How Agricultural Intensification Affects Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services

Emmerson, Mark; Morales, Manuel B.; Oñate, Juan J.; Batáry, Péter; Berendse, F.; Liira, Jaan; Aavik, Tsipe; Guerrero, Irene; Bommarco, Riccardo; Eggers, Sönke; Pärt, Tomas; Tscharntke, Teja; Weisser, Wolfgang W.; Clement, Lars W.; Bengtsson, Jan

doi:10.1016/bs.aecr.2016.08.005

Cited by 311 publications

(178 citation statements)

References 118 publications

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“…Regarding management of multi-service landscapes, one key research issue is to clarify the relative effects of landscape configuration and composition and those of cropping systems (field level) for different ecosystem services, both during farming system transition and after biodiversity-based farming systems are well-established (e.g. Duru et al 2015a;Emmerson et al 2016;Tamburini et al 2016). Research should analyse and highlight trade-offs, synergies or neutral relationships between ecosystem services from field to landscape levels according to the biophysical and technical contexts (Mastrangelo et al 2014;Wu 2013).…”

Section: Biological Input-based Farming Systems In Globalised Commodimentioning

confidence: 99%

A new analytical framework of farming system and agriculture model diversities. A review

Thérond

Duru

Roger-Estrade

et al. 2017

Agron. Sustain. Dev.

217

155

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In most current farming system classifications (e.g. "conventional" versus "organic"), each type of farming system encompasses a wide variety of farming practices and performances. Classifying farming systems using concepts such as "ecological", "sustainable intensification" or "agro-ecology" is not satisfactory because the concepts "overlap in…def-initions, principles and practices, thus creating…confusion in their meanings, interpretations and implications". Existing classifications most often focus either on biotechnical functioning or on socio-economic contexts of farming systems. We reviewed the literature to develop an original analytical framework of the diversity of farming systems and agriculture models that deal with these limits. To describe this framework, we first present the main differences between three biotechnical types of farming systems differing in the role of ecosystem services and external inputs: chemical input-, biological inputand biodiversity-based farming systems. Second, we describe four key socio-economic contexts which determine development and functioning of these farming systems: globalised commodity-based food systems, circular economies, alternative food systems and integrated landscape approaches. Third, we present our original analytical framework of agriculture models, defined as biotechnical types of farming systems associated with one or a combination of socio-economic contexts differing in the role of relationships based on global market prices and "territorial embeddedness". We demonstrate the potential of this framework by describing six key agriculture models and reviewing key scientific issues in agronomy associated with each one. We then analyse the added value of our analytical framework and its generic character. Lastly, we discuss transversal research issues of the agriculture models, concerning the technologies required, their function in the bioeconomy, their multi-criteria and multilevel assessments, their co-existence and the transitions between them.

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Section: Biological Input-based Farming Systems In Globalised Commodimentioning

confidence: 99%

A new analytical framework of farming system and agriculture model diversities. A review

Thérond

Duru

Roger-Estrade

et al. 2017

Agron. Sustain. Dev.

217

155

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“…Local management has also been shown to affect biological control. Aphid predation, measured by means of sentinel aphid cards, was higher in organic cereal fields and negatively affected by insecticides in a pan‐European study (Emmerson et al., ; Winqvist et al., ). Likewise, parasitism rates of two key cabbage pests were affected by pesticides with parasitoids incurring higher mortality as compared to their hosts (Jonsson et al., ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Conventional agriculture often deteriorates populations of natural enemies and pollinators (Kennedy et al., ; Rusch, Birkhofer, Bommarco, Smith, & Ekbom, ). To mitigate these negative effects, organic agriculture has been suggested as an alternative that may restore arthropod communities and their associated ecosystem services at a local and even landscape scale (Emmerson et al., ). Several studies have found a positive effect of organic management on pollination.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Organic management in apple orchards: Higher impacts on biological control than on pollination

