Climate change-related growth improvements in a wide niche-breadth tree species across contrasting environments.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The vulnerability and responsiveness of forests to drought are immensely variable across biomes. Intraspecific tree responses to drought in species with wide niche breadths that grow across contrasting climatically environments might provide key information regarding forest resistance and changes in species distribution under climate change. Using a species with an exceptionally wide niche breath, we tested the hypothesis that tree populations thriving in dry environments are more resistant to drought than those growing in moist locations. METHODS: We determined temporal trends in tree radial growth of 12 tree populations of Nothofagus antarctica (Nothofagaceae) located across a sharp precipitation gradient (annual precipitation of 500-2000 mm) in Chile and Argentina. Using dendrochronological methods, we fitted generalized additive mixed-effect models to predict the annual basal area increment as a function of year and dryness (De Martonne aridity index). We also measured carbon and oxygen isotope signals (and estimated intrinsic water-use efficiency) to provide potential physiological causes for tree growth responses to drought. KEY RESULTS: We found unexpected improvements in growth during 1980-1998 in moist sites, while growth responses in dry sites were mixed. All populations, independent of site moisture, showed an increase in their intrinsic water-use efficiency in recent decades, a tendency that seemed to be explained by an increase in the photosynthetic rate instead of drought-induced stomatal closure, given that δ18O did not change with time. CONCLUSIONS: The absence of drought-induced negative effects on tree growth in a tree species with a wide niche breadth is promising because it might relate to the causal mechanisms tree species possess to face ongoing drought events. We suggest that the drought resistance of N. antarctica might be attributable to its low stature and relatively low growth rate.

Linking changes in species composition and biomass in a globally distributed grassland experiment.

Global change drivers, such as anthropogenic nutrient inputs, are increasing globally. Nutrient deposition simultaneously alters plant biodiversity, species composition and ecosystem processes like aboveground biomass production. These changes are underpinned by species extinction, colonisation and shifting relative abundance. Here, we use the Price equation to quantify and link the contributions of species that are lost, gained or that persist to change in aboveground biomass in 59 experimental grassland sites. Under ambient (control) conditions, compositional and biomass turnover was high, and losses (i.e. local extinctions) were balanced by gains (i.e. colonisation). Under fertilisation, the decline in species richness resulted from increased species loss and decreases in species gained. Biomass increase under fertilisation resulted mostly from species that persist and to a lesser extent from species gained. Drivers of ecological change can interact relatively independently with diversity, composition and ecosystem processes and functions such as aboveground biomass due to the individual contributions of species lost, gained or persisting.

Multi-taxon biodiversity assessment of Southern Patagonia: Supporting conservation strategies at different landscapes.

In the last years, different spatial analyses were developed to support multi-taxon biodiversity conservation strategies. In fact, the use of species distribution models as input allowed to create spatial decision-support maps. Of special interest are maps of potential biodiversity (MPB), which define distribution and ecological requirements of relevant species and maps of priority conservation areas (MPCA), which define priority areas considering endemism and richness. The objective of this paper was to assess multi-taxon biodiversity based on two different spatial analyses and to test their efficiency to support conservation decision at Patagonia. We computed 119 potential habitat suitability maps (one deer, birds, lizards, darkling-beetles, plants) with ENFA (Environmental Niche Factor Analysis) and 15 environmental variables, using Biomapper software. ENFA calculate two ecological indexes (marginality and specialization) which describe the narrowness of species niches and how extreme are the optimum environmental conditions related to the whole study area. These maps were combined obtaining a MPB and MPCA using Zonation software. Multivariate analyses were performed to compare methodologies, analysing environmental variables, ecological areas, forest types and protected areas. Multivariate and ecological indexes showed that deer, lizards and darkling-beetles presented a narrow range, while birds and plants presented a large range of marginality and specialization mainly related to vegetation and climate. At provincial level, highest potential biodiversity and conservation priority values were related to shrublands and humid steppes. However, MPCA showed higher values related to forests and alpine vegetation due to endemism, while MPB showed differences among forest types. These analyses showed that the most valuable areas were not represented in the protected areas, however, many higher conservation priority values were found inside the protected compared with unprotected areas. Different spatial decision-support maps presented similar outputs at provincial scale, but differed in the forest landscape matrix. Both methodologies can be used to plan conservation strategies depending on the specific objectives (e.g. highlighting richness or endemism).

Nutrient availability controls the impact of mammalian herbivores on soil carbon and nitrogen pools in grasslands.

