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Hederström V, Ekroos J, Friberg M, Krausl T, Opedal ØH, Persson AS, Petrén H, Quan Y, Smith HG, Clough Y. Pollinator-mediated effects of landscape-scale land use on grassland plant community composition and ecosystem functioning - seven hypotheses. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2024; 99:675-698. [PMID: 38118437 DOI: 10.1111/brv.13040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2022] [Revised: 12/05/2023] [Accepted: 12/07/2023] [Indexed: 12/22/2023]
Abstract
Environmental change is disrupting mutualisms between organisms worldwide. Reported declines in insect populations and changes in pollinator community compositions in response to land use and other environmental drivers have put the spotlight on the need to conserve pollinators. While this is often motivated by their role in supporting crop yields, the role of pollinators for reproduction and resulting taxonomic and functional assembly in wild plant communities has received less attention. Recent findings suggest that observed and experimental gradients in pollinator availability can affect plant community composition, but we know little about when such shifts are to be expected, or the impact they have on ecosystem functioning. Correlations between plant traits related to pollination and plant traits related to other important ecosystem functions, such as productivity, nitrogen uptake or palatability to herbivores, lead us to expect non-random shifts in ecosystem functioning in response to changes in pollinator communities. At the same time, ecological and evolutionary processes may counteract these effects of pollinator declines, limiting changes in plant community composition, and in ecosystem functioning. Despite calls to investigate community- and ecosystem-level impacts of reduced pollination, the study of pollinator effects on plants has largely been confined to impacts on plant individuals or single-species populations. With this review we aim to break new ground by bringing together aspects of landscape ecology, ecological and evolutionary plant-insect interactions, and biodiversity-ecosystem functioning research, to generate new ideas and hypotheses about the ecosystem-level consequences of pollinator declines in response to land-use change, using grasslands as a focal system. Based on an integrated set of seven hypotheses, we call for more research investigating the putative pollinator-mediated links between landscape-scale land use and ecosystem functioning. In particular, future research should use combinations of experimental and observational approaches to assess the effects of changes in pollinator communities over multiple years and across species on plant communities and on trait distributions both within and among species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Veronica Hederström
- Centre for Environmental and Climate Science, Lund University, Sölvegatan 37, Lund, 223 62, Sweden
| | - Johan Ekroos
- Centre for Environmental and Climate Science, Lund University, Sölvegatan 37, Lund, 223 62, Sweden
| | - Magne Friberg
- Department of Biology, Lund University, Sölvegatan 37, Lund, 223 62, Sweden
| | - Theresia Krausl
- Centre for Environmental and Climate Science, Lund University, Sölvegatan 37, Lund, 223 62, Sweden
| | - Øystein H Opedal
- Department of Biology, Lund University, Sölvegatan 37, Lund, 223 62, Sweden
| | - Anna S Persson
- Centre for Environmental and Climate Science, Lund University, Sölvegatan 37, Lund, 223 62, Sweden
| | - Hampus Petrén
- Department of Biology, Lund University, Sölvegatan 37, Lund, 223 62, Sweden
| | - Yuanyuan Quan
- Centre for Environmental and Climate Science, Lund University, Sölvegatan 37, Lund, 223 62, Sweden
| | - Henrik G Smith
- Centre for Environmental and Climate Science, Lund University, Sölvegatan 37, Lund, 223 62, Sweden
- Department of Biology, Lund University, Sölvegatan 37, Lund, 223 62, Sweden
| | - Yann Clough
- Centre for Environmental and Climate Science, Lund University, Sölvegatan 37, Lund, 223 62, Sweden
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2
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Milić D, Rat M, Bokić B, Mudri-Stojnić S, Milošević N, Sukur N, Jakovetić D, Radak B, Tot T, Vujanović D, Anačkov G, Radišić D. Exploring the effects of habitat management on grassland biodiversity: A case study from northern Serbia. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0301391. [PMID: 38547306 PMCID: PMC10977728 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0301391] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2023] [Accepted: 03/11/2024] [Indexed: 04/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Grasslands represent a biodiversity hotspot in the European agricultural landscape, their restoration is necessary and offers a great opportunity to mitigate or halt harmful processes. These measures require a comprehensive knowledge of historical landscape changes, but also adequate management strategies. The required data was gathered from the sand grasslands of northern Serbia, as this habitat is of high conservation priority. This area also has a long history of different habitat management approaches (grazing and mowing versus unmanaged), which has been documented over of the last two decades. This dataset enabled us to quantify the effects of different measures across multiple taxa (plants, insect pollinators, and birds). We linked the gathered data on plants, pollinators, and birds with habitat management measures. Our results show that, at the taxon level, the adopted management strategies were beneficial for species richness, abundance, and composition, as the highest diversity of plant, insect pollinator, and bird species was found in managed areas. Thus, an innovative modelling approach was adopted in this work to identify and explain the effects of management practices on changes in habitat communities. The findings yielded can be used in the decision making as well as development of new management programmes. We thus posit that, when restoring and establishing particular communities, priority needs to be given to species with a broad ecological response. We recommend using the decision tree as a suitable machine learning model for this purpose.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dubravka Milić
- Department of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Novi Sad, Novi Sad, Serbia
| | - Milica Rat
- Department of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Novi Sad, Novi Sad, Serbia
| | - Bojana Bokić
- Department of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Novi Sad, Novi Sad, Serbia
| | - Sonja Mudri-Stojnić
- Department of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Novi Sad, Novi Sad, Serbia
| | - Nemanja Milošević
- Department of Mathematics and Informatics, Faculty of Sciences, University of Novi Sad, Novi Sad, Serbia
| | - Nataša Sukur
- Department of Mathematics and Informatics, Faculty of Sciences, University of Novi Sad, Novi Sad, Serbia
| | - Dušan Jakovetić
- Department of Mathematics and Informatics, Faculty of Sciences, University of Novi Sad, Novi Sad, Serbia
| | - Boris Radak
- Department of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Novi Sad, Novi Sad, Serbia
| | - Tamara Tot
- Department of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Novi Sad, Novi Sad, Serbia
| | | | - Goran Anačkov
- Department of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Novi Sad, Novi Sad, Serbia
| | - Dimitrije Radišić
- Department of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Novi Sad, Novi Sad, Serbia
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3
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Farkas R, Bán M, Barta Z. Mowing wet meadows reduces the health of their snail communities. PeerJ 2024; 12:e16783. [PMID: 38435995 PMCID: PMC10909341 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.16783] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2023] [Accepted: 12/19/2023] [Indexed: 03/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Wet meadows harbor rich biodiversity, making them pivotal ecosystems worldwide. These habitats are commonly used for grazing or hay production for livestock. However, regular mowing can influence these habitats, potentially leading to significant repercussions for the animals residing within them. In order to investigate the effects of land management practices, we conducted an experimental study to compare snail communities in mowed and unmowed wet meadows in northern Hungary. We found that overall, mowing decreases snail populations, as well as species richness and diversity. Thus, our results suggest that routine mowing of wet meadows is deleterious to their snail communities. Based on these results, we suggest that designated patches of meadows that are regularly managed should be left uncultivated in their natural state. These patches can serve as potential colonization sites, facilitating the restoration of the entire meadow's ecological balance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roland Farkas
