10 May 2007

Birds, beetles, ants and spiders are being counted on six Avon region properties and listed as part of the first national survey of biodiversity on Australian mixed farms.

Scientists from the Department of Agriculture and Food, WA, the Kellerberrin Shire and the Facey Group are involved in the Biodiversity in Grain & Graze (BiGG) project.

The Biodiversity in Grain & Graze project began in the Avon region a year ago as part of a national project spread across 47 mixed farms in the nine Grain & Graze regions.

The project's aim is to answer three key questions about the relationship between agriculture and biodiversity in Australia's mixed farming zones:
� the extent to which farm scale measures of biodiversity are related to agricultural production;
� the influence of the type and intensity of agricultural management on native biodiversity on farms, and
� the relative influence of site and system features on selected measures of biodiversity.

Avon BiGG coordinator, Susie Murphy-White, says data is starting to emerge after 12 months of research, with more comprehensive data likely to be available to other Avon region farmers towards the end of 2007.

The research had been carried out on four paddocks with different levels of disturbance or treatment - crop, pasture rotation, grazed perennial pasture and remnant vegetation - on each of the six collaborating Avon farms.

"The research team used pitfall trapping for a quantitative survey of ants, beetles and spiders for each paddock, and to compare the invertebrate communities at different sites or in different habitats," Ms Murphy-White said.

"Pitfall trapping is a reliable and well-established method for collecting ground dwelling invertebrates because of its simplicity and ease of operation.

"A total of 240 invertebrate samples - 40 from each farm - were sent across to the University of Tasmania for identification after each monitoring period in autumn and spring of 2006 and 2007.

"In autumn 2006 the Avon had 180 different invertebrate species identified, more than any other Grain & Graze region in Australia, but just having more insect species doesn't tell us how many are pest, native or beneficial."

Ms Murphy-White said a consultant ecologist had recorded bird sightings in each paddock treatment and identified eight priority species.

The team had looked for soil biological activity by vertically inserting cotton fabric into the soil and leaving them to degrade for two weeks before measuring the amount of decomposition.

Collected fungi spores were grown out in the laboratory to identify decomposer organisms and differences between paddocks, farms and regions to provide an indication of soil biological activity.

Vegetation at each site was assessed for its composition and percentage of ground cover.

"We still have to identify the relationships between all these different species and environments, but when we do we hope to be able to tell mixed farmers how healthy their farms are and what they need to do to maintain biodiversity on them," Ms Murphy-White said.

The owner of a collaborating property, Stephen Rose, said he had joined the trial initially out of curiosity more than anything else, being interested in seeing what insect life existed in his paddocks.

"Farmers generally know most of the birds that are around but we don't take much notice of the insects, and yet there is a massive range of biodiversity down there on the ground," Mr Rose said.

For information about the Avon Biodiversity in Grain & Graze project or to become involved, contact Susie Murphy-White on 08 9368 3929 and for more information about the Grain & Graze Program, contact Linda Leonard, Grain & Graze Project Manager for the Avon Region, on 08 9690 2191; Richard Price, National Coordinator, on 02 6295 6300, mobile 0409 624 297; Gillian Stewart on 02 6263 6042; Lynne Sealie on 02 6263 6021 or visit www.grainandgraze.com.au.

Grain & Graze Regional Coordinators

Avon Region - Linda Leonard - 08 9690 2191
Border Rivers Region - Rachel Charles - 07 4671 7900
Central West/Lachlan Region - Jodie Dean - 02 6895 1015
Corangamite/Glenelg-Hopkins Region - Cam Nicholson - 03 5258 3860
Eyre Peninsula Region - Alison Frischke - 08 8680 6223
Mallee Region - Zubair Shahzad - 03 50 219 103
Maranoa/Balonne Region - Stephen Ginns - 07 4620 8122
Murrumbidgee Region - Katrina Sait - 02 6924 4633
Northern Agricultural Region - Philip Barrett-Lennard - 08 94750753

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