: 10.1111/jen.12410
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