Data underlying the publication: Strip cropping in organic agriculture results in 15% higher ground beetle richness and 30% higher activity density than monocultures

This data belongs to a manuscript, with the title: Strip cropping in organic agriculture results in 15% higher ground beetle richness and 30% higher activity density than monocultures. See the readme files for information on methods, techniques and other relevant information.<br>Abstract:Global biodiversity is declining at an unprecedented rate, with agriculture as one of the major drivers. There is mounting evidence that intercropping can increase insect biodiversity while maintaining or increasing yield. Yet, intercropping is often considered impractical for mechanized farming systems. Strip cropping is a type of intercropping that is compatible with standard farm machinery and has been pioneered by Dutch farmers since 2014. Here, we present ground beetle data from four organically managed experimental farms across four years. Ground beetles are sensitive to changes in habitats and disturbances, and hold keystone positions in agroecosystem food webs. We show that strip cropping systems can enhance ground beetle biodiversity, while previous research shows that these increases have been achieved without incurring major yield loss. Strip cropped fields had on average 15% more ground beetle species and 30% more individuals than monocultural fields. The higher ground beetle richness in strip crops was explained by the merger of crop-related ground beetle communities, rather than by ground beetle species unique to strip cropping systems. The increase in field-level beetle species richness in organic agriculture through strip cropping approached increases found for other readily deployed biodiversity conservation methods, like shifting from conventional to organic agriculture (+19% - +23%). This indicates that strip cropping is a potentially useful tool supporting ground beetle biodiversity in agricultural fields without compromising food production.

本数据集源自一篇学术手稿，其标题为：有机农业条带种植（strip cropping）相较于单作农田，可使步甲（ground beetle）物种丰富度提升15%、活动多度提升30%。相关研究方法、技术及其他相关信息请参阅自述文件（readme files）。
摘要：全球生物多样性正以史无前例的速率衰退，农业是其主要驱动因素之一。越来越多的研究证据表明，间作可在维持或提升作物产量的同时增加昆虫生物多样性。然而，间作通常被认为难以适配机械化耕作系统。条带种植（strip cropping）是一种可兼容标准农用机械的间作模式，自2014年起由荷兰农民率先开展实践。
本研究提供了来自4个有机管理实验农场、历时4年的步甲观测数据。步甲对生境变化与干扰极为敏感，在农业生态系统食物网中占据关键种地位。研究结果显示，条带种植系统可提升步甲生物多样性；既往研究表明，这类生物多样性提升并未伴随显著的产量损失。相较于单作农田，条带种植农田的步甲物种丰富度平均提升15%，个体活动多度平均提升30%。条带种植农田步甲物种丰富度的提升，源于不同作物相关步甲群落的融合，而非条带种植系统特有的步甲物种。通过条带种植实现的有机农业田块步甲物种丰富度提升幅度，接近其他易推广的生物多样性保护手段的效果，例如从常规农业转向有机农业（提升幅度为+19%~+23%）。这表明条带种植是一种可在不影响粮食生产的前提下，助力农田步甲生物多样性保护的潜在实用工具。