Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Kristin P. Davis, Helen R. Sofaer, Liba Pejchar
Summary: While rare species are vulnerable to global change, declines in common species are also of conservation concern. We explored avian population responses to land cover change and found that initial natural land cover favored rare but not common species. Commonness mediated the relationship between change in human land cover and species' counts. Increases in agriculture and declines in pasture favored common but not rare species. Understanding how commonness mediates species' responses to land cover change can help guide conservation strategies.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Stephanie Roilo, Jan O. Engler, Tomas Vaclavik, Anna F. Cord
Summary: Agri-environment schemes, ecological focus areas, and organic farming are key tools in the common agricultural policy to address the decline of farmland biodiversity in Europe. The effectiveness of these measures varies at different spatial scales, with landscape-level management playing a crucial role. Higher adoption levels of these measures could significantly improve breeding habitat suitability for farmland bird species across the agricultural landscape.
ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS
(2022)
Review
Plant Sciences
Rubab Zahra Naqvi, Hamid Anees Siddiqui, Muhammad Arslan Mahmood, Syed Najeebullah, Aiman Ehsan, Maryam Azhar, Muhammad Farooq, Imran Amin, Shaheen Asad, Zahid Mukhtar, Shahid Mansoor, Muhammad Asif
Summary: Improving crop traits is essential for developing superior crop varieties that can withstand climate change and associated stress challenges. Genomics and marker-assisted breeding have provided new opportunities and methods for enhancing crop yield and quality.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Ecology
David Gonzalez del Portillo, Beatriz Arroyo, Guillermo Garcia Simon, Manuel B. Morales
Summary: Agricultural intensification poses a threat to farmland bird populations by decreasing food resources. The study found that different agricultural habitats impact the availability of key food resources for farmland birds, with dry alfalfa fields playing a crucial role during critical times of the breeding season. The management of alfalfa fields and stubbles is essential for the breeding success of the little bustard.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
Arne Wenzel, Ingo Grass, Varsha Raj, Nils Nolke, Suryanarayana Subramanya, Teja Tscharntke
Summary: Worldwide, urban areas are rapidly expanding, and urban agriculture is becoming increasingly important. However, the effects of urbanization on farmland biodiversity are not well studied, especially in urbanization hotspots in the global south. In a study conducted in the Indian megacity Bangalore, we found that urbanization resulted in a consistent reduction in bird diversity, with the largest losses observed in open woodland species. The increase in impervious surface area led to a significant decrease in bird species and individuals, particularly during the monsoon season, suggesting a potential decline in biocontrol services for farmland in urban areas.
AGRICULTURE ECOSYSTEMS & ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Gabriel Marcacci, Catrin Westphal, Arne Wenzel, Varsha Raj, Nils Nolke, Teja Tscharntke, Ingo Grass
Summary: Urbanization has a significant impact on agricultural biodiversity and functional diversity, leading to homogenization of species communities and potential loss of crucial ecosystem services for food production. The study reveals that increasing urbanization drives taxonomic and functional shifts in farmland bird communities, highlighting the importance of considering beta-diversity and ecosystem functioning at regional scales.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Food Science & Technology
Jun Hong, Qian Shi, Sukumar Biswas, Shang-Chuan Jiang, Jianxin Shi
Summary: This review discusses the applications and challenges of genome editing technology in plants, emphasizing the importance of specificity and prediction of off-target effects of the CRISPR system, while also calling for enhanced public outreach and collaborative efforts.
