Changes in agricultural practices represent one of the main causes of shift in species composition of arable plant communities. In particular, the intensification of agriculture going on worldwide since several decades led to heavy transformations of arable plant diversity. Basing on a study conducted in 1964 in Latium (central Italy), we re-surveyed the arable plant communities of 21 maize fields in order to assess the shifts that occurred over 50 years. The results showed a relevant decrease in the number of species (both in the total number and in the mean number per relevé), accompanied by a major species turnover. An increase in neophyte, wide-distribution, geophyte, C4 photosynthetic pathway, and monocot species was observed, while the incidence of insect-pollinated taxa decreased. The calculation of the mean Ellenberg indicator values per relevé showed an increase, in particular, of nutrients and moisture levels.

农业生产方式的变化是可耕植物群落物种组成发生变化的主要原因之一。尤其是几十年来，全球范围内农业的集约化导致可耕种植物多样性的重大转变。根据1964年在意大利中部拉滕（Latium）进行的一项研究，我们重新调查了21个玉米田的可耕种植物群落，以评估50年来发生的变化。结果表明，物种数量显着减少（总数和平均每个相关数量），同时伴有主要物种周转。观察到新生植物，广泛分布的植物，地生植物，C4光合途径和单子叶植物种类增加，而昆虫授粉类群的发生率降低。