Arthropod and plant diversity of maize agro–ecosystems in the grassland and savanna biomes of South Africa

Abstract

Maize (Zea mays L.) is the most important grain crop in the country. Approximately 12 million tons of maize grain is produced annually on approximately 2.5 million ha of land. However, increased farming intensity can lead to fragmentation of habitat and has a tendency to decrease the biodiversity of an area. Therefore, to ensure the continued functionality of agro-ecosystems, methods in agriculture must be assessed and adapted when necessary to ensure the persistence of biological diversity. Unfortunately, the effect of crop production on species diversity and composition in South Africa is still relatively unknown, and no baseline data exists with which to gauge the possibility of unknown extinction risks of important biological elements. The objectives of this study were to compare plant and arthropod diversity patterns and species turnover of maize agro-ecosystems between biomes (grassland and savanna) and along a maize field-field margin gradient (MAFFMAG). Surveys of maize agro-ecosystems were conducted in six provinces of South Africa, namely North-West, Mpumalanga, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Free State and the Eastern Cape. Repeated measures ANOVA revealed a significantly lower plant and arthropod species diversity and richness in maize fields compared to field margins. Non-metric multidimensional scaling revealed that arthropod species composition differed between biomes although not along MAFFMAGs, indicating that arthropod species composition is dependent on biome rather than distance from maize field. Floristic data revealed unique species compositions for maize fields and field margins and also for biomes. Furthermore, maize fields and field margins of grassland sites were more similar in plant species composition than the savanna localities, suggesting higher regional beta diversity for savanna regions. Spearman‘s rank order correlations revealed generally positive but weak or no relationships between plant and arthropod diversity. This study provides baseline data for identification, monitoring and conservation of priority species and will allow the future evaluation of ecosystem services provided by plants and associated arthropods, especially natural enemies of pests, in maize agro-ecosystems.