The Bedouin of South Sinai, Egypt, use a technique known as runoff agroforestry to capture rainwater
and increase the agricultural potential of the arid landscape. Utilising water that would otherwise be
lost from the vicinity allows the creation of multi-strata orchards with higher plant densities than the
surrounding environment. We used pitfall traps to compare ground arthropod communities within 15
agricultural gardens to those in the external habitat. Total arthropod abundance and species richness
were significantly higher inside the gardens, with no loss of alpha-diversity. Species level analysis of ants
revealed that six out of seven recorded species were more abundance inside the gardens. There were
significant differences in the responses of Coleopteran functional groups, with scavengers occurring in
higher numbers inside, predators higher outside, and herbivores showing no difference. There was a high
presence of the ant Monomorium venustum and the scavenger beetle Lagria sp. inside the gardens, but
no negative impacts on species accumulation rates or alpha-diversity. In conclusion, runoff agroforestry
seems to enhance local arthropod abundance, without a strong negative affect on biodiversity.
Crown Copyright © 2012 Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved
The Bedouin of South Sinai, Egypt, use a technique known as runoff agroforestry to capture rainwater
and increase the agricultural potential of the arid landscape. Utilising water that would otherwise be
lost from the vicinity allows the creation of multi-strata orchards with higher plant densities than the
surrounding environment. We used pitfall traps to compare ground arthropod communities within 15
agricultural gardens to those in the external habitat. Total arthropod abundance and species richness
were significantly higher inside the gardens, with no loss of alpha-diversity. Species level analysis of ants
revealed that six out of seven recorded species were more abundance inside the gardens. There were
significant differences in the responses of Coleopteran functional groups, with scavengers occurring in
higher numbers inside, predators higher outside, and herbivores showing no difference. There was a high
presence of the ant Monomorium venustum and the scavenger beetle Lagria sp. inside the gardens, but
no negative impacts on species accumulation rates or alpha-diversity. In conclusion, runoff agroforestry
seems to enhance local arthropod abundance, without a strong negative affect on biodiversity.
Crown Copyright © 2012 Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved
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