<p><span style="font-family: TimesNewRomanPS-ItalicMT; font-size: 9pt; color: #231f20; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"><em></em><span style="font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT; font-size: 9pt; color: #231f20; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;">Two different approaches to assess and map the potential of regulating agroecosystem<span style="font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT; font-size: 9pt; color: #231f20; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"> services have been used, the assessment of the potential of regulating agroecosystem services based<span style="font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT; font-size: 9pt; color: #231f20; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"> on a composite index and the assessment of the potential of individual regulating agroecosystem<span style="font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT; font-size: 9pt; color: #231f20; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"> services were used in the Krupina study area. The overall composite index indicates a general overview of the performance of an agrosystem in terms of providing ecocosystem services. Result from<span style="font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT; font-size: 9pt; color: #231f20; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"> our study showed that the composite index accumulates information on soil condition and its ability to perform regulating agroecosystem services, mainly the potential of water regime regulation<span style="font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT; font-size: 9pt; color: #231f20; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"> and cleaning potential of ecosystem. The modeling and evaluation of individual regulating services<span style="font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT; font-size: 9pt; color: #231f20; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"> allows more detailed assessment of regulating agroecosystem services and defiing the sources of<span style="font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT; font-size: 9pt; color: #231f20; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"> variability and spatial differences. Moreover, the methodology developed in this paper is replicable<span style="font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT; font-size: 9pt; color: #231f20; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal;"> and can be applied by planners if they are profiient in geographic information systems (GIS).</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;" /><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /></span></span></p>

For analysis and evaluation of potential of agroecosystem (arable land and grassland) services (provisioning, regulating and cultural) in Slovakia we have created a mapping unit combining these input layers: slope topography, soil texture and landuse in four climatic regions. Evaluated potential of agroecosystem services was categorised into five categories (very low, low, medium, high and very high). Our results show that climate has the most significant impact on agroecosystem services. Warm, dry lowland region has a higher potential of provisioning services, regulation of water regime, filtration of pollutants and control of soil erosion in comparison to moderately warm and cold regions. In moderate cold region, more than 90% of the total area of arable land has low potential of water regime regulation and cleaning potential (immobilization of risk elements). In the moderate warm climatic region, there is a high share of categories of low and moderate potential of provisioning services and low and moderate potential of water regime regulation. Majority of the total area of warm climatic region belongs to the categories of moderate to high potential of provisioning services and high potential of regulation of water regime. In this climatic zone low potential categories of risk elements immobilization are present in more than 65% of the arable land total area. On the other hand, in very warm climatic zone, more than 89% of the total area of arable land belongs to the category with a very high cleaning (buffering) potential. Potential of natural conditions for recreation is higher only in moderate cold and moderate warm climatic zones with a higher proportion of area of grassland agroecosystems and protected areas NATURA 2000.

Arthropods are part of important functional groups in soil and little is known about their composition in differently used agroecosystems across larger spatial scales. We analysed the qualitative and quantitative structure of soil arthropods with emphasis on ground beetles in different agroecosystems in relation to the various factors (soil physical properties) that Slovakia as a highly diversified country offers. Research was conducted in 4 different soil types (Arenosol, Cambisol, Fluvisol, Leptosol) at 6 study sites located in three different ecological zones with two different land use types (arable land – AL and permanent grasslands – PG). Ten orders of soil arthropods were identified, of which the most abundant was the order Coleoptera, specifically the Poecilus cupreus species in the Carabidae family. The analysis of variance confirmed significant effect of land use type on arthropod number and ecological gradient on arthropod biomass and soil temperature. The number and biomass of arthropods was nearly twice as high in PG plots compared to AL plots with the exception of two study sites located in sub-mountain and mountain regions with the dominance and proximity of extensive forest and grassland ecosystems. From the ecological gradient point of view, the highest arthropod biomass was recorded in the mountain ecological zone.

Aim of this study is to assess and map the retention capacity of the soil in agroecosystem, the capacity of the ecosystem to provide water regulation in Slovak Republic, as well as to describe the use of GIS techniques in creating an uniform spatial units for agroecosystem services inventor. We have created a mapping unit combining these input layers: slope topography, soil texture and usage of land in four climatic regions. Potential of water regime regulation (soil water storage) is determined on the basis of the value of retention water capacity recalculated to soil water storage in context with the soil depth. Evaluated potential of water regulation service was categorised into five categories (very low, low, medium, high and very high). In Slovakia 27.47% of the area of agricultural ecosystems has very high potential for regulation of water regime (accumulation of water in the soil). They are mostly ecosystems of arable land located in Eastern Slovak Lowland, Danubian Upland, South-Slovak Basin and Košice Basin with heavy clay loam and clayey deep soils without skeleton. Ecosystems with very low and low potential for water storage occupy Original Research Article