- Bükk National Park Directorate, Eger, Hungary
- Juhász-Nagy Pál Doctoral School, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary
- HUN-REN-DE Behavioural Ecology Research Group, Department of Evolutionary Zoology and Human Biology, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary
| | - Miklós Bán
- HUN-REN-DE Behavioural Ecology Research Group, Department of Evolutionary Zoology and Human Biology, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary
| | - Zoltán Barta
- HUN-REN-DE Behavioural Ecology Research Group, Department of Evolutionary Zoology and Human Biology, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary
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4
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Rösch V, Hafner G, Reiff JM, Entling MH. Increase in breeding bird abundance and diversity with semi-natural habitat in vineyard landscapes. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0284254. [PMID: 37603543 PMCID: PMC10441799 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0284254] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2022] [Accepted: 03/28/2023] [Indexed: 08/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Agricultural expansion and intensification are major threats to biodiversity, and even some once common farmland bird species are now endangered. Wine-growing landscapes are intensively managed but can still be an attractive habitat for a wide range of species. However, only few bird species breed within vineyards and thus, semi-natural habitat types like hedges, woodland patches and grasslands are crucial for bird populations. We investigated how birds breeding in wine-growing areas are influenced by the surrounding landscape at three spatial scales: territories, sampling transects and landscapes. In the German wine growing region Palatinate, sixteen landscapes with a radius of 500 m were chosen spanning a gradient in the cover of semi-natural habitat. Bird territories were mapped along three transects of 500 m length in each landscape. We found 300 territories of 33 bird species. Positive effects of semi-natural habitat cover on birds were strongest at the transect scale, with almost proportional increase of species and territory numbers with the cover of semi-natural habitat. Most bird species selected territories that contained more semi-natural habitat than the landscape-wide average of 13.5%, but e.g. woodlark and linnet showed an opposite preference. In addition, the birds' community composition was influenced by the composition of the surrounding landscape. Most species were associated with semi-natural habitat types or built-up areas while vineyards had hardly any species associated with them. Our results suggest that in wine-growing landscapes, the decline in farmland birds can be reversed by the re-establishment of hedges, trees, woodland patches, traditional orchards and grassland areas. However, as preferences at the territory scale were species-specific, there is no uniform best solution for bird conservation in viticultural landscapes. Thus, landscape development should always be accompanied by experts that take the demands of existing and potential breeding birds into account.
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Affiliation(s)
- Verena Rösch
- iES Landau, Institute for Environmental Sciences, RPTU Kaiserslautern-Landau, Kaiserslautern, Germany
| | - Gina Hafner
- iES Landau, Institute for Environmental Sciences, RPTU Kaiserslautern-Landau, Kaiserslautern, Germany
| | - Jo Marie Reiff
- iES Landau, Institute for Environmental Sciences, RPTU Kaiserslautern-Landau, Kaiserslautern, Germany
| | - Martin H Entling
- iES Landau, Institute for Environmental Sciences, RPTU Kaiserslautern-Landau, Kaiserslautern, Germany
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5
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Schroeder H, Grab H, Poveda K. Phenotypic clines in herbivore resistance and reproductive traits in wild plants along an agricultural gradient. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0286050. [PMID: 37256895 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0286050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2023] [Accepted: 05/08/2023] [Indexed: 06/02/2023] Open
Abstract
The conversion of natural landscapes to agriculture is a leading cause of biodiversity loss worldwide. While many studies examine how landscape modification affects species diversity, a trait-based approach can provide new insights into species responses to environmental change. Wild plants persisting in heavily modified landscapes provide a unique opportunity to examine species' responses to land use change. Trait expression within a community plays an important role in structuring species interactions, highlighting the potential implications of landscape mediated trait changes on ecosystem functioning. Here we test the effect of increasing agricultural landscape modification on defensive and reproductive traits in three commonly occurring Brassicaceae species to evaluate plant responses to landscape change. We collected seeds from populations at spatially separated sites with variation in surrounding agricultural land cover and grew them in a greenhouse common garden, measuring defensive traits through an herbivore no-choice bioassay as well as reproductive traits such as flower size and seed set. In two of the three species, plants originating from agriculturally dominant landscapes expressed a consistent reduction in flower size and herbivore leaf consumption. One species also showed reduced fitness associated with increasingly agricultural landscapes. These findings demonstrate that wild plants are responding to landscape modification, suggesting that the conversion of natural landscapes to agriculture has consequences for wild plant evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hayley Schroeder
- Department of Entomology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, United States of America
| | - Heather Grab
- School of Integrative Plant Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, United States of America
| | - Katja Poveda
- Department of Entomology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, United States of America
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6
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Dobrovodská M, Kanka R, Gajdoš P, Krištín A, Kollár J, Stašiov S, Lieskovský J. Factors affecting the biodiversity of historical landscape elements: detailed analyses from three case studies in Slovakia. ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT 2023; 195:674. [PMID: 37188810 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-023-11035-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2022] [Accepted: 02/20/2023] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
A direct, positive correlation between biodiversity and the traditional agricultural landscape is evident on the national or regional scale. It is mostly conditioned by higher landscape diversity and less intensive farming. We have carried out research on a detailed scale at plot level (productive plots of arable lands, grasslands, vineyards, orchards, and unproductive agrarian landforms (mostly field margins) such as terraced slopes, terraced steps, heaps, mounds, and unconsolidated walls) in three traditional agricultural landscapes: the mountain village Liptovská Teplička, the vineyard landscape in Svätý Jur, and dispersed settlements in a submontane area in Hriňová. We determined the statistical significance of the impact of the selected landscape ecological factors (a set of factors concerning land use and management, agrarian landforms and relief properties) on the distribution of vegetation and selected invertebrate groups (spiders, millipedes, grasshoppers, and crickets). We also explored whether maintaining traditional land use and traditional management helped to enhance the biodiversity. We found that the management regime is the most important factor determining the species composition of vascular plants and all studied animal groups. Also, present land use and agrarian landforms character (type, skeleton content, continuity) are significant factors. Our expectation of a positive relationship between biodiversity and the maintaining traditional land use and traditional management was, in general, not confirmed: such a relation was only found in Svätý Jur for biodiversity of spiders.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Dobrovodská
- Institute of Landscape Ecology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Štefániková 3, 814 99, Bratislava, Slovakia.