Grasslands are subject to considerable alteration due to human activities globally, including widespread changes in populations and composition of large mammalian herbivores and elevated supply of nutrients. Grassland soils remain important reservoirs of carbon (C) and nitrogen (N). Herbivores may affect both C and N pools and these changes likely interact with increases in soil nutrient availability. Given the scale of grassland soil fluxes, such changes can have striking consequences for atmospheric C concentrations and the climate. Here, we use the Nutrient Network experiment to examine the responses of soil C and N pools to mammalian herbivore exclusion across 22 grasslands, under ambient and elevated nutrient availabilities (fertilized with NPK + micronutrients). We show that the impact of herbivore exclusion on soil C and N pools depends on fertilization. Under ambient nutrient conditions, we observed no effect of herbivore exclusion, but under elevated nutrient supply, pools are smaller upon herbivore exclusion. The highest mean soil C and N pools were found in grazed and fertilized plots. The decrease in soil C and N upon herbivore exclusion in combination with fertilization correlated with a decrease in aboveground plant biomass and microbial activity, indicating a reduced storage of organic matter and microbial residues as soil C and N. The response of soil C and N pools to herbivore exclusion was contingent on temperature - herbivores likely cause losses of C and N in colder sites and increases in warmer sites. Additionally, grasslands that contain mammalian herbivores have the potential to sequester more N under increased temperature variability and nutrient enrichment than ungrazed grasslands. Our study highlights the importance of conserving mammalian herbivore populations in grasslands worldwide. We need to incorporate local-scale herbivory, and its interaction with nutrient enrichment and climate, within global-scale models to better predict land-atmosphere interactions under future climate change.

Microbial processing of plant remains is co-limited by multiple nutrients in global grasslands.

Microbial processing of aggregate-unprotected organic matter inputs is key for soil fertility, long-term ecosystem carbon and nutrient sequestration and sustainable agriculture. We investigated the effects of adding multiple nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium plus nine essential macro- and micro-nutrients) on decomposition and biochemical transformation of standard plant materials buried in 21 grasslands from four continents. Addition of multiple nutrients weakly but consistently increased decomposition and biochemical transformation of plant remains during the peak-season, concurrent with changes in microbial exoenzymatic activity. Higher mean annual precipitation and lower mean annual temperature were the main climatic drivers of higher decomposition rates, while biochemical transformation of plant remains was negatively related to temperature of the wettest quarter. Nutrients enhanced decomposition most at cool, high rainfall sites, indicating that in a warmer and drier future fertilized grassland soils will have an even more limited potential for microbial processing of plant remains.

Effectiveness of fencing and hunting to control Lama guanicoe browsing damage: Implications for Nothofagus pumilio regeneration in harvested forests.

Browsing damage by native ungulates is often to be considered one of the reasons of regeneration failure in Nothofagus pumilio silvicultural systems. Fencing and hunting in forests at regeneration phase have been proposed to mitigate browsing effects. This study aims to determine effectiveness of these control methods in harvested forests, evaluating browsing damage over regeneration, as well as climate-related constraints (freezing or desiccation). Forest structure and regeneration plots were established in two exclosures against native ungulates (Lama guanicoe) by wire fences in the Chilean portion of Tierra del Fuego island, where tree regeneration density, growth, abiotic damage and quality (multi-stems and base/stem deformation) were assessed. Exclosures did not influence regeneration density (at the initial stage with < 1.3 m high, and at the advanced stage with >1.3 m high). However, sapling height at 10-years old was significantly lower outside (40-50 cm high) than inside exclosures (80-100 cm), and also increased their annual height growth, probably as a hunting effect. Likewise, quality was better inside exclosures. Alongside browsing, abiotic conditions negatively influenced sapling quality in the regeneration phase (20%-28% of all seedlings), but greatly to taller plants (as those from inside exclosure). This highlights the importance of considering climatic factors when analysing browsing effects. For best results, control of guanaco in recently harvested areas by fencing should be applied in combination with a reduction of guanaco density through continuous hunting. The benefits of mitigation actions (fencing and hunting) on regeneration growth may shorten the regeneration phase period in shelterwood cutting forests (30-50% less time), but incremental costs must be analysed in the framework of management planning by means of long-term studies.

Intraspecific variation in leaf (poly)phenolic content of a southern hemisphere beech (Nothofagus antarctica) growing under different environmental conditions.