Review
Plant Sciences
Elizabeth A. Chapman, Hanne Cecilie Thomsen, Sophia Tulloch, Pedro M. P. Correia, Guangbin Luo, Javad Najafi, Lee R. DeHaan, Timothy E. Crews, Lennart Olsson, Per-Olof Lundquist, Anna Westerbergh, Pai Rosager Pedas, Soren Knudsen, Michael Palmgren
Summary: Perennial grain crops have the potential to be a valuable addition to sustainable agriculture as they require fewer inputs and improve soil health compared to annual crops. However, their low yields and early stages of domestication have hindered large-scale cultivation. To narrow the yield gap with annual crops, it is necessary to study the differences in life cycles, resource allocation, and reproductive strategies, as well as analyze the genetic and biochemical pathways controlling plant growth. This information can be used for tailored genetic improvement of perennial crops to enhance yield while maintaining the benefits of perennialism.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Agronomy
Rashid Kurbanov, Veronika Panarina, Andrey Polukhin, Yakov Lobachevsky, Natalia Zakharova, Maxim Litvinov, Nazih Y. Rebouh, Dmitry E. Kucher, Elena Gureeva, Ekaterina Golovina, Pavel Yatchuk, Victoria Rasulova, Abdelraouf M. Ali
Summary: The use of multispectral aerial photography data contributes to the study of soybean plants by obtaining objective data. The evaluation of field germination of soybean crops was carried out using multispectral data (MSD). The purpose of this study was to develop ranges of field germination of soybean plants according to multispectral survey data from an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for three years (2020, 2021, and 2022). A DJI Matrice 200 Series v2 unmanned aerial vehicle and a MicaSense Altum multispectral camera were used for multispectral aerial photography. The correlation between ground-based and multispectral data was 0.70-0.75. The developed software for the automatic evaluation of the germination of soybean crops contributed to the assessment of the germination level of soybean breeding crops using multispectral aerial photography data. The software considers data of the three vegetation indices and calculated ranges, and creates an overview layer to visualize the germination level of the breeding plots. The developed method contributes to the determination of field germination for numerous breeding plots and speeds up the process of breeding new varieties.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Maria Belen Poliserpi, Diego Sebastian Cristos, Julie Celine Brodeur
Summary: This study aimed to assess the risk posed by IMI seed coating to passerine birds in the Pampa Region of Argentina using grayish baywings as a model. The findings showed that baywings would need to forage an area of less than 60 m(2) to obtain the number of seeds required to reach the LD50 for most crops.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Manuel Puettmanns, Franziska Lehmann, Fabian Willert, Jasmin Heinz, Antje Kieburg, Tim Filla, Niko Balkenhol, Matthias Waltert, Eckhard Gottschalk
Summary: The lack of suitable nesting sites is a key driver behind the decline of farmland birds in Europe. Crop diversification is believed to be a potential solution to this problem. This study found that in heterogeneous farmland, Skylarks responded to the decreasing suitability of winter cereals by switching nesting habitats, but overall nest success did not decrease throughout the breeding season.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Review
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
Diego Rubiales
Summary: Legume-based cropping systems are becoming popular in agroecological systems due to their environmental services and diverse uses. Breeding methods, including classical selection and genomic-assisted breeding, are being used to meet the specific requirements of each system and address the challenges of changing climate and stressful environments. Breeding targets for legume crops should focus on improved symbiosis, nutrient and water use efficiency, and tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses. Infusion of genetic diversity from landraces or wild relatives through pre-breeding is necessary for breeding these traits. Prospects and constraints are discussed.
OUTLOOK ON AGRICULTURE
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Israt Jahan, Tommaso Savini, Paul M. Thompson, Philip D. Round, George A. Gale
Summary: This study investigated the bird community structure and its associations with vegetation characteristics and potential human impacts in seasonal floodplain grassland along the lower Ganges and Brahmaputra Rivers in Bangladesh. The results show that the diversity of grassland birds is influenced by vegetation type and height. Grazing has a negative impact on the abundance of grassland birds, while limited grass harvesting increases their overall diversity.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION
(2022)
Review
Agronomy
Lisa L. Baxter, William F. Anderson, Roger N. Gates, Esteban F. Rios, Dennis W. Hancock
Summary: Georgia has historically been dominated by two different types of forage grass in the northern and southern regions. However, changes in temperature and precipitation patterns have led to the expansion of warm-season bermudagrass in the northern part of the state. Warm-season grasses can maintain productivity at high temperatures and may replace some grasslands at latitudes greater than 35 degrees. Research in Georgia has shown that bermudagrass exhibits better cold tolerance compared to stargrass, and ongoing studies are focusing on identifying cold-tolerant germplasm for farmers in the lower transition zone.
GRASS AND FORAGE SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Rachakonda Sreekar, Katerina Sam, Salindra K. Dayananda, Uromi Manage Goodale, Sarath W. Kotagama, Eben Goodale
Summary: The study found a positive relationship between species abundances and range size on tropical islands, which is influenced by endemism and land-use. Many endemics with smaller range sizes are globally threatened, but higher abundances may buffer them from extinction risks.