| | - R Kanka
- Institute of Landscape Ecology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - P Gajdoš
- Institute of Landscape Ecology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Branch Nitra, Slovakia
| | - A Krištín
- Institute of Forest Ecology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Zvolen, Slovakia
| | - J Kollár
- Institute of Landscape Ecology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - S Stašiov
- Department of Biology and General Ecology, Faculty of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Technical University in Zvolen, Zvolen, Slovakia
| | - J Lieskovský
- Institute of Landscape Ecology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Branch Nitra, Slovakia
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7
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Samu F, Szita É, Botos E, Simon J, Gallé-Szpisjak N, Gallé R. Agricultural spider decline: long-term trends under constant management conditions. Sci Rep 2023; 13:2305. [PMID: 36759542 PMCID: PMC9911793 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-29003-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2022] [Accepted: 01/27/2023] [Indexed: 02/11/2023] Open
Abstract
There is widespread evidence for a worldwide trend of insect decline, but we have much fewer data about recent temporal trends in other arthropod groups, including spiders. Spiders can be hypothesised to similarly decline because of trophic dependence on insects and being equally sensitive to local and global environmental changes. Background trends in arthropod populations can be verified if we decouple large-scale environmental transitions, such as climate change, from local factors. To provide a case study on baseline spider community trends, we observed changes in the spider community of an unsprayed alfalfa field and its margin 23 years apart under largely unchanged local conditions. We aimed to determine whether there are changes in spider abundance, species richness and mean species characteristics. Spider abundance per unit effort decreased dramatically, by 45% in alfalfa and by 59% in the margin, but species richness and most characteristics remained unchanged. Community composition in both habitats shifted and became more similar by the current study period. The population decline was especially marked in certain farmland species. We propose that in the absence of local causative factors, spider abundance decline in our study indicates a reduction of spider populations at landscape and regional scales.
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Affiliation(s)
- F Samu
- Plant Protection Institute, Centre of Agricultural Research, ELKH, Herman Ottó Street 15, 1022, Budapest, Hungary
| | - É Szita
- Plant Protection Institute, Centre of Agricultural Research, ELKH, Herman Ottó Street 15, 1022, Budapest, Hungary.
| | - E Botos
- Plant Protection Institute, Centre of Agricultural Research, ELKH, Herman Ottó Street 15, 1022, Budapest, Hungary
| | - J Simon
- Plant Protection Institute, Centre of Agricultural Research, ELKH, Herman Ottó Street 15, 1022, Budapest, Hungary
| | - N Gallé-Szpisjak
- 'Lendület' Landscape and Conservation Ecology, Institute of Ecology and Botany, Centre for Ecological Research, 2163, Vácrátót, Hungary
| | - R Gallé
- 'Lendület' Landscape and Conservation Ecology, Institute of Ecology and Botany, Centre for Ecological Research, 2163, Vácrátót, Hungary.,MTA-SZTE 'Momentum' Applied Ecology Research Group, Közép Fasor 52, 6726, Szeged, Hungary
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8
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von Post M, Knaggård Å, Alkan Olsson J, Olsson O, Persson AS, Ekroos J. The Swedish green infrastructure policy as a policy assemblage: What does it do for biodiversity conservation? PEOPLE AND NATURE 2023. [DOI: 10.1002/pan3.10456] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Maria von Post
- Department of Biology, Biodiversity Unit Lund University Lund Sweden
- Centre for Environmental and Climate Science Lund University Lund Sweden
| | - Åsa Knaggård
- Centre for Environmental and Climate Science Lund University Lund Sweden
- Department of Political Science Lund University Lund Sweden
| | | | - Ola Olsson
- Department of Biology, Biodiversity Unit Lund University Lund Sweden
| | - Anna Sofie Persson
- Centre for Environmental and Climate Science Lund University Lund Sweden
| | - Johan Ekroos
- Centre for Environmental and Climate Science Lund University Lund Sweden
- Department of Agricultural Sciences University of Helsinki Helsinki Finland
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Martin AE, Lockhart JK, Fahrig L. Are weak dispersers more vulnerable than strong dispersers to land use intensification? Proc Biol Sci 2023; 290:20220909. [PMID: 36629096 PMCID: PMC9832560 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2022.0909] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Ecologists often state that weak dispersers are particularly at risk from land use intensification, and that they therefore should be prioritized for conservation. We reviewed the empirical evidence, to evaluate whether this idea should be used as a general rule in conservation. While 89% of authors predicted that weak dispersers are more vulnerable to land use intensification (80 out of 90 papers), only 56% of reported tests (235 out of 422) were consistent with this prediction. Thirty per cent of tests (128 out of 422) were consistent with the opposite prediction, that strong dispersers are more vulnerable to intensification, and 60% of articles (45 out of 75) had at least one test where strong dispersers were most vulnerable. The likelihood of finding that weak dispersers are more vulnerable to intensification than strong dispersers varied with latitude, taxonomic group and type of land use intensification. Notably, the odds of finding that weak dispersers are more vulnerable to intensification than strong dispersers was higher if the study was nearer to the equator. Taken together, our results show that the prediction that weak dispersers are more vulnerable than strong dispersers to intensification is not sufficiently supported to justify using weak dispersal as a general indicator of species risk in human-modified landscapes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda E. Martin
- Environment and Climate Change Canada, National Wildlife Research Centre and Department of Biology, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1S 5B6
| | - Jessica K. Lockhart
- Geomatics and Landscape Ecology Laboratory, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1S 5B6
| | - Lenore Fahrig
- Geomatics and Landscape Ecology Laboratory, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1S 5B6
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Landscape-scale connectivity and fragment size determine species composition of grassland fragments. Basic Appl Ecol 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.baae.2022.10.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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Gardein H, Fabian Y, Westphal C, Tscharntke T, Hass A. Ground-nesting bees prefer bare ground areas on calcareous grasslands. Glob Ecol Conserv 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gecco.2022.e02289] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
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Gebhardt S, Haensel M, Schulp CJE, Kaim A. Ecologically and biophysically optimal allocation of expanded soy production in Bavaria, Germany. FRONTIERS IN SUSTAINABLE FOOD SYSTEMS 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fsufs.2022.916003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
A debate about cultivation and trading of soy has emerged among scientists, policymakers, and the public in recent years. Export-orientated soy production in regions of South America is associated with large-scale ecosystem destruction. Since soy is an important source of animal fodder, policymakers are developing schemes to support and enhance sustainable domestic soy cultivation, especially in the EU. Expanded soy cultivation should ideally provide high yields and at the same time promote environmental benefits. For this purpose, we applied a multi-objective optimization algorithm that selects areas with maximum soy suitability, minimum erosion risk, need for low fertilizer input due to water quality issues, and need for diversification of monotonous crop rotations. We use the state of Bavaria in Germany as a case study, modeling full self-sufficiency of soy. The results of the optimization indicate synergies between plantation suitability with need for low fertilization input and crop variation, which implies that the environmental benefit of nitrogen fixation and rotation diversification from soy plants can easily be reconciled with food productivity. However, slight trade-offs occur between erosion risk and the three other objectives, i.e., locations with better soy production might be more prone toward erosion risk. As a potential consequence of expanded soy cultivation in Bavaria, we identified winter wheat, grain maize, potatoes, and sugar beet as those crops that have the highest share of displaced cultivation area. To reduce such land use conflicts and ensure self-sufficiency in relevant crops, we recommend to limit the use of soy as animal feed. Nevertheless, we propose to explicitly incorporate the local need for the environmental benefits of soy cultivation in the planning for soy expansion. In doing so, domestic soy can turn into a real sustainable alternative to imported plant protein.
