Weeds play a vital role in supporting arable biodiversity by providing both food and shelter to invertebrates and their predators. A better understanding of the relationship between weeds and invertebrates will form a necessary first step towards balancing the needs of both weed control and biodiversity in order to achieve a more sustainable system of crop production. Analysis of data from the FSEs (Farm Scale Evaluations) showed that no standard composition of weeds or invertebrates exists across all arable fields. Both weed and invertebrate species compositions varied according to the crop sown and, in the case of weeds, herbicide management applied. Variation in invertebrate composition was partially explained by variation in weed composition. This suggests that manipulating the composition of weeds within a crop may influence invertebrate composition.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:494233 |
| Date | January 2007 |
| Creators | Smith, Victoria Clare |
| Publisher | University of Reading |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
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