Porcel

Andersson

Pålsson

et al. 2018

Journal of Applied Ecology

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Intensive agricultural management negatively affects both natural enemies of pests and pollinators. Such management also has the potential to adversely affect the ecosystem services that these communities confer. Organic management has been proposed as an alternative method to mitigate such problems by restoring the services provided by arthropod communities. We evaluated the effect of organic management on two ecosystem services provided by arthropods in apple orchards: pollination and biological control. We used relative decrease in colonies to assess biological control of the major apple aphid pest, and measured pollination through fruit set, number of seeds per apple and pollinator visitation. Additionally, we monitored the organisms responsible for pollination and biological control services and established the impact of pollination on apple quality. Our results show a strong effect of organic management on biological control and on the temporal dynamic of natural enemy–pest interactions. Parameters such as aphid colony suppression, first and repeated occurrence of natural enemies, natural enemy species evenness and natural enemy abundance were significantly higher in organic compared to conventional orchards. Predatory bugs were the natural enemies best‐affected by organic management and played a key role in early predation of aphids preventing colony growth. In this instance, pollination was not influenced by organic management. It is likely due to the temporal scale at which this service is delivered, a scale that differs greatly from biological control, combined with differences in the dispersal capacity of the organisms involved. Fruit weight, calcium, potassium and magnesium content were positively affected by pollination success. Synthesis and applications. We found that organic management in apple orchards preserves the local natural enemy community, and specifically predatory bug populations, essential for early aphid colony suppression. Our results suggest that, in conventional orchards, local management options that decrease or even eliminate pesticide use early in the season would increase the biological control of aphids. This would lead to reduction in apple damage at harvest. Our results on pollination success indicate that the implementation of organic management at orchard scale does not enhance pollination services for apple growers.

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“…In particular, agricultural ecosystems are suffering from a dramatic biodiversity crisis, with many farmland bird species in Europe and North America displaying sharp declines during the last 50 years (Donald, Green, & Heath, ; Inger et al, ; Stanton, Morrissey, & Clark, ; Vickery et al, ). Agricultural intensification is a suggested major cause of biodiversity declines because of specific drivers such as increased use of pesticides and fertilizers, changed land use and crop types, loss of remnant habitats (e.g., hedges and shrubs, rough grass strips), and intensified farming practices (e.g., Newton, ; Emmerson et al, ). However, knowledge on the direct links between these agricultural drivers and population demographic rates is largely lacking as most studies are based on large‐scale correlations between potential drivers and population numbers or investigate only a limited set of demographic rates (Morrison, Robinson, Butler, Clark, & Gill, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quantifying the links between land use and population growth rate in a declining farmland bird

Paquet

Arlt

Knape

et al. 2019

Ecology and Evolution

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Land use is likely to be a key driver of population dynamics of species inhabiting anthropogenic landscapes, such as farmlands. Understanding the relationships between land use and variation in population growth rates is therefore critical for the management of many farmland species. Using 24 years of data of a declining farmland bird in an integrated population model, we examined how spatiotemporal variation in land use (defined as habitats with “Short” and “Tall” ground vegetation during the breeding season) and habitat‐specific demographic parameters relates to variation in population growth taking into account individual movements between habitats. We also evaluated contributions to population growth using transient life table response experiments which gives information on contribution of past variation of parameters and real‐time elasticities which suggests future scenarios to change growth rates. LTRE analyses revealed a clear contribution of Short habitats to the annual variation in population growth rate that was mostly due to fledgling recruitment, whereas there was no evidence for a contribution of Tall habitats. Only 18% of the variation in population growth was explained by the modeled local demography, the remaining variation being explained by apparent immigration (i.e., the residual variation). We discuss potential biological and methodological reasons for high contributions of apparent immigration in open populations. In line with LTRE analysis, real‐time elasticity analysis revealed that demographic parameters linked to Short habitats had a stronger potential to influence population growth rate than those of Tall habitats. Most particularly, an increase of the proportion of Short sites occupied by Old breeders could have a distinct positive impact on population growth. High‐quality Short habitats such as grazed pastures have been declining in southern Sweden. Converting low‐quality to high‐quality habitats could therefore change the present negative population trend of this, and other species with similar habitat requirements.

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How Agricultural Intensification Affects Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services

Cited by 311 publications

References 118 publications

A new analytical framework of farming system and agriculture model diversities. A review

A new analytical framework of farming system and agriculture model diversities. A review

Organic management in apple orchards: Higher impacts on biological control than on pollination

Quantifying the links between land use and population growth rate in a declining farmland bird

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