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Stehle S, Manfrin A, Feckler A, Graf T, Joschko TJ, Jupke J, Noss C, Rösch V, Schirmel J, Schmidt T, Zubrod JP, Schulz R. Structural and functional development of twelve newly established floodplain pond mesocosms. Ecol Evol 2022; 12:e8674. [PMID: 35309751 PMCID: PMC8902662 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.8674] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2021] [Revised: 02/01/2022] [Accepted: 02/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Ecosystems are complex structures with interacting abiotic and biotic processes evolving with ongoing succession. However, limited knowledge exists on the very initial phase of ecosystem development and colonization. Here, we report results of a comprehensive ecosystem development monitoring for twelve floodplain pond mesocosms (FPM; 23.5 m × 7.5 m × 1.5 m each) located in south‐western Germany. In total, 20 abiotic and biotic parameters, including structural and functional variables, were monitored for 21 months after establishment of the FPMs. The results showed evolving ecosystem development and primary succession in all FPMs, with fluctuating abiotic conditions over time. Principal component analyses and redundancy analyses revealed season and succession time (i.e., time since ecosystem establishment) to be significant drivers of changes in environmental conditions. Initial colonization of both aquatic (i.e., water bodies) and terrestrial (i.e., riparian land areas) parts of the pond ecosystems occurred within the first month, with subsequent season‐specific increases in richness and abundance for aquatic and terrestrial taxa over the entire study period. Abiotic environmental conditions and aquatic and terrestrial communities showed increasing interpond variations over time, that is, increasing heterogeneity among the FPMs due to natural environmental divergence. However, both functional variables assessed (i.e., aquatic and terrestrial litter decomposition) showed opposite patterns as litter decomposition rates slightly decreased over time and interpond differences converged with successional ecosystem developments. Overall, our results provide rare insights into the abiotic and biotic conditions and processes during the initial stages of freshwater ecosystem formation, as well as into structural and functional developments of the aquatic and terrestrial environment of newly established pond ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebastian Stehle
- Eusserthal Ecosystem Research Station University Koblenz‐Landau Eusserthal Germany
- iES Landau Institute for Environmental Sciences University Koblenz‐Landau Landau Germany
| | - Alessandro Manfrin
- iES Landau Institute for Environmental Sciences University Koblenz‐Landau Landau Germany
| | - Alexander Feckler
- Eusserthal Ecosystem Research Station University Koblenz‐Landau Eusserthal Germany
- iES Landau Institute for Environmental Sciences University Koblenz‐Landau Landau Germany
| | - Tobias Graf
- Eusserthal Ecosystem Research Station University Koblenz‐Landau Eusserthal Germany
| | - Tanja J. Joschko
- Eusserthal Ecosystem Research Station University Koblenz‐Landau Eusserthal Germany
| | - Jonathan Jupke
- iES Landau Institute for Environmental Sciences University Koblenz‐Landau Landau Germany
| | - Christian Noss
- iES Landau Institute for Environmental Sciences University Koblenz‐Landau Landau Germany
- Federal Waterways Engineering and Research Institute Karlsruhe Germany
| | - Verena Rösch
- iES Landau Institute for Environmental Sciences University Koblenz‐Landau Landau Germany
| | - Jens Schirmel
- Eusserthal Ecosystem Research Station University Koblenz‐Landau Eusserthal Germany
- iES Landau Institute for Environmental Sciences University Koblenz‐Landau Landau Germany
| | - Thomas Schmidt
- Eusserthal Ecosystem Research Station University Koblenz‐Landau Eusserthal Germany
- iES Landau Institute for Environmental Sciences University Koblenz‐Landau Landau Germany
| | - Jochen P. Zubrod
- iES Landau Institute for Environmental Sciences University Koblenz‐Landau Landau Germany
- Zubrod Environmental Data Science Landau Germany
| | - Ralf Schulz
- Eusserthal Ecosystem Research Station University Koblenz‐Landau Eusserthal Germany
- iES Landau Institute for Environmental Sciences University Koblenz‐Landau Landau Germany
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14
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15
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Fragmentation of forest-steppe predicts functional community composition of wild bee and wasp communities. Glob Ecol Conserv 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gecco.2021.e01988] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
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16
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Fragment connectivity shapes bird communities through functional trait filtering in two types of grasslands. Glob Ecol Conserv 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gecco.2021.e01687] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
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Tscharntke T, Grass I, Wanger TC, Westphal C, Batáry P. Beyond organic farming - harnessing biodiversity-friendly landscapes. Trends Ecol Evol 2021; 36:919-930. [PMID: 34362590 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2021.06.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2021] [Revised: 06/09/2021] [Accepted: 06/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
We challenge the widespread appraisal that organic farming is the fundamental alternative to conventional farming for harnessing biodiversity in agricultural landscapes. Certification of organic production is largely restricted to banning synthetic agrochemicals, resulting in limited benefits for biodiversity but high yield losses despite ongoing intensification and specialisation. In contrast, successful agricultural measures to enhance biodiversity include diversifying cropland and reducing field size, which can multiply biodiversity while sustaining high yields in both conventional and organic systems. Achieving a landscape-level mosaic of natural habitat patches and fine-grained cropland diversification in both conventional and organic agriculture is key for promoting large-scale biodiversity. This needs to be urgently acknowledged by policy makers for an agricultural paradigm shift.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ingo Grass
- Ecology of Tropical Agricultural Systems, University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Thomas C Wanger
- Sustainability, Agriculture, & Technology Laboratory, School of Engineering, Westlake University, China; Key Laboratory of Coastal Environment and Resources of Zhejiang Province, Westlake University, Hangzhou, China; GlobalAgroforestryNetwork.org, Westlake University, Hangzhou, China.
| | - Catrin Westphal
- Functional Agrobiodiversity, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Péter Batáry
- "Lendület" Landscape and Conservation Ecology, Institute of Ecology and Botany, Centre for Ecological Research, Vácrátót, Hungary
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Management to Support Multiple Ecosystem Services from Productive Grasslands. SUSTAINABILITY 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/su13116263] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Sustainable intensification will require the development of new management systems to support global food demands, whilst conserving the integrity of ecosystem functions. Here, we test and identify management strategies to maintain or enhance agricultural production in grasslands whilst simultaneously supporting the provision of multiple ecosystem services. Over four years, we investigated how the establishment of three plant functional groups (grasses, legumes, and other flowering forbs), using different cultivation (minimum tillage and deep ploughing) and management (cutting, grazing and their intensity) techniques, affected provision and complementarity between key ecosystem services. These ecosystem services were agronomic production, pollination, pest control, food resources for farmland birds, and soil services. We found that the establishment of floristically diverse swards, particularly those containing grasses, legumes and forbs, maximised forage yield and quality, pollinator abundance, soil nitrogen, and bird food resources, as well as enhancing populations of natural predators of pests. Cutting management increased bird food resources and natural predators of pests without depleting other services considered. However, a single management solution to maximise the delivery of all ecosystem services is unlikely to exist, as trade-offs also occurred. Consequently, management options may need to be tailored to strategically support localised deficits in key ecosystem services.
