Data underlying the publication: Strip cropping shows promising increases in ground beetle community diversity compared to monocultures

This data belongs to a manuscript, with the title: Strip cropping shows promising increases in ground beetle community diversity compared to 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 other studies showed 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.

本数据集隶属于一篇学术手稿，论文标题为：《条带种植（Strip cropping）相较于单作栽培可显著提升步甲（ground beetle）群落多样性》。相关研究方法、实验技术及其他细节信息，请参阅README文件。
摘要：全球生物多样性正以史无前例的速率快速下降，农业活动是其主要驱动因素之一。日益增多的研究证据表明，间作（intercropping）可在维持或提升作物产量的同时，提升昆虫生物多样性。然而传统认知中，间作通常难以适配机械化耕作体系。条带种植作为一种适配标准化农用机械的间作模式，自2014年起已由荷兰农民率先实践应用。本研究提供了来自4个采用有机管理模式的实验农场、历时4年的步甲采样数据。步甲对生境变化与外界干扰极为敏感，在农业生态系统食物网中占据关键类群地位。本研究证实，条带种植体系可有效提升步甲生物多样性，而既往研究表明，采用该模式未造成显著的产量损失。相较于单作农田，条带种植农田的步甲物种数平均提升15%，个体数量平均提升30%。条带种植农田中步甲物种丰富度的提升，源于各作物相关步甲群落的相互融合，而非条带种植体系特有的步甲物种。在有机农业体系中，通过条带种植实现的田块尺度步甲物种丰富度提升幅度，可媲美其他易推广的生物多样性保护手段，例如将常规农田转换为有机农田（提升幅度为19%~23%）。这表明条带种植是一种极具应用潜力的手段，可在不影响粮食生产的前提下，助力农田步甲生物多样性的保护与提升。