Effects of conventional and organic management on plant and insect communities in a traditional elephant garlic crop

Abstract Agricultural management has a great influence on biodiversity and its services in agroecosystems. In Europe, relevant proportion of is dependent low-input agriculture. To assess the effects agricultural biodiversity, this study we surveyed communities arable plants, diurnal flying insects, pollinators three conventional two organic fields traditional Elephant garlic ( Allium ampeloprasum L.) crop Valdichiana area, Tuscany (central Italy). The sampling was carried out twice during season: spring, growing, summer, after harvesting. We assessed different richness composition (species occurrence abundance) using univariate multivariate analyses. Concerning our specific case study, only plant species significantly higher (15.7 ± 2.7 per plot), compared to ones (5.4 2.3 plot). Regarding community composition, showed marginally significant difference between fields. Conversely, effect explained differences all investigated groups (plants, total pollinators). results suggest that, emerged diversity were mainly attributable environmental factors related single fields, more than or farming. Such evidence could be partly due very local scale heterogeneity reduced number Further investigation therefore needed.