Nothofagus antarctica (G.Forst.) Oerst. (Ñire) leaves are a valuable source of (poly)phenolic compounds and represent a high-value non-timber product from Patagonian forests. However, information on the variability of their chemical profile is limited or non-existent. The aim of this study was to evaluate the (poly)phenolic variability in Ñire leaf infusions. To this end, different tree populations growing under different temperature regimes and soil characteristics were considered. Interestingly, a cup of Ñire leaf infusion could be considered as a rich source of quercetin. Significant differences in the (poly)phenolic content, especially in flavonoid conjugates and cinnamic acids, were found among the populations studied. These results suggest metabolic variability among the forests studied, which could be related to the species response to its growing conditions, and also provide some clues about the performance of N. antarctica under future climate scenarios. The N. antarctica forests growing in environments with lower frequency of cold and heat stress and high soil fertility showed better infusion quality. This study showed how a South American beech interacts with its local environment at the level of secondary metabolism. In addition, the information obtained is useful for defining forest management strategies in the Patagonian region.

Correlations between physical and chemical defences in plants: tradeoffs, syndromes, or just many different ways to skin a herbivorous cat?

Most plant species have a range of traits that deter herbivores. However, understanding of how different defences are related to one another is surprisingly weak. Many authors argue that defence traits trade off against one another, while others argue that they form coordinated defence syndromes. We collected a dataset of unprecedented taxonomic and geographic scope (261 species spanning 80 families, from 75 sites across the globe) to investigate relationships among four chemical and six physical defences. Five of the 45 pairwise correlations between defence traits were significant and three of these were tradeoffs. The relationship between species' overall chemical and physical defence levels was marginally nonsignificant (P = 0.08), and remained nonsignificant after accounting for phylogeny, growth form and abundance. Neither categorical principal component analysis (PCA) nor hierarchical cluster analysis supported the idea that species displayed defence syndromes. Our results do not support arguments for tradeoffs or for coordinated defence syndromes. Rather, plants display a range of combinations of defence traits. We suggest this lack of consistent defence syndromes may be adaptive, resulting from selective pressure to deploy a different combination of defences to coexisting species.

Leaf wettability, anatomy and ultra-structure of Nothofagus antarctica and N. betuloides grown under a CO2 enriched atmosphere.

Increasing CO2 air concentration may affect wettability, anatomy and ultra-structure of leaves of Patagonian forest species, evergreen and deciduous plants potentially responding differently to such CO2 increases. In this study, we analysed the wettability, anatomy and ultra-structure of leaves of Nothofagus antarctica (deciduous) and N. betuloides (evergreen) grown under high CO2 concentrations. Leaf wettability was affected by increasing CO2, in different directions depending on species and leaf side. In both species, soluble cuticular lipid concentrations per unit leaf area raised with higher CO2 levels. Stomatal parameters (density, size of guard cells and pores) showed different responses to CO2 increasing depending on the species examined. In both species, leaf tissues showed a general trend to diminish with higher CO2 concentration. Cuticle thickness was modified with higher CO2 concentration in N. betuloides, but not in N. antarctica leaves. In both species, chloroplasts were often damaged with the increase in CO2 concentration. Our results show that several surface and internal leaf parameters can be modified in association with an increase in atmospheric CO2 concentration which may very among plant species.

Environmental factors regulate soil microbial attributes and their response to drought in rangeland ecosystems.

In ecosystems, soil microbial variables characterization are used to determine soil biological health and the response of soils to environmental stress. Although there are strong associations between plants and soil microorganisms, they may respond asynchronously to environmental factors and severe droughts. We aimed to: I) evaluate the special variation of soil microbiome such as microbial biomass carbon (MBC) and nitrogen (MBN), soil basal respiration (SBR) and microbial indexes in eight rangeland sites located across an aridity gradient (distributed from arid to mesic climates); II) analyze the relative importance of main environmental factors (climate, soils, and plants) and their relationships with microbial variables in the rangelands; and III) assess the effect of drought on microbial and plant variables in field-based manipulative experiments. First, we found significant changes of microbial variables along a precipitation and temperature gradient. The responses of MBC and MBN were strongly dependent on soil pH, soil nitrogen (N), soil organic carbon (SOC), C:N ratio and vegetation cover. In contrast, SBR was influenced by the aridity index (AI), the mean annual precipitation (MAP), the soil pH and vegetation cover. MBC, MBN and SBR were negatively related with soil pH compared to the other factors (C, N, C:N, vegetation cover, MAP and AI) that had a positive relationship. Second, we found a stronger soil microbial variables response to drought in arid sites compared to humid rangelands. Third, the responses of MBC, MBN, and SBR to drought showed positive relationships with vegetation cover and aboveground biomass, but with different regression slopes, this suggest that plant and microbial communities responded differently to drought. The results from this study improve our understanding about the microbial response to drought in different rangelands, and may facilitate the development of predictive models on responses of soil microorganisms in carbon cycle under global change scenarios.

