Comparison of bird and plant species richness and abundance of croplands cultivated with different methods
Abstract
Chemicals used by agriculture in excessive amount caused drastic changes of environment and decrease of population of many species. The aim of our study was to assess the influence of agricultural intensity (fertiliser, fungicide, herbicide and insecticide use) on biodiversity of winter-sown cereal fields in Central-Hungary in 2005. The studied cereal fields were divided into seven categories according to intensity of cultivation based on questionnaires. The intensity was determined based on the amount of fertiliser use and the number of pesticide use. We censused breeding birds, sampled arthropods, conducted botanical survey and analysed soil samples. According to our results, bird abundance and plant species richness decreased with increasing intensity of cultivation. There is a high edge effect by plants, we found significant higher richness and abundance in the edge transect, than in the interior.
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