Article
Food Science & Technology
Maria Garcia-Martin, Lynn Huntsinger, Maria Jose Ibarrola-Rivas, Marianne Penker, Ugo D'Ambrosio, Thymios Dimopoulos, Maria E. Fernandez-Gimenez, Thanasis Kizos, Jose Munoz-Rojas, Osamu Saito, Karl S. Zimmerer, David J. Abson, Jianguo Liu, Cristina Quintas-Soriano, Irene Holm Sorensen, Peter H. Verburg, Tobias Plieninger
Summary: This article explores the multiple functions of seven landscape products worldwide, emphasizing that landscape products can improve food systems by promoting place-sensitive sustainability strategies and standards, thus addressing conflicts related to food production, social justice, and the environment.
Article
Entomology
Ulrich Neumueller, Hannah Burger, Antonia V. Mayr, Sebastian Hopfenmuller, Sabrina Krausch, Nadine Herwig, Ronald Burger, Olaf Diestelhorst, Katrin Emmerich, Mare Haider, Manuel Kiefer, Jonas Konicek, Johann-Christoph Kornmilch, Marina Moser, Christoph Saure, Arno Schanowski, Erwin Scheuchl, Julia Sing, Max Wagner, Julia Witter, Hans R. Schwenninger, Manfred Ayasse
Summary: This study established 20 artificial nesting hills in Germany to promote ground-nesting bees and found that these hills can provide valuable nesting resources for various bee species, particularly in degraded landscapes. It is recommended to construct these hills on sun-exposed sites with local soil to match the needs of the local bee community.
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
Sandra Elena Schweiger, Nicole Beyer, Annika Louise Hass, Catrin Westphal
Summary: Bumblebees play an important role as pollinators, but they are facing declines in agricultural landscapes worldwide. This study investigates the effects of landscape composition, landscape diversity, diversity of pollen diets, and wax moth depredation on the growth and reproductive success of bumblebee colonies. The results show that landscape diversity positively affects the reproductive success of bumblebees, and a diverse pollen diet can mitigate depredation by wax moths.
AGRICULTURE ECOSYSTEMS & ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
Alina Twerski, Harald Albrecht, Jochen Frund, Michaela Moosner, Christina Fischer
Summary: Rare arable plants positively impact wild bees by providing additional flower resources, increasing their abundance and species richness. Sowing of rare arable plants can enhance resource availability for wild bees in agricultural landscapes and aid in conserving plant diversity.
AGRICULTURE ECOSYSTEMS & ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Biology
Fan Yang, Bing Liu, Yulin Zhu, Kris A. G. Wyckhuys, Wopke van der Werf, Yanhui Lu
Summary: This study analyzed a 3-year dataset of quantitative parasitoid-hyperparasitoid trophic networks from 25 different agro-landscapes to evaluate the impacts of landscape composition, species diversity, and trophic network structure on ecosystem functionality. The research found that functionality is primarily dictated by (hyper)parasitoid diversity, with its effects modulated by the generality and vulnerability of the food web. The study underscores the importance of considering on-farm biodiversity and trophic interactions when investigating ecosystem services within dynamic agro-landscapes.
COMMUNICATIONS BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Entomology
Chia-Hua Lin, Sreelakshmi Suresh, Emma Matcham, Paityn Monagan, Hailey Curtis, Rodney T. Richardson, Reed M. Johnson
Summary: This study demonstrated that honey bees regularly forage on soybeans in Ohio, as shown through microscopic and molecular pollen analysis of honey samples combined with waggle dance inference of foraging patterns. The abundance of soybean pollen in honey increased with the number of surrounding soybean fields, and honey bees preferred foraging in soybean fields during soybean bloom.
JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Elena Zioga, Blanaid White, Jane C. Stout
Summary: In an agricultural environment, bees are exposed to different chemical compounds in crops treated with pesticides, and the extent of their impact varies depending on concentration and type of exposure. Pollen samples from oilseed rape fields were found to be more contaminated compared to broad bean fields. Honey bee pollen loads contained mainly fungicides, while bumble bee pollen loads had more insecticides.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
Alejandro Trillo, Ignasi Bartomeus, F. Javier Ortiz-Sanchez, Jordina Belmonte, Montserrat Vila
Summary: Over two million commercial bumblebee colonies are used annually worldwide for pollinating various crops, posing a potential risk to wild pollinators due to foraging behaviors outside of greenhouses. A study in southern Spain found high parasite prevalence in commercial Bombus terrestris, with most foraging within 200 m of greenhouses. However, the abundance and diversity of pollinators in natural habitats were not significantly affected by commercial bumblebee presence.