Herbivory and nutrients shape grassland soil seed banks.

Anthropogenic nutrient enrichment and shifts in herbivory can lead to dramatic changes in the composition and diversity of aboveground plant communities. In turn, this can alter seed banks in the soil, which are cryptic reservoirs of plant diversity. Here, we use data from seven Nutrient Network grassland sites on four continents, encompassing a range of climatic and environmental conditions, to test the joint effects of fertilization and aboveground mammalian herbivory on seed banks and on the similarity between aboveground plant communities and seed banks. We find that fertilization decreases plant species richness and diversity in seed banks, and homogenizes composition between aboveground and seed bank communities. Fertilization increases seed bank abundance especially in the presence of herbivores, while this effect is smaller in the absence of herbivores. Our findings highlight that nutrient enrichment can weaken a diversity maintaining mechanism in grasslands, and that herbivory needs to be considered when assessing nutrient enrichment effects on seed bank abundance.

The positive effect of plant diversity on soil carbon depends on climate.

Little is currently known about how climate modulates the relationship between plant diversity and soil organic carbon and the mechanisms involved. Yet, this knowledge is of crucial importance in times of climate change and biodiversity loss. Here, we show that plant diversity is positively correlated with soil carbon content and soil carbon-to-nitrogen ratio across 84 grasslands on six continents that span wide climate gradients. The relationships between plant diversity and soil carbon as well as plant diversity and soil organic matter quality (carbon-to-nitrogen ratio) are particularly strong in warm and arid climates. While plant biomass is positively correlated with soil carbon, plant biomass is not significantly correlated with plant diversity. Our results indicate that plant diversity influences soil carbon storage not via the quantity of organic matter (plant biomass) inputs to soil, but through the quality of organic matter. The study implies that ecosystem management that restores plant diversity likely enhances soil carbon sequestration, particularly in warm and arid climates.

Environmental heterogeneity modulates the effect of plant diversity on the spatial variability of grassland biomass.

Plant productivity varies due to environmental heterogeneity, and theory suggests that plant diversity can reduce this variation. While there is strong evidence of diversity effects on temporal variability of productivity, whether this mechanism extends to variability across space remains elusive. Here we determine the relationship between plant diversity and spatial variability of productivity in 83 grasslands, and quantify the effect of experimentally increased spatial heterogeneity in environmental conditions on this relationship. We found that communities with higher plant species richness (alpha and gamma diversity) have lower spatial variability of productivity as reduced abundance of some species can be compensated for by increased abundance of other species. In contrast, high species dissimilarity among local communities (beta diversity) is positively associated with spatial variability of productivity, suggesting that changes in species composition can scale up to affect productivity. Experimentally increased spatial environmental heterogeneity weakens the effect of plant alpha and gamma diversity, and reveals that beta diversity can simultaneously decrease and increase spatial variability of productivity. Our findings unveil the generality of the diversity-stability theory across space, and suggest that reduced local diversity and biotic homogenization can affect the spatial reliability of key ecosystem functions.

Co-limitation towards lower latitudes shapes global forest diversity gradients.

The latitudinal diversity gradient (LDG) is one of the most recognized global patterns of species richness exhibited across a wide range of taxa. Numerous hypotheses have been proposed in the past two centuries to explain LDG, but rigorous tests of the drivers of LDGs have been limited by a lack of high-quality global species richness data. Here we produce a high-resolution (0.025° × 0.025°) map of local tree species richness using a global forest inventory database with individual tree information and local biophysical characteristics from ~1.3 million sample plots. We then quantify drivers of local tree species richness patterns across latitudes. Generally, annual mean temperature was a dominant predictor of tree species richness, which is most consistent with the metabolic theory of biodiversity (MTB). However, MTB underestimated LDG in the tropics, where high species richness was also moderated by topographic, soil and anthropogenic factors operating at local scales. Given that local landscape variables operate synergistically with bioclimatic factors in shaping the global LDG pattern, we suggest that MTB be extended to account for co-limitation by subordinate drivers.

