Dynamics of Collembola ecomorphological groups within a no‐till arable system

Abstract Collembolan ecomorphological groups (i.e., epiedaphic, hemiedaphic and euedaphic) have been proposed as bioindicators of soil health with potential to be applied in agricultural systems. While some studies have investigated disturbance gradients, there is a lack of monitoring studies showing trends over time evaluating changes in management posited to improve soil health. We investigated the status of a soil in an arable rotation following conversion to no‐till. The response in abundance of Collembola ecomorphological groups, along with soil physicochemical properties, was monitored over 2 years, in two field experiments established on different soil types within the same field. The treatments were standard practice and green manure (GM) in both Experiments 1 and 2, and farmyard manure (FYM) in Experiment‐1 only. Significant responses to treatments were mostly observed with euedaphic Collembola during the first year, but treatment effects were no longer evident in the second year. A decline in epiedaphic abundance was recorded in Year‐2 in the GM treatment. A negative association was observed with total soil nitrogen and pH, while a positive association was observed between gravimetric water content and euedaphic Collembola abundance. This study demonstrated that euedaphic Collembola quickly responded to changes in management practice, but the impact of treatments was transient. The abundance of Collembola ecomorphological groups discriminated between short‐term impacts but were an ineffective bioindicator of treatment effects over a two‐year period suggesting that they may be best applied for monitoring short‐term effects in response to intermittent inputs.