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Nakajima K, Miyashita T. Close association between grasshopper and plant communities in suburban secondary grasslands and the indicator value of grasshoppers for conservation. LANDSCAPE AND ECOLOGICAL ENGINEERING 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s11355-021-00447-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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20
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Schroeder H, Grab H, Kessler A, Poveda K. Human-Mediated Land Use Change Drives Intraspecific Plant Trait Variation. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2021; 11:592881. [PMID: 33519849 PMCID: PMC7840540 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2020.592881] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2020] [Accepted: 12/22/2020] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
In the Anthropocene, more than three quarters of ice-free land has experienced some form of human-driven habitat modification, with agriculture dominating 40% of the Earth's surface. This land use change alters the quality, availability, and configuration of habitat resources, affecting the community composition of plants and insects, as well as their interactions with each other. Landscapes dominated by agriculture are known to support a lower abundance and diversity of pollinators and frequently larger populations of key herbivore pests. In turn, insect communities subsidized by agriculture may spill into remaining natural habitats with consequences for wild plants persisting in (semi) natural habitats. Adaptive responses by wild plants may allow them to persist in highly modified landscapes; yet how landscape-mediated variation in insect communities affects wild plant traits related to reproduction and defense remains largely unknown. We synthesize the evidence for plant trait changes across land use gradients and propose potential mechanisms by which landscape-mediated changes in insect communities may be driving these trait changes. Further, we present results from a common garden experiment on three wild Brassica species demonstrating variation in both defensive and reproductive traits along an agricultural land use gradient. Our framework illustrates the potential for plant adaptation under land use change and predicts how defense and reproduction trait expression may shift in low diversity landscapes. We highlight areas of future research into plant population and community effects of land use change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hayley Schroeder
- Department of Entomology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States
| | - Heather Grab
- Department of Entomology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States
- School of Integrative Plant Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States
| | - André Kessler
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States
| | - Katja Poveda
- Department of Entomology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States
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21
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Smaller and Isolated Grassland Fragments Are Exposed to Stronger Seed and Insect Predation in Habitat Edges. FORESTS 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/f12010054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Habitat fragmentation threatens terrestrial arthropod biodiversity, and thereby also leads to alterations of ecosystem functioning and stability. Predation on insects and seeds by arthropods are two very important ecological functions because of their community-structuring effects. We addressed the effect of fragment connectivity, fragment size, and edge effect on insect and seed predation of arthropods. We studied 60 natural fragments of two grassland ecosystems in the same region (Hungarian Great Plain), 30 forest-steppes, and 30 burial mounds (kurgans). The size of fragments were in the range of 0.16–6.88 ha for forest-steppe and 0.01–0.44 ha for kurgan. We used 2400 sentinel arthropod preys (dummy caterpillars) and 4800 seeds in trays for the measurements. Attack marks on dummy caterpillars were used for predator identification and calculation of insect predation rates. In the case of seeds, predation rates were calculated as the number of missing or damaged seeds per total number of exposed seeds. Increasing connectivity played a role only in generally small kurgans, with a negative effect on insect and seed predation rates in the edges. In contrast, fragment size moderated edge effects on insect and seed predation rates in generally large forest-steppes. The difference between edges and centres was more pronounced in small than in large fragments. Our study emphasizes the important role of landscape and fragment-scale factors interacting with edge effect in shaping ecosystem functions in natural grassland fragments of modified landscapes. Managing functional landscapes to optimize the assessment of ecosystem functions and services needs a multispatial scale approach.
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Batáry P, Rösch V, Dormann CF, Tscharntke T. Increasing connectivity enhances habitat specialists but simplifies plant-insect food webs. Oecologia 2020; 195:539-546. [PMID: 33367959 PMCID: PMC7882472 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-020-04830-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2020] [Accepted: 12/09/2020] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
Strong declines of grassland species diversity in small and isolated grassland patches have been observed at local and landscape scales. Here, we study how plant-herbivore interaction webs and habitat specialisation of leafhopper communities change with the size of calcareous grassland fragments and landscape connectivity. We surveyed leafhoppers and plants on 14 small (0.1-0.6 ha) and 14 large (1.2-8.8 ha) semi-natural calcareous grassland fragments in Central Germany, differing in isolation from other calcareous grasslands and in the percentage of arable land in the surrounding landscape (from simple to complex landscapes). We quantified weighted trophic links between plants and their phytophagous leafhoppers for each grassland fragment. We found that large and well-connected grassland fragments harboured a high portion of specialist leafhopper species, which in turn yielded low interaction diversity and simple plant-leafhopper food webs. In contrast, small and well-connected fragments exhibited high levels of generalism, leading to higher interaction diversity. In conclusion, food web complexity appeared to be a poor indicator for the management of insect diversity, as it is driven by specialist species, which require high connectivity of large fragments in complex landscapes. We conclude that habitat specialists should be prioritized since generalist species associated with small fragments are also widespread in the surrounding landscape matrix.
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Affiliation(s)
- Péter Batáry
- "Lendület" Landscape and Conservation Ecology, Institute of Ecology and Botany, Centre for Ecological Research, Alkotmány u. 2-4, 2163, Vácrátót, Hungary.
| | - Verena Rösch
- Ecosystem Analysis, Institute for Environmental Sciences, University of Koblenz-Landau, Fortstr. 7, 76829, Landau, Germany
| | - Carsten F Dormann
- Biometry and Environmental System Analysis, University of Freiburg, Tennenbacher Str. 4, 79106, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Teja Tscharntke
- Agroecology, University of Goettingen, Grisebachstr. 6, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
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Land-use history impacts functional diversity across multiple trophic groups. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2020; 117:1573-1579. [PMID: 31907310 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1910023117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Land-use change is a major driver of biodiversity loss worldwide. Although biodiversity often shows a delayed response to land-use change, previous studies have typically focused on a narrow range of current landscape factors and have largely ignored the role of land-use history in shaping plant and animal communities and their functional characteristics. Here, we used a unique database of 220,000 land-use records to investigate how 20-y of land-use changes have affected functional diversity across multiple trophic groups (primary producers, mutualists, herbivores, invertebrate predators, and vertebrate predators) in 75 grassland fields with a broad range of land-use histories. The effects of land-use history on multitrophic trait diversity were as strong as other drivers known to impact biodiversity, e.g., grassland management and current landscape composition. The diversity of animal mobility and resource-acquisition traits was lower in landscapes where much of the land had been historically converted from grassland to crop. In contrast, functional biodiversity was higher in landscapes containing old permanent grasslands, most likely because they offer a stable and high-quality habitat refuge for species with low mobility and specialized feeding niches. Our study shows that grassland-to-crop conversion has long-lasting impacts on the functional biodiversity of agricultural ecosystems. Accordingly, land-use legacy effects must be considered in conservation programs aiming to protect agricultural biodiversity. In particular, the retention of permanent grassland sanctuaries within intensive landscapes may offset ecological debts.
