Annegret Nicolai

Anguispira kochi (L. Pfeiffer, 1846), the banded tigersnail, is a North American member of the family Discidae. It is typically subdivided into two subspecies: A. kochi kochi (L. Pfeiffer, 1846) and A. kochi occidentalis (E. von Martens, 1882). Genetic data from throughout the distribution of A. kochi (sensu lato) was used to produce a phylogenetic analysis and, together with morphological and distributional data, assess the taxonomic status of its subspecies. Evidence for elevating the western subspecies, A. k. occidentalis , to the rank of species level is provided and the implications this change has for the conservation status (and future conservation plans) of both species is discussed. A lectotype is designated for A. occidentalis . The status of other infraspecific taxa of both A. kochi and A. occidentalis is discussed, as well as the potential validity of subgenus Zonodiscus Pilsbry, 1948. Finally, the new classification of Discus marmorensis H.B. Baker, 1932 as Anguispira marmorensis (H.B. Baker, 1932) comb. nov. is proposed.

Vineyard soils are often of inherently poor quality with low organic carbon content. Management can improve soil properties and thus soil fertility. In European wine‐growing regions, a broad range of inter‐row management strategies evolved based on specific local site conditions and the varying effects of management intensities on soil, water balance, yield and grape quality. Accordingly, there is a need to investigate the effects of locally common cover crop management strategies and tillage intensity on soil organic carbon content and soil physical parameters. In this study, we investigated the impact of the most common inter‐row management practices in Austria, France, Romania and Spain. In all countries, we compared paired sites. Each site with cover crops and inter‐row management of low intensity was compared with one site with (temporarily) bare soil and high management intensity. All studied sites with cover crops and low management intensity, except those in Spain, had higher organic carbon contents than the paired more intensively managed vineyards. However, the highly water‐limited Spanish vineyards with temporary cover crops had lower organic carbon contents than the paired sites with bare soil. Sites with more organic carbon had better results for bulk density, percolation stability (PS), hydraulic conductivity and available soil water, with soil hydraulic parameters being less pronounced than others. Country comparison of inter‐row weed control systems showed that PS was particularly low in sampled vineyards in Romania and Spain, where weed control is based on intensive mechanical tillage. Alternating management systems with tillage every second inter‐row showed a decrease in soil structure compared with permanent green cover. Thus, inter‐row management with cover crops and reduced tillage increases soil organic carbon content and improves soil structure compared with bare soil management. If local constraints, such as water scarcity, do not allow year‐round planting, alternating inter‐row management with several years of alternating periods may be an option to mitigate those adverse effects. However, negative impact on the soil structure occurs with the very first tillage operation, whereas negative effects on the carbon balance only appear after long‐term use of tillage.

The concept of values has been extensively used as a proxy to investigate relationships between human-beings and their environment. Using a pragmatic epistemology, we investigated valuation processes at stake when farmers choose their management practices, focusing on soil biota valuations. We sought to determine to what extant values are situation-dependent and likely to evolve over time. We used five Focus Groups, in France, Germany, Romania, Spain and Sweden, where farmers described soil management situations and evaluated the outcomes of their practices. Soil management practices were reasoned according to local and current situations and not chosen ‘by principle’. Soils were mentioned in the assessment of practices outcomes rather than as a criterion for practices choices. Values appeared dynamic, influenced by social consensus on good practices and farming objectives. Implementing a new practice might develop knowledge that is further integrated in valuations, thereby reforming the references upon which farmers evaluate their practices. Overall, debating on what matters in agriculture in different regions before defining management measures or soil indicators might be necessary to design a sustainable European policy on soils. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT

Less than 5% of the original tall grass prairie in North America remains. A portion of this remnant, composed of wetland, grassland and forest, is protected by the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) in southern Manitoba. This heterogeneous ecosystem has rich biodiversity; however, gastropods have not been surveyed in Canada’s tall grass prairie. We studied gastropods in Prairie, Wet Meadow, Forest, and Wet Forest habitats of the Manitoba Tall Grass Prairie Preserve that vary with respect to land management practices (prescribed burning, grazing by cattle). Gastropod community composition was unique in the Prairie where mounds of grass litter form permanently moist cavities harbouring aquatic species, while dry-habitat species colonized the upper parts of these mounds. Gastropod communities in Prairie habitats were negatively affected by grazing and burning that occurred in the five years prior to our survey. Unburned Forest patches included both forest gastropod species and edge effect influenced open-habitat species and harboured the most diverse gastropod communities. These unburned Forest patches potentially provide a species pool for post-burn prairie recolonization. The gastropod community of Wet Meadows was not affected by grazing and was composed mainly of aquatic species. In this gastropod survey five species were recorded from Manitoba for the first time. The rare Blade Vertigo (Vertigo milium) is also reported.

