Long-term effect of cropping systems alternative to conventional agriculture on soil biota: A comparison between conservation and organic farming systems in Northern France --Manuscript Draft--Manuscript Number: Full Title: Long-term effect of cropping systems alternative to conventional agriculture on soil biota: A comparison between conservation and organic farming systems in Northern France Article Type: Research Article Abstract: Conventional agriculture strongly alters soil functioning through various agricultural practices that generally have negative effects on soil organisms. Alternative crop management systems such as conservation agriculture and organic farming may potentially restore more favorable conditions for soil biota which in turn is expected to improve soil functioning and farming sustainability. For the first time, the long-term effects of conservation and organic vs conventional agriculture on the major soil organisms groups i.e. soil microorganisms, nematofauna and macrofauna, and their functional guilds, were compared. The 14 year-old experimental site of La Cage, near Versailles, France, was used to compare soil biota in the three agricultural systems. Samples were realized once in March 2011. We showed that both conservation and organic alternative cropping systems fostered the abundance and/or biomass of almost all soil taxa, with a stronger enhancement effect for macrofauna and nematodes than for microorganisms. The overall enhancement effect was also stronger for the conservation agriculture system than for the organic farming system. The conservation agriculture system fostered both the bacterial and fungal pathways of the soil food web as well as anecic earthworms, detritivores and phytophagous macroinvertebrates, predatory nematodes and macroinvertebrates and granivores/frugivores ground Powered by Editorial Manager® and ProduXion Manager® from Aries Systems Corporation