Putting plant resistance traits on the map: a test of the idea that plants are better defended at lower latitudes.

• It has long been believed that plant species from the tropics have higher levels of traits associated with resistance to herbivores than do species from higher latitudes. A meta-analysis recently showed that the published literature does not support this theory. However, the idea has never been tested using data gathered with consistent methods from a wide range of latitudes. • We quantified the relationship between latitude and a broad range of chemical and physical traits across 301 species from 75 sites world-wide. • Six putative resistance traits, including tannins, the concentration of lipids (an indicator of oils, waxes and resins), and leaf toughness were greater in high-latitude species. Six traits, including cyanide production and the presence of spines, were unrelated to latitude. Only ash content (an indicator of inorganic substances such as calcium oxalates and phytoliths) and the properties of species with delayed greening were higher in the tropics. • Our results do not support the hypothesis that tropical plants have higher levels of resistance traits than do plants from higher latitudes. If anything, plants have higher resistance toward the poles. The greater resistance traits of high-latitude species might be explained by the greater cost of losing a given amount of leaf tissue in low-productivity environments.

General destabilizing effects of eutrophication on grassland productivity at multiple spatial scales.

Eutrophication is a widespread environmental change that usually reduces the stabilizing effect of plant diversity on productivity in local communities. Whether this effect is scale dependent remains to be elucidated. Here, we determine the relationship between plant diversity and temporal stability of productivity for 243 plant communities from 42 grasslands across the globe and quantify the effect of chronic fertilization on these relationships. Unfertilized local communities with more plant species exhibit greater asynchronous dynamics among species in response to natural environmental fluctuations, resulting in greater local stability (alpha stability). Moreover, neighborhood communities that have greater spatial variation in plant species composition within sites (higher beta diversity) have greater spatial asynchrony of productivity among communities, resulting in greater stability at the larger scale (gamma stability). Importantly, fertilization consistently weakens the contribution of plant diversity to both of these stabilizing mechanisms, thus diminishing the positive effect of biodiversity on stability at differing spatial scales. Our findings suggest that preserving grassland functional stability requires conservation of plant diversity within and among ecological communities.

Essential Nutrient and Trace Element Foliar Resorption of Two Co-Existing Nothofagus Species Grown Under Different Environmental Conditions in Southern Patagonia.

Nutrient resorption is crucial for mineral element conservation and efficiency of forest species, but knowledge on its significance and the mechanisms involved is still limited for most species and habitats. Focusing on the harsh conditions for plant growth and survival of southern Patagonia, a field study for comparing the rate of foliar resorption of macro-, micro-nutrients, and trace elements in coexisting Nothofagus pumilio and Nothofagus antarctica forests was performed. Forests located in three contrasting productivity sites (with different soil and climatic conditions) were selected, and mature, functional versus senescent leaves of both species were collected at two different dates of the growing season. Macro- (N, P, Ca, K, S, and Mg), micronutrients (B, Cu, Fe, Mn, Zn, and Ni), and trace elements (Al, Li, Pb, Rb, Sr, Ti, and Tl) were determined in foliar tissues. The mineral element concentrations of mature and senescent leaves were used for calculating the nutrient resorption efficiency (NuR). In general, and making an average of all sites and species, macro-nutrient resorption showed a decreasing trend for N > S = K > P > Mg, being Ca the only macro-nutrient with negative values (i.e., no resorption). Resorption of the majority of the elements did not vary between species in any of the evaluated sites. Variation across sites in nutrient resorption efficiency for most macronutrients, some micronutrients, and trace elements was observed for N. antarctica, whereas N. pumilio had a similar NuR for all experimental sites. On the other hand, regardless of the site or the species, some elements were not resorbed (e.g., B, Cu, Fe, Mn, Al, and Ti). It is concluded that both Nothofagus species performed similarly concerning their nutrient conservation strategy, when coexisting in the same mixed forest. However, no evidence was gained for an increased rate of foliar NuR in association with the sites subjected to more limiting soil and climatic conditions for plant growth.

Potential biodiversity map of understory plants for Nothofagus forests in Southern Patagonia: Analyses of landscape, ecological niche and conservation values.

