The impact of growing miscanthus for biomass on farmland bird populations

Bellamy, Paul E.; Croxton, P. J.; Heard, Matthew S.; Hinsley, Shelley A.; Hulmes, Lucy; Hulmes, S.; Nuttall, P.; Pywell, Richard F.; Rothery, P.

doi:10.1016/j.biombioe.2008.07.001

Cited by 88 publications

(99 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…and woody (willow, poplar, eucalyptus) species that have been selected over the past decades for their high biomass yield, high soil and climate adaptability, and high biomass quality. In addition, especially if grown on marginal arable lands, they do not compete directly for use for food [3], do not require large amounts of inputs in terms of annual cultivation and fertilizer applications [4], nor involve the destruction of native forests with severe negative effects on carbon sequestration [5] and biodiversity [6][7].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Short-Rotation Coppice of Willows for the Production of Biomass in Eastern Canada

Guidi¹,

Pitre²,

Labrecque³

2013

Biomass Now - Sustainable Growth and Use

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Short-Rotation Coppice of Willows for the Production of Biomass in Eastern Canada

Guidi¹,

Pitre²,

Labrecque³

2013

Biomass Now - Sustainable Growth and Use

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“…Prior studies of arthropod communities in herbaceous biofuel crops include comparison of ground-dwelling and arboreal arthropods in winter wheat versus miscanthus (Miscanthus