JOURNAL OF ANIMAL ECOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Yongcui Lan, Jinliang Wang, Qianwei Liu, Fang Liu, Lanfang Liu, Jie Li, Mengjia Luo
Summary: This study focuses on the five major plateau lake basins in central Yunnan, China, and constructs an ecological security pattern using the source-resistance surface-corridor-pinch point framework. The study simulates land use/cover change in the region and identifies early warning regions where future urban expansion poses a threat to current ecological source areas and corridors.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2024)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Pingping Huang, Feng Zhao, Bailing Zhou, Kuidong Xu
Summary: This study investigates the distribution of benthic microeukaryotes in the China Seas and finds that they can stride over the ecological barrier of 32 degrees N. The study also highlights the significant influence of depth, temperature, and latitude on communities in the China Seas.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2024)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Federico Morelli, Yanina Benedetti, Jesse Stanford, Leszek Jerzak, Piotr Tryjanowski, Paolo Perna, Riccardo Santolini
Summary: Species distribution models (SDMs) are numerical tools used for predicting species' spatial distribution. This study found that ecological characteristics, such as habitat specialization, play a role in improving the accuracy of SDMs.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2024)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Xiaoxuan Wu, Hang Liu, Wei Liu
Summary: Global climate change, urbanization, and economic development have increased the need for sustainable human development, urban ecological governance, and low-carbon energy transformation. This study analyzes the green ecological transition in Chengdu based on panel data from 2010 to 2020, exploring its spatiotemporal evolution and key factors. The results show an overall upward trend in Chengdu's green ecological development and positive spatial autocorrelation in certain districts.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2024)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Castaldi Simona, Formicola Nicola, Mastrocicco Micol, Morales Rodriguez Carmen, Morelli Raffaella, Prodorutti Daniele, Vannini Andrea, Zanzotti Roberto
Summary: Sustainable agricultural practices are increasingly important for global and national environmental policies and economy. This study compared the sustainability of grape production under integrated and organic management using multiple indicators. The results showed that organic management was more beneficial for most environmental aspects of the agroecosystem compared to integrated management, without affecting grape yield.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2024)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Gaia Vaglio Laurin, Alexander Cotrina-Sanchez, Luca Belelli-Marchesini, Enrico Tomelleri, Giovanna Battipaglia, Claudia Cocozza, Francesco Niccoli, Jerzy Piotr Kabala, Damiano Gianelle, Loris Vescovo, Luca Da Ros, Riccardo Valentini
Summary: Phenology monitoring is important for understanding forest functioning and climate impacts. This research compares the phenological behavior of European beech forests using Tree-Talker (TT+) and Sentinel 2 satellite data. The study finds differences in the information derived by the two sensor types, particularly in terms of season length, phenology changepoints, and leaf period variability. TT+ with its higher temporal resolution demonstrates precision in capturing the phenological changepoints, especially when satellite image availability is limited.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2024)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Huanhuan Pan, Ziqiang Du, Zhitao Wu, Hong Zhang, Keming Ma
Summary: The land use and cover changes resulting from coal mining activities and ecological restoration have had a significant impact on ecosystem services in mining areas. This study investigates the relationship between ecosystem services and land use intensity in coal mining areas, emphasizing the importance of understanding this interdependence for balanced human-land system development. The research examines the evolving relationship across different reclamation stages in Shanxi, China, using a coupling coordination degree model. The findings suggest the need for timely and judicious reclamation of coalfields, considering the land's bearing capacity.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2024)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Jingjuan He, Yijun Shi, Lihua Xu, Zhangwei Lu, Mao Feng
Summary: This study examines the spatial interplay between changes in the blue-green spatial distribution and modifications in land surface temperature grades in Shanghai. The findings reveal that the transformation of the blue-green spatial pattern differs between different sectors of the city, and the impact on the thermal environment varies spatially.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2024)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Yi Xu, Di Zhang, Junqiang Lin, Qidong Peng, Xiaohui Lei, Tiantian Jin, Jia Wang, Ruifang Yuan
Summary: This study analyzed the response relationship between phytoplankton growth and water environmental parameters in the Middle Route of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project in China using long-term monitoring data and machine learning models. The results revealed the differences between monitoring sites and identified the key parameters that affect phytoplankton growth.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2024)