Agriculture benefits from soil functions, whereof many depend on soil biota, but some management practices can threaten soil organisms. We inventoried values that European farmers associate to soils and soil biota into their soil management decisions. We used Dewey’s pragmatic epistemology, stating that values can be observed through active behaviours, attitudes and communication acts. We applied a plural values framework on a dataset composed of 35 scientific articles and five focus groups. Farmers saw the soil as a single object. They hardly distinguished soil biota from other elements in their soils. Soil biota remained poorly known and little valued. Besides instrumental values, many other values, such as soil ecosystem resilience, influence farmers’ management choices. We conclude that soils and soil biota values are plural and that they can evolve along with changes in farmers’ practices. Further studies investigating values dynamics in time and space could be beneficial for designing an effective European soil conservation policy.

The Biological Field Station of Paimpont (Station Biologique de Paimpont, SBP), owned by the University of Rennes and located in the Brocéliande Forest of Brittany (France), has been hosting student scientific research and field trips during the last 60 years. The study area of the SBP is a landscape mosaic of 17 ha composed of gorse moors, forests, prairies, ponds and creeks. Land use has evolved over time. Historical surveys by students and researchers focused on insects and birds. With this study, we aimed to increase the range of taxa observations, document changes in species composition and landscape and provide a basis for interdisciplinary research perspectives. We gathered historical data, implemented an all-taxon biodiversity inventory (ATBI) in different habitats of the SBP study area, measured abiotic factors in the air, water and soil and performed a photographical landscape observation during the BioBlitz held in July 2017.During the 24 h BioBlitz, organised by the SBP and the EcoBio lab from the University of Rennes and the French National Center of Scientific Research (CNRS), different habitats were individually sampled. Seventy-seven experts, accompanied by 120 citizens and 12 young people participating in the European Volunteer Service, observed, identified and databased 660 species covering 5 kingdoms, 8 phyla, 21 classes, 90 orders and 247 families. In total, there were 1819 occurrences including records identified to higher taxon ranks, thereby adding one more kingdom and four more phyla. Historical data collection resulted in 1176 species and 4270 occurrences databased. We also recorded 13 climatic parameters, 10 soil parameters and 18 water parameters during the BioBlitz. Current habitats were mapped and socio-ecological landscape changes were assessed with a diachronic approach using 32 historical photographs and historical maps. The coupling of historical biodiversity data with new biotic and abiotic data and a photographic comparison of landscape changes allows an integrative understanding of how the SBP changed from agriculturally-used land to a managed natural area within the last 60 years. Hence, this BioBlitz represents an important holistic sampling of biodiversity for studies on trophic webs or on trophic interactions or on very diverse, but connected, habitats. The integration of social, biotic and abiotic data opens innovative research opportunities on the evolution of socio-ecosystems and landscapes.

We report for the first time the terrestrial slug Prophysaon andersonii (J.G. Cooper, 1872) from Quebec, Canada. Two specimens were collected in Parc national du Bic. The identification was determined by the external morphology and partial-COI gene sequence data. The genus Prophysaon is endemic to western North America, and the new record indisputably represents an introduction. No species of Prophysaon has, until now, been noticed in North America from outside its native range.

Global identification and monitoring programs for invasive species aim to reduce imminent impacts to biodiversity, ecosystem services, agriculture, and human health. This study employs a 658 base pair fragment of the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene to identify and categorize clades of the banded grove snail (Cepaea nemoralis (Linnaeus, 1758)) from native (European) and introduced (North American) ranges using a maximum-likelihood phylogeny and haplotype networks. This work corroborates the existence of eight clades within C. nemoralis and further identified three clades that were common to both Europe and North America (A, D, O). Clades A and D were found in eastern Canada, Ontario (Canada), and British Columbia (Canada), whereas clade O was restricted to Ontario, possibly introduced from Poland or central Europe. Haplotype networks suggest clade A was introduced from northern Europe, whereas clade D was introduced from western and central Europe. Networks contained many private haplotypes and a lack of haplotype sharing, suggesting strong genetic structure in this system, possibly resulting from reduced dispersal in this species. This study describes the contemporary distribution of C. nemoralis in Canada and demonstrates the efficacy of DNA barcoding for monitoring the spread of invasive species, warranting its widespread adoption in management policies.

The minute terrestrial snail Vallonia costata (O. F. Müller, 1774) is reported for the first time from the province of British Columbia, Canada. The identification was based on shell morphology and confirmed by COI gene data. This species is presumed to be introduced to the province.