Organic farming and associated management practices benefit multiple wildlife taxa: A large‐scale field study in rice paddy landscapes

Abstract

1. Organic farming has potential for the conservation of global biodiversity and associated ecosystem services. Despite this, knowledge of the effects of organic farming systems on farmland biodiversity is limited in Asia, the worldwide leader in rice production.2. We conducted the first national-scale study to investigate the effects of three different rice farming systems (conventional, low-input and organic) and specific management practices (e.g. herbicide and insecticide applications, crop rotation and levee-vegetation management) on species richness and abundance of multiple taxonomic groups (plants, invertebrates, Pelophylax and Hyla japonica frogs, cobitid loaches and birds) in Japan during 2013-2015.3. Organic fields supported the highest richness and abundance of several taxonomic groups (native/Red List plants, Tetragnatha spiders, Sympetrum dragonflies and Pelophylax frogs), followed by low-input and conventional fields. We also found taxon-specific responses to specific management practices. For instance, plant richness and Tetragnatha and Sympetrum abundance increased with reduced herbicide and/or insecticide applications. Sympetrum and cobitid loach abundance increased in the absence of crop rotation, whereas H. japonica abundance increased with crop rotation. Pelophylax abundance increased with an increased height of levee vegetation.4. At spatial scales larger than single fields, waterbird richness and abundance were positively correlated with the proportion of organic rice fields, presumably due to increased prey abundance. Meanwhile, landbird richness and abundance were positively associated with annual precipitation and annual mean temperature, suggesting that such climate increases food availability. Synthesis and applications.We highlight the positive effects of organic and low-input farming for biodiversity relative to conventional farming in rice paddies. We also provide the scientific basis of the current agri-environmental schemes in Japan, subsidising organic and low-input farming for biodiversity. The | 1971 Journal of Applied Ecology KATAYAMA eT Al. Additional supporting information may be found online in the Supporting Information section at the end of the article. How to cite this article: Katayama N, Osada Y, Mashiko M, et al. Organic farming and associated management practices benefit multiple wildlife taxa: A large-scale field study in rice paddy landscapes.

Price premiums for wildlife‐friendly rice: Insights from Japanese retail data

“…Many studies have provided evidence that environmentally friendly farming contributes to biodiversity conservation in practice. For example, Katayama, Osada, et al (2019) found that environmentally friendly farming of paddy land provides high levels of richness and abundance of several species (e.g., dragonflies, frogs, and spiders). Moreover, Katayama, Bouam, Koshida, and Baba (2019) conducted a meta-analysis that showed that environmentally friendly farming significantly increased biodiversity in farmland.…”

Transformation of agricultural landscapes in the Anthropocene: Nature's contributions to people, agriculture and food security

“…In a large scale study in European arable systems, enhancing natural enemies and pest control by increasing landscape complexity proved to be disappointing in intensively cropped fields with denuded soil conditions (Gagic et al, 2017). Moreover, despite the evidence that organic agriculture [4.2.2] can elevate pollinator and natural enemy abundance and diversity (Garratt et al, 2011;Katayama et al, 2019;Krauss et al, 2011), such benefits are not ubiquitous and often depend on landscape context, the spatial scale of assessment and the organisms concerned (Brittain et al, 2010;Schneider et al, 2014;Tuck et al, 2014)(Petit et al this volume).…”

“…Organic agriculture has the potential to mitigate adverse effects of intensive farming. Species richness, functional diversity and abundance of a wide-range of taxa are often higher on organic than conventional farms ( but see Brittain et al, 2010;Gallé et al, 2019;Gomiero et al, 2011;Hole et al, 2005;Holzschuh et al, 2008;Katayama et al, 2019;Krauss et al, 2011;Schneider et al, 2014;Wintermantel et al, 2019). Positive effects of organic agriculture on biodiversity vary among landscape and crop types, levels of crop diversification.…”

Effect of organic and conventional farming on soil bacterial diversity of pecan tree ( Carya illinoensis K. Kosh) orchard across two phenological stages

“…2017; Katayama et al . 2019) since organic farming introduces complex organic matter like manure, while conventional farming uses pesticides and synthetic fertilizers to improve productivity.…”