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The Ryegrasses of the intensive
grassland support a number of herbivorous invertebrates including aphids. These will be
hunted by carnivores such as ladybirds, spiders, groundbeetles and small mammals such as
shrews. |
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Some animals present problems for the farmer. Animals such
as moles are discouraged because their molehills, areas of pushed up soil, intrude into
the field. This not only hinders the operation of machinery but more importantly, the soil
in silage fields is gathered up by the harvesting machinery along with the grass. The
result is a large area of spoiled silage because the soil interferes with the ensiling
process. As well as moles, the soil hosts millions of microfauna such as nematodes,
protozoa and rotifers. There is also a mesofauna of tardigrades, mites, springtails and
earthworms. |
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The macrofauna of the soil includes
animals which may also live in the litter. Examples would be ants, centipedes, millipedes,
slugs, leatherjackets and groundbeetles. At least three to four thousand species of
bacteria also exist in the soil. Half a teaspoon of soil can contain about a billion bacterial cells. These
bacteria are essential to ensure the fertility of the soil. However, this apparent
diversity of living things is still small when compared to non-intensive pastures, fields,
woodlands and hedges, which have now been replaced by development and intensive farming. |
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