AGRICULTURE ECOSYSTEMS & ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Thomas Perrot, Adrien Rusch, Camille Coux, Sabrina Gaba, Vincent Bretagnolle
Summary: Increasing the proportion of grasslands in farmland can enhance seed and aphid predation rates, while the distance to the nearest grassland has no significant effect. Additionally, forest fragments and the proportion of organic farming can also impact the predation rates in cereal fields. Maintaining key semi-natural habitats is crucial for natural pest control and supporting food production in agricultural landscapes.
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
Felipe Martello, Juliana Silveira dos Santos, Carlos M. Silva-Neto, Cibele Cassia-Silva, Karoline Nascimento Siqueira, Marcos Vinicius Rezende de Ataide, Milton Cezar Ribeiro, Rosane Garcia Collevatti
Summary: This study investigates the impact of landscape structure on the diversity of functional traits in agricultural landscapes in the Brazilian Cerrado. The results suggest that the amount of forest and patch density are key predictors for the diversity of functional traits in woody plants, emphasizing the importance of maintaining habitats for preserving functional trait diversity.
AGRICULTURE ECOSYSTEMS & ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Food Science & Technology
Adam D. D. Canning
Summary: Conventional agriculture, relying on monocultures, poses risks to food security and the environment. Diversifying monoculture systems with native foods can improve adaptation and reduce environmental modifications. Australia has a rich history of native food use, and identifying suitable regions for native crop growth can support diversification efforts.
FRONTIERS IN SUSTAINABLE FOOD SYSTEMS
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Fabiana P. Fragoso, Qi Jiang, Murray K. Clayton, Johanne Brunet
Summary: Pollen and nectar resources are unevenly distributed, leading bees to consider patch size and distance when making routing decisions. Bumble bees prefer large, nearby patches.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Tohar Roth, Moshe Coll, Yael Mandelik
Summary: Uncultivated habitat patches in agricultural landscapes play a crucial role in supporting communities of ecosystem service providers, specifically wild bees. However, little is known about the differences among various types of uncultivated habitat patches in terms of resource provision and population maintenance of these beneficial organisms. Our study in Mediterranean agricultural landscapes revealed that both local and landscape factors influenced the diversity, functional composition, and availability of forage and nesting resources for bees. The different types of uncultivated habitats maintained complementary bee and flower communities, and were essential for supporting wild bee communities and crop pollination services.
Article
Ecology
Maureen L. Page, Neal M. Williams
Summary: Human-mediated species introductions provide real-time experiments in studying how communities respond to interspecific competition. This study investigates the impact of introduced honey bees on native bees' visitation patterns, pollen diets, and floral resource availability. The results show that honey bee competition leads to decreased floral resources and alters native bees' visitation behavior, highlighting the importance of floral resource preservation in mitigating negative impacts of honey bee competition.
JOURNAL OF ANIMAL ECOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Environmental Sciences
Melissa Anne Beryl Vogt
Summary: This article discusses the benefits of introducing wild crops and plants for improved biodiversity in agricultural landscapes, as well as the importance of conserving a diverse range of wild plants and crops. It also emphasizes the need for more specific terms and definitions, such as agricultural wilding, to guide human natural-environment interactions in agricultural systems.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Niels Debonne, Matthias Buergi, Vasco Diogo, Julian Helfenstein, Felix Herzog, Christian Levers, Franziska Mohr, Rebecca Swart, Peter Verburg
Summary: The future of European agriculture is facing dynamic and contested challenges due to intensifying pressures. Climate change, demographic change, (post-) productivism shifts, and increasingly strict environmental regulations are identified as significant megatrends that will shape the future of European agriculture. The direction and intensity of these megatrends vary between regions, leading to different systemic lock-ins or dynamics. Therefore, governance should focus on guiding these dynamics towards a desirable future.
GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE-HUMAN AND POLICY DIMENSIONS
(2022)
Article
Agronomy
Julian Helfenstein, Matthias Burgi, Niels Debonne, Thymios Dimopoulos, Vasco Diogo, Wenche Dramstad, Anna Edlinger, Maria Garcia-Martin, Jozef Hernik, Thanasis Kizos, Angela Lausch, Christian Levers, Franziska Mohr, Gerardo Moreno, Robert Pazur, Michael Siegrist, Rebecca Swart, Claudine Thenail, Peter H. Verburg, Tim G. Williams, Anita Zarina, Felix Herzog
Summary: The COVID-19 pandemic had varying impacts on different agricultural systems, with specialized and intensive farms being more vulnerable to disruptions in supply chains. Supporting farmers in diversifying their production systems and reducing dependence on supply chains can increase their resilience to future shocks.
AGRONOMY FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Vasco Diogo, Julian Helfenstein, Franziska Mohr, Vinisha Varghese, Niels Debonne, Christian Levers, Rebecca Swart, Gabi Sonderegger, Thomas Nemecek, Christian Schader, Achim Walter, Guy Ziv, Felix Herzog, Peter H. Verburg, Matthias Burgi
Summary: Agriculture plays a crucial role in achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and sustainable intensification (SI) of agriculture has been proposed as a concept to ensure food security, protect the environment, and promote quality of life. However, SI often requires context-specific sustainability assessments to evaluate trade-offs. This article proposes a systematic approach to develop context-specific frameworks for integrated sustainability assessment of agricultural intensity change, using Europe as an example.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & POLICY
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Philippe Tschanz, Stefan Vogel, Achim Walter, Thomas Keller, Matthias Albrecht
Summary: Ground-nesting wild bees play a crucial role in pollinating wild plants and crops, impacting human wellbeing. This study in Switzerland found that arable fields are utilized for nesting by various bee species, with nest density being positively related to the proportion of bare ground and decreasing with distance from field edges. The findings suggest that maintaining small field sizes, increasing edge density, and reducing crop cover through increased row spacing can support ground-nesting bees in agricultural landscapes, potentially aided by floral-rich agri-environment scheme areas. Further research is needed to determine if tilled arable fields serve as suitable nesting habitats or ecological traps for ground-nesting bees.
JOURNAL OF APPLIED ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Verena Gerstle, Alessandro Manfrin, Sara Kolbenschlag, Maximilian Gerken, A. S. M. Mufachcher Ul Islam, Martin H. Entling, Mirco Bundschuh, Carsten A. Bruehl
Summary: This study found that Bti may indirectly affect the abundance of dragonflies by reducing the number of chironomid larvae, and also have an impact on the composition of aquatic macroinvertebrate communities. As dragonflies include species of conservation concern, the necessity of Bti applications in habitats such as floodplains should be carefully evaluated.
ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
(2023)
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
Sina Blosch, Matthias Albrecht, Markus Jenny, Bernhard Streit, Eva Knop
Summary: Ecological intensification aims to reduce environmental costs of agricultural production by increasing biodiversity and using associated ecosystem services. In this study, researchers manipulated the seeding pattern in winter wheat fields to create a diversified crop architecture and found that it resulted in increased carabid diversity and altered community composition and activity density, leading to improved pest and weed control without yield losses. This measure could potentially replace pesticides with enhanced ecosystem services.
AGRICULTURE ECOSYSTEMS & ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Marvin Kaczmarek, Martin H. Entling, Christoph Hoffmann
Summary: Biodiversity loss is a major challenge for agricultural sustainability, driven by local management and landscape simplification. Conservation measures aim to increase organic agriculture, reduce pesticide use, and increase the proportion of semi-natural habitats. It is important to understand the effects of such measures.
BIODIVERSITY AND CONSERVATION
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Elizabeth M. Alejandre, Laura Scherer, Jeroen B. Guinee, Marcelo A. Aizen, Matthias Albrecht, Mario V. Balzan, Ignasi Bartomeus, Danilo Bevk, Laura A. Burkle, Yann Clough, Lorna J. Cole, Casey M. Delphia, Lynn V. Dicks, Michael P. D. Garratt, David Kleijn, Aniko Kovacs-Hostyanszki, Yael Mandelik, Robert J. Paxton, Theodora Petanidou, Simon Potts, Miklos Sarospataki, Catharina J. E. Schulp, Menelaos Stavrinides, Katharina Stein, Jane C. Stout, Hajnalka Szentgyorgyi, Androulla I. Varnava, Ben A. Woodcock, Peter M. van Bodegom
Summary: While wild pollinators are crucial for global food production, they are currently not included in the commonly used environmental impact assessment method, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), due to data limitations and compatibility issues. To address this gap, a Delphi assessment was conducted to obtain relative pollinator abundance estimates from 25 experts covering 16 nationalities and 45 countries. Based on the estimates, globally generic characterization factors (CFs) were developed to assess the impact of land use on wild pollinator abundance in LCA studies.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Tomas Duque, Rufat Nuriyev, Joerg Roembke, Ralf B. Schaefer, Martin H. Entling
Summary: The chemical sensitivity of six earthworm species to imidacloprid and copper was assessed to improve the risk assessment of pesticides on soil macroorganisms. The hazardous concentrations affecting 5% of species were determined, with some pesticide concentrations in European agroecosystems exceeding the values, indicating toxic risks. Additionally, soil pH and earthworm traits were found to have significant relationships with chemical sensitivity.
ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY AND CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Agronomy
Jo Marie Reiff, Keerthi Sudarsan, Christoph Hoffmann, Martin H. Entling
Summary: Organic management and cultivating disease-resistant varieties may reduce the impact of pesticides, but in grape cultivation, organic management does not have significant benefits for beneficial arthropods.
PEST MANAGEMENT SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Sara Kolbenschlag, Eric Bollinger, Verena Gerstle, Carsten A. Bruehl, Martin H. Entling, Ralf Schulz, Mirco Bundschuh
Summary: Emerging aquatic insects that provide high-quality prey are essential for linking aquatic and terrestrial food webs. However, the emergence dynamics of non-biting midges, a major component of aquatic subsidy, were altered by the mosquito control agent Bti. Riparian spiders, which rely on aquatic subsidy, may be affected by changes in prey availability. Through a field study, we found that Bti did not significantly alter the nutritional value of emerged chironomids, but it did impact the diet of riparian spiders. Spiders from Bti-treated areas had a lower trophic position and potentially consumed more terrestrial prey and other aquatic organisms unaffected by Bti, such as Baetidae.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Entomology
Jo Marie Reiff, Theresa Pennington, Sebastian Kolb, Konrad Theiss, Ekaterina Alakina, Marvin Ehringer, Paul Mason, Rosalie Shrestha, Martin H. Entling, Christoph Hoffmann
Summary: This five-year study examines the effects of fungicide reduction and altered plant architecture on arthropod abundances and natural pest control. The results indicate that reduced fungicide sprayings benefit arthropods, especially predators, leading to enhanced natural pest control. Minimal pruning has a weaker effect, primarily impacting leaf mesofauna, earwigs, and leafhoppers.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Marvin Kaczmarek, Melanie Gillich, Martin H. H. Entling, Christoph Hoffmann, Jens Schirmel
Summary: Our study demonstrates that the cultivation of FRG varieties in organic viticulture benefits certain orthopteran species. Reducing the use of non-specific pesticides such as copper and sulfur is crucial to mitigate negative impacts and promote orthopteran populations in vineyards. Given the significant environmental effects of agriculture, it is important to understand the effects of conservation measures on organisms in order to provide evidence-based and effective implications for conservation.
JOURNAL OF INSECT CONSERVATION
(2023)
Article
Agronomy
Tomas Duque, Sumaiya Chowdhury, Marco Isaia, Stano Pekar, Kai Riess, Gregor Scherf, Ralf B. Schaefer, Martin H. Entling
Summary: This study highlights the high sensitivity of spiders to lambda-cyhalothrin, which can have unintended negative effects on pest suppression. Sensitivity is strongly related to phylogeny and climate, with spiders from boreal and polar climates being more sensitive. The observed differences in sensitivity between spider families and genera suggest that the functional composition of spider communities would change in areas affected by pesticide pollution. The variation in spider sensitivity emphasizes the need for multispecies investigations in pesticide risk assessment.
PEST MANAGEMENT SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Maike Huszarik, Alexis P. Roodt, Teagan Wernicke, Fernanda Chavez, Annika Metz, Moritz Link, Eva Lima-Fernandes, Ralf Schulz, Martin H. Entling
Summary: This study reveals the impact of chemical pollutants on the emergence of aquatic insects and the activity and hunting behavior of bats in riparian areas. Streams with higher pollution levels showed higher pesticide toxicity and more frequent detection of wastewater. Although there was no reduction in insect emergence or bat activity and hunting rates, bats in more polluted streams exhibited higher activity and hunting rates.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)