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25
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Rossetti MR, Rösch V, Videla M, Tscharntke T, Batáry P. Insect and plant traits drive local and landscape effects on herbivory in grassland fragments. Ecosphere 2019. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.2717] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Maria Rosa Rossetti
- Agroecology Department of Crop Sciences Georg‐August‐University Göttingen Germany
- Universidad Nacional de Córdoba Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales Centro de Investigaciones Entomológicas de Córdoba Córdoba Argentina
- Consejo Nacional de investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal (IMBIV) Av. Vélez Sársfield 1611 X5016GCA Córdoba Argentina
| | - Verena Rösch
- Agroecology Department of Crop Sciences Georg‐August‐University Göttingen Germany
- Institute for Environmental Sciences University of Koblenz‐Landau Landau/Pfalz Germany
| | - Martín Videla
- Universidad Nacional de Córdoba Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales Centro de Investigaciones Entomológicas de Córdoba Córdoba Argentina
- Consejo Nacional de investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal (IMBIV) Av. Vélez Sársfield 1611 X5016GCA Córdoba Argentina
| | - Teja Tscharntke
- Agroecology Department of Crop Sciences Georg‐August‐University Göttingen Germany
| | - Péter Batáry
- Agroecology Department of Crop Sciences Georg‐August‐University Göttingen Germany
- MTA ÖK Lendület Landscape and Conservation Ecology Research Group Alkotmány u. 2‐4 2163 Vácrátót Hungary
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26
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Grass I, Loos J, Baensch S, Batáry P, Librán‐Embid F, Ficiciyan A, Klaus F, Riechers M, Rosa J, Tiede J, Udy K, Westphal C, Wurz A, Tscharntke T. Land‐sharing/‐sparing connectivity landscapes for ecosystem services and biodiversity conservation. PEOPLE AND NATURE 2019. [DOI: 10.1002/pan3.21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Ingo Grass
- University of Goettingen, Agroecology Göttingen Germany
| | - Jacqueline Loos
- University of Goettingen, Agroecology Göttingen Germany
- Leuphana University, Institute of Ecology Lueneburg Germany
| | - Svenja Baensch
- University of Goettingen, Agroecology Göttingen Germany
- University of Goettingen, Functional Agrobiodiversity Göttingen Germany
| | - Péter Batáry
- University of Goettingen, Agroecology Göttingen Germany
- MTA ÖK Landscape and Conservation Ecology Research Group Vácrátót Hungary
| | | | | | - Felix Klaus
- University of Goettingen, Agroecology Göttingen Germany
| | | | - Julia Rosa
- University of Goettingen, Agroecology Göttingen Germany
| | - Julia Tiede
- University of Muenster, Animal Ecology and Multitrophic Interactions, Institute of Landscape Ecology Münster Germany
| | - Kristy Udy
- University of Goettingen, Agroecology Göttingen Germany
| | - Catrin Westphal
- University of Goettingen, Agroecology Göttingen Germany
- University of Goettingen, Functional Agrobiodiversity Göttingen Germany
- Centre of Biodiversity and Sustainable Land Use (CBL) University of Goettingen Göttingen Germany
| | | | - Teja Tscharntke
- University of Goettingen, Agroecology Göttingen Germany
- Centre of Biodiversity and Sustainable Land Use (CBL) University of Goettingen Göttingen Germany
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27
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Transferring biodiversity-ecosystem function research to the management of ‘real-world’ ecosystems. ADV ECOL RES 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/bs.aecr.2019.06.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/05/2022]
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28
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Zhao Z, Wei J, Zhang K, Li H, Wei S, Pan X, Huang W, Zhu M, Zhang R. Asymmetric response of different functional insect groups to low-grazing pressure in Eurasian steppe in Ningxia. Ecol Evol 2018; 8:11609-11618. [PMID: 30598760 PMCID: PMC6303718 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.4611] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2018] [Revised: 08/20/2018] [Accepted: 08/24/2018] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
In recent years, the continued loss and fragmentation of steppe has caused decreased ecosystem functions and species losses in insect diversity. In the 2000s, the Chinese government developed a series of national projects, such as the construction of enclosures, to conserve natural ecosystems, including steppe. However, the effects of these enclosures on steppe arthropod community are largely unknown. In the present study, we selected enclosed and low-grazing regions at eight National Grassland Fixed Monitoring Stations to examine the compositional differences in four insect functional groups and their associated ecological functions. The results showed that diversity significantly differed between the enclosed and low-grazing regions, with the number of insect families being significantly higher in enclosed regions than in regions with low-grazing pressure. The responses of the insect community to steppe management also varied among the four groups (herbivores, predators, parasitoids, and pollinators). The abundances of herbivores, predators, and parasitoids were higher in enclosed regions than in low-grazing regions, while there was no significant difference in pollinators. Additionally, there were no significant differences in the predator/prey ratio between enclosed regions and low-grazing regions in any of the steppe types. The parasitic wasp/prey ratio was higher in enclosed regions than in low-grazing regions in meadow steppe and typical steppe, while there were no significant differences between the enclosed and low-grazing regions in desert steppe and steppe desert. Herbivores were observed to benefit much more from enclosures than predators, parasitoids, and pollinators. Therefore, we recommend low-grazing should be considered in steppe conservation, which could conserve biodiversity and achieve biocontrol functions of arthropod community.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zihua Zhao
- Department of Entomology, College of Plant ProtectionChina Agricultural UniversityBeijingChina
| | - Jing Wei
- Department of Entomology, College of Plant ProtectionChina Agricultural UniversityBeijingChina
| | - Kaiyang Zhang
- Department of Entomology, College of Plant ProtectionChina Agricultural UniversityBeijingChina
| | - Hao Li
- Department of Entomology, College of Plant ProtectionChina Agricultural UniversityBeijingChina
| | - Shuhua Wei
- Institute of Plant ProtectionNingxia Academy of Agriculture and ForestryYinchuanChina
| | - Xubin Pan
- Institute of Plant QuarantineChinese Academy of Inspection and QuarantineBeijingChina
| | | | - Mengmeng Zhu
- Institute of Plant ProtectionNingxia Academy of Agriculture and ForestryYinchuanChina
| | - Rong Zhang
- Institute of Plant ProtectionNingxia Academy of Agriculture and ForestryYinchuanChina
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29
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Samu F, Horváth A, Neidert D, Botos E, Szita É. Metacommunities of spiders in grassland habitat fragments of an agricultural landscape. Basic Appl Ecol 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.baae.2018.07.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
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30
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca K. Tonietto
- Department of Biology; University of Michigan-Flint; Flint MI USA
- Plant Biology and Conservation; Northwestern University; Evanston IL USA
- Plant Science and Conservation; Chicago Botanic Garden; Glencoe IL USA
| | - Daniel J. Larkin
- Plant Science and Conservation; Chicago Botanic Garden; Glencoe IL USA
- Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology; University of Minnesota; St. Paul MN USA
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31
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Lichtenberg EM, Mendenhall CD, Brosi B. Foraging traits modulate stingless bee community disassembly under forest loss. J Anim Ecol 2017; 86:1404-1416. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.12747] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2016] [Accepted: 08/07/2017] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Elinor M. Lichtenberg
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of Arizona Tucson AZ USA
- Department of Integrative Biology University of Texas at Austin Austin TX USA
| | - Chase D. Mendenhall
- Department of Biology Stanford University Stanford CA USA
- Center for Conservation Biology Stanford University Stanford CA USA
- The Nature Conservancy Arlington VA USA
| | - Berry Brosi
- Department of Environmental Studies Emory University Atlanta GA USA
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32
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Minden V, Scherber C, Cebrián Piqueras MA, Trinogga J, Trenkamp A, Mantilla-Contreras J, Lienin P, Kleyer M. Consistent drivers of plant biodiversity across managed ecosystems. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2017; 371:rstb.2015.0284. [PMID: 27114585 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2015.0284] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/11/2016] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Ecosystems managed for production of biomass are often characterized by low biodiversity because management aims to optimize single ecosystem functions (i.e. yield) involving deliberate selection of species or cultivars. In consequence, considerable differences in observed plant species richness and productivity remain across systems, and the drivers of these differences have remained poorly resolved so far. In addition, it has remained unclear if species richness feeds back on ecosystem functions such as yield in real-world systems. Here, we establish N = 360 experimental plots across a broad range of managed ecosystems in several European countries, and use structural equation models to unravel potential drivers of plant species richness. We hypothesize that the relationships between productivity, total biomass and observed species richness are affected by management intensity, and that these effects differ between habitat types (dry grasslands, grasslands, and wetlands). We found that local management was an important driver of species richness across systems. Management caused system disturbance, resulting in reduced productivity yet enhanced total biomass. Plant species richness was directly and positively driven by management, with consistently negative effects of total biomass. Productivity effects on richness were positive, negative or neutral. Our study shows that management and total biomass drive plant species richness across real-world managed systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vanessa Minden
- Landscape Ecology Group, University of Oldenburg, 26111 Oldenburg, Germany
| | - Christoph Scherber
- DNPW, Agroecology, University of Göttingen, 37077 Göttingen, Germany Institute of Landscape Ecology, University of Münster, 48149 Münster, Germany
| | | | - Juliane Trinogga
- Landscape Ecology Group, University of Oldenburg, 26111 Oldenburg, Germany
| | - Anastasia Trenkamp
- Institute of Biology and Chemistry, University of Hildesheim, 31141 Hildesheim, Germany
| | | | - Patrick Lienin
- Landscape Ecology Group, University of Oldenburg, 26111 Oldenburg, Germany
| | - Michael Kleyer
- Landscape Ecology Group, University of Oldenburg, 26111 Oldenburg, Germany
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Le Provost G, Gross N, Börger L, Deraison H, Roncoroni M, Badenhausser I. Trait‐matching and mass effect determine the functional response of herbivore communities to land‐use intensification. Funct Ecol 2017. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.12849] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Gaëtane Le Provost
- Station d'Ecologie de Chizé – La Rochelle UMR 7372 CNRS – Université de La Rochelle F‐79360 Villiers en Bois France
- INRA USC 1339 (Station d'Ecologie de Chizé – La Rochelle – CNRS) F‐79360 Villiers en Bois France
- LTER Zone Atelier Plaine & Val de Sèvre CNRS F‐79360 Villiers en Bois France
| | - Nicolas Gross
- Station d'Ecologie de Chizé – La Rochelle UMR 7372 CNRS – Université de La Rochelle F‐79360 Villiers en Bois France
- INRA USC 1339 (Station d'Ecologie de Chizé – La Rochelle – CNRS) F‐79360 Villiers en Bois France
- LTER Zone Atelier Plaine & Val de Sèvre CNRS F‐79360 Villiers en Bois France
- Área de Biodiversidad y Conservación Departamento de Ciencias Escuela Superior de Ciencias Experimentales y Tecnología Universidad Rey Juan Carlos C/ Tulipán s/n 28933 Móstoles Spain
| | - Luca Börger
- Department of Biosciences College of Science Swansea University Singleton Park SwanseaSA2 8PP UK
| | - Hélène Deraison
- Station d'Ecologie de Chizé – La Rochelle UMR 7372 CNRS – Université de La Rochelle F‐79360 Villiers en Bois France
- INRA USC 1339 (Station d'Ecologie de Chizé – La Rochelle – CNRS) F‐79360 Villiers en Bois France
- LTER Zone Atelier Plaine & Val de Sèvre CNRS F‐79360 Villiers en Bois France
| | - Marilyn Roncoroni
- Station d'Ecologie de Chizé – La Rochelle UMR 7372 CNRS – Université de La Rochelle F‐79360 Villiers en Bois France
- INRA USC 1339 (Station d'Ecologie de Chizé – La Rochelle – CNRS) F‐79360 Villiers en Bois France
- LTER Zone Atelier Plaine & Val de Sèvre CNRS F‐79360 Villiers en Bois France
| | - Isabelle Badenhausser
- Station d'Ecologie de Chizé – La Rochelle UMR 7372 CNRS – Université de La Rochelle F‐79360 Villiers en Bois France
- INRA USC 1339 (Station d'Ecologie de Chizé – La Rochelle – CNRS) F‐79360 Villiers en Bois France
- LTER Zone Atelier Plaine & Val de Sèvre CNRS F‐79360 Villiers en Bois France
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Kajzer-Bonk J, Skórka P, Nowicki P, Bonk M, Król W, Szpiłyk D, Woyciechowski M. Relative Contribution of Matrix Structure, Patch Resources and Management to the Local Densities of Two Large Blue Butterfly Species. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0168679. [PMID: 28005942 PMCID: PMC5179113 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0168679] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2016] [Accepted: 12/05/2016] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The type of matrix, the landscape surrounding habitat patches, may determine the distribution and function of local populations. However, the matrix is often heterogeneous, and its various components may differentially contribute to metapopulation processes at different spatial scales, a phenomenon that has rarely been investigated. The aim of this study was to estimate the relative importance of matrix composition and spatial scale, habitat quality, and management intensity on the occurrence and density of local populations of two endangered large blue butterflies: Phengaris teleius and P. nausithous. Presence and abundance data were assessed over two years, 2011-12, in 100 local patches within two heterogeneous regions (near Kraków and Tarnów, southern Poland). The matrix composition was analyzed at eight spatial scales. We observed high occupancy rates in both species, regions and years. With the exception of area and isolation, almost all of the matrix components contributed to Phengaris sp. densities. The different matrix components acted at different spatial scales (grassland cover within 4 and 3 km, field cover within 0.4 and 0.3 km and water cover within 4 km radii for P. teleius and P. nausithous, respectively) and provided the highest independent contribution to the butterfly densities. Additionally, the effects of a 0.4 km radius of forest cover and a food plant cover on P. teleius, and a 1 km radius of settlement cover and management intensity on P. nausithous densities were observed. Contrary to former studies we conclude that the matrix heterogeneity and spatial scale rather than general matrix type are of relevance for densities of butterflies. Conservation strategies for these umbrella species should concentrate on maintaining habitat quality and managing matrix composition at the most appropriate spatial scales.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joanna Kajzer-Bonk
- Institute of Environmental Sciences, Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland
- * E-mail:
| | - Piotr Skórka
- Institute of Nature Conservation, Polish Academy of Sciences, Kraków, Poland
| | - Piotr Nowicki
- Institute of Environmental Sciences, Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland
| | - Maciej Bonk
- Institute of Nature Conservation, Polish Academy of Sciences, Kraków, Poland