The role of understory plants in native forests is critical for ecosystem function, wildlife protection and ecosystem productivity. The interest to estimate biodiversity increased during the last decades at landscape level. The objective was to elaborate a map of potential biodiversity (MPB) of understory species of Nothofagus forest using potential habitat suitability maps (PHS) of 15 plants in Santa Cruz province, Argentina. Additionally, we asked the following questions: (i) Were plant species differentially distributed according to the forest types?, (ii) do forest types represent different plant species assemblage with specific ecological niche requirements?, and (iii) is it possible to detect hotspots in the MBP according to the forest types? We used 721 plots database of vascular plants, from where 15 indicator species were identified. The assemblage species for different forests (Nothofagus antarctica, N. pumilio and evergreen mixed) were analysed using a detrended correspondence analysis. Also, we explored 41 potential explanatory variables to develop PHS, and combined these maps to obtain one MPB (1-100%). Finally, we analysed the outputs into a GIS through different landscapes alternatives to detect hotspot areas. Marginality and specialization values allowed identifying species assemblage that presented similar variability in the habitat requirements. MPB varied across the landscape, with higher values in the south and lower values near glaciers. MPB had the highest values in N. antarctica forest with >50% cover at landscape level. N. antarctica present more hotspots than N. pumilio forests, mainly in the south, compared to mixed evergreen forests which present few hotspots near glaciers. These results can be used as a tool to design new management and conservation strategies at landscape level.

Soil carbon is a useful surrogate for conservation planning in developing nations.

Defining the optimal placement of areas for biodiversity conservation in developing nations remains a significant challenge. Our best methods for spatially targeting potential locations for biodiversity conservation rely heavily on extensive georeferenced species observation data which is often incomplete or lacking in developing nations. One possible solution is the use of surrogates that enable site assessments of potential biodiversity values which use either indicator taxa or abiotic variables, or both. Among the plethora of abiotic variables, soil carbon has previously been identified as a potentially powerful predictor for threatened biodiversity, but this has not yet been confirmed with direct observational data. Here we assess the potential value of soil carbon for spatial prediction of threatened species using direct measurements as well as a wide range of GIS derived abiotic values as surrogates for threatened plant species in the PEBANPA network of permanent plots in Southern Patagonia. We find that soil carbon significantly improves the performance of a biodiversity surrogate elaborated using abiotic variables to predict the presence of threatened species. Soil carbon could thus help to prioritize sites in conservation planning. Further, the results suggest that soil carbon on its own can be a much better surrogate than other abiotic variables when prioritization of sites for conservation are calibrated on increasingly small sets of observation plots. We call for the inclusion of soil carbon data in the elaboration of surrogates used to optimize conservation investments in the developing world.

Land sharing in South Patagonia: Conservation of above-ground beetle diversity in forests and non-forest ecosystems.

Land-sharing strategies, as variable retention silvicultural proposals, are useful to mitigate harmful effects of economic activities on forest biodiversity; benefits have been reported worldwide for several organisms. However, we suggest that this approach could be useful to improve beetle conservation not only in forests but also in other ecosystem types, based on the results from Southern Patagonia (Argentina). We studied above-ground beetle communities using pitfall traps in Nothofagus pumilio forests, Mulguraea tridens shrublands, and magellanic steppes. The forests were located in Tierra del Fuego Province, while the shrublands and the steppes were in Santa Cruz Province. In forests and shrublands, we compared retention approaches (aggregated/dispersed retention harvesting in forests, and managed cut and retention strips in shrublands) vs. control situations (without harvesting/cuttings). In dry and humid steppes, both impacted by livestock, we evaluated grazed and exclusion paddocks, comparable to structural retentions (reference areas without grazing do not exist). Richness, abundance, frequency, Shannon-Wiener diversity and Pielou evenness indices, and similarity among assemblages were evaluated using univariate and multivariate statistical tests. In forests and shrublands, retention approaches (aggregated/dispersed and strips) allowed the partial or total maintenance of beetle community richness, preserving them similar to natural and non-impacted ecosystems. In dry and humid steppes, exclusion areas presented significantly different richness, abundance and diversity of arthropod assemblages, but with inverse trends: lower values in grazed areas than in exclusions in dry steppe, and higher values in grazed areas than in exclusions in humid steppe. We concluded that land-sharing could be implemented in forests and non-forest ecosystems to preserve beetle communities, being the variable retention approaches and the grazing exclusion areas good alternatives for private or public lands. Likewise, we consider that legislation to promote conservation (like National Law 26331) should not be only applicable for and implemented in forests, but also in non-forest ecosystems.