Other biodiversity: Add manure to the soil

Overall effectiveness category Unknown effectiveness (limited evidence)
Number of studies: 1
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How is the evidence assessed?

Effectiveness

60%
Certainty

10%
Harms

0%

Calculating overall effectiveness category

Study locations

Key messages

Amphibians (0 studies)

Birds (0 studies)

Invertebrates (0 studies)

Mammals (0 studies)

Plants (1 study): One replicated, randomized, controlled study from Spain found more plant species in plots with added manure, compared to plots without added manure, in one of three comparisons.

Reptiles (0 studies)

Implementation options (0 studies)

About key messages

Key messages provide a descriptive index to studies we have found that test this intervention.

Studies are not directly comparable or of equal value. When making decisions based on this evidence, you should consider factors such as study size, study design, reported metrics and relevance of the study to your situation, rather than simply counting the number of studies that support a particular interpretation.

Supporting evidence from individual studies

A replicated, randomized, controlled study in 1998–2001 in a wood pasture in Spain found more plant species in plots with added manure, compared to plots without added manure. Plants: More plant species were found in plots with added manure, compared to plots without added manure, in one of three comparisons (20 vs 17 species). Methods: Plots (1 x 1 m) had added manure (90 g in a 50 x 50 cm section of each plot) or no added manure (40 replicates each). Vegetation was sampled in spring 1998, 1999, and 2001 (20 x 20 cm quadrats). The vegetation consisted of Holm Oak Quercus ilex and dry annual grasses.
Study and other actions tested
Referenced paper
Traba J., Levassor C. & Peco B. (2003) Restoration of species richness in abandoned Mediterranean grasslands: Seeds in cattle dung. Restoration Ecology, 11, 378-384.

Please cite as:

Shackelford, G. E., Kelsey, R., Robertson, R. J., Williams, D. R. & Dicks, L. V. (2017) Sustainable Agriculture in California and Mediterranean Climates: Evidence for the effects of selected interventions. Synopses of Conservation Evidence Series. University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.

Where has this evidence come from?

List of journals searched by synopsis

All the journals searched for all synopses

This Action forms part of the Action Synopsis:

Mediterranean Farmland

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Soil: Add compost to the soil Action Link	Beneficial	24	Synopsis Link
Other biodiversity: Restore habitat along watercourses Action Link	Likely to be beneficial	24	Synopsis Link