- Institute of Zoology, Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland
| | - Wiesław Król
- Institute of Nature Conservation, Polish Academy of Sciences, Kraków, Poland
| | - Damian Szpiłyk
- Institute of Environmental Sciences, Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland
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Papanikolaou AD, Kühn I, Frenzel M, Schweiger O. Semi-natural habitats mitigate the effects of temperature rise on wild bees. J Appl Ecol 2016. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.12763] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra D. Papanikolaou
- Department of Community Ecology; Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research-UFZ; Theodor-Lieser-Straße 4 D-06120 Halle Germany
| | - Ingolf Kühn
- Department of Community Ecology; Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research-UFZ; Theodor-Lieser-Straße 4 D-06120 Halle Germany
- Institute of Biology/Geobotany and Botanical Garden; Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg; Am Kirchtor 1 D-06108 Halle Germany
- German Center for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig; Deutscher Platz 5e D-04103 Leipzig Germany
| | - Mark Frenzel
- Department of Community Ecology; Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research-UFZ; Theodor-Lieser-Straße 4 D-06120 Halle Germany
| | - Oliver Schweiger
- Department of Community Ecology; Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research-UFZ; Theodor-Lieser-Straße 4 D-06120 Halle Germany
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Gámez-Virués S, Perović DJ, Gossner MM, Börschig C, Blüthgen N, de Jong H, Simons NK, Klein AM, Krauss J, Maier G, Scherber C, Steckel J, Rothenwöhrer C, Steffan-Dewenter I, Weiner CN, Weisser W, Werner M, Tscharntke T, Westphal C. Landscape simplification filters species traits and drives biotic homogenization. Nat Commun 2015; 6:8568. [PMID: 26485325 PMCID: PMC4634213 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms9568] [Citation(s) in RCA: 203] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2015] [Accepted: 09/05/2015] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Biodiversity loss can affect the viability of ecosystems by decreasing the ability of communities to respond to environmental change and disturbances. Agricultural intensification is a major driver of biodiversity loss and has multiple components operating at different spatial scales: from in-field management intensity to landscape-scale simplification. Here we show that landscape-level effects dominate functional community composition and can even buffer the effects of in-field management intensification on functional homogenization, and that animal communities in real-world managed landscapes show a unified response (across orders and guilds) to both landscape-scale simplification and in-field intensification. Adults and larvae with specialized feeding habits, species with shorter activity periods and relatively small body sizes are selected against in simplified landscapes with intense in-field management. Our results demonstrate that the diversity of land cover types at the landscape scale is critical for maintaining communities, which are functionally diverse, even in landscapes where in-field management intensity is high.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sagrario Gámez-Virués
- Agroecology, Department of Crop Sciences, Georg-August-University Göttingen, D-37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - David J. Perović
- Agroecology, Department of Crop Sciences, Georg-August-University Göttingen, D-37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Martin M. Gossner
- Terrestrial Ecology Research Group, Department of Ecology and Ecosystem Management, Center for Food and Life Sciences Weihenstephan, Technical University of Munich, D-85354 Freising, Germany
| | - Carmen Börschig
- Agroecology, Department of Crop Sciences, Georg-August-University Göttingen, D-37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Nico Blüthgen
- Ecological Networks, Biology, Technical University of Darmstadt, D-64287 Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Heike de Jong
- Agroecology, Department of Crop Sciences, Georg-August-University Göttingen, D-37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Nadja K. Simons
- Terrestrial Ecology Research Group, Department of Ecology and Ecosystem Management, Center for Food and Life Sciences Weihenstephan, Technical University of Munich, D-85354 Freising, Germany
| | - Alexandra-Maria Klein
- Nature Conservation and Landscape Ecology, Institute of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Freiburg, D-79106 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Jochen Krauss
- Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, University of Würzburg, Biocenter, D-97074 Würzburg, Germany
| | - Gwen Maier
- Agroecology, Department of Crop Sciences, Georg-August-University Göttingen, D-37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Christoph Scherber
- Agroecology, Department of Crop Sciences, Georg-August-University Göttingen, D-37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Juliane Steckel
- Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, University of Würzburg, Biocenter, D-97074 Würzburg, Germany
| | - Christoph Rothenwöhrer
- Agroecology, Department of Crop Sciences, Georg-August-University Göttingen, D-37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Ingolf Steffan-Dewenter
- Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, University of Würzburg, Biocenter, D-97074 Würzburg, Germany
| | - Christiane N. Weiner
- Ecological Networks, Biology, Technical University of Darmstadt, D-64287 Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Wolfgang Weisser
- Terrestrial Ecology Research Group, Department of Ecology and Ecosystem Management, Center for Food and Life Sciences Weihenstephan, Technical University of Munich, D-85354 Freising, Germany
| | - Michael Werner
- Ecological Networks, Biology, Technical University of Darmstadt, D-64287 Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Teja Tscharntke
- Agroecology, Department of Crop Sciences, Georg-August-University Göttingen, D-37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Catrin Westphal
- Agroecology, Department of Crop Sciences, Georg-August-University Göttingen, D-37077 Göttingen, Germany
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Scherber C. Insect responses to interacting global change drivers in managed ecosystems. CURRENT OPINION IN INSECT SCIENCE 2015; 11:56-62. [PMID: 28285759 DOI: 10.1016/j.cois.2015.10.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2015] [Revised: 09/22/2015] [Accepted: 10/05/2015] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Insects are facing an increasingly stressful combination of global change drivers such as habitat fragmentation, agricultural intensification, pollution, or climatic changes. While single-factor studies have yielded considerable insights, multi-factor manipulations have gained momentum recently. Nevertheless, most work to date has remained within particular domains of research, such as 'habitat destruction' or 'climate change', and linkages among subdisciplines within the ecological literature have remained scarce. Here, I provide an overview of the most recent developments in the field, with a focus on main functional groups of insects, but also their interactions with other organisms. All major global change drivers (landscape modification, climate change, agricultural management) are covered both singly and in interaction. The manuscript concludes with concepts on how to statistically and conceptually deal with interactions in experimental and observational work.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christoph Scherber
- Agroecology, Department of Crop Science, Georg-August-University Göttingen, Grisebachstr. 6, 37077 Göttingen, Germany; Institute of Landscape Ecology, University of Münster, Heisenbergstr. 2, 48149 Münster, Germany.
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Biodiversity conservation across taxa and landscapes requires many small as well as single large habitat fragments. Oecologia 2015; 179:209-22. [DOI: 10.1007/s00442-015-3315-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2014] [Accepted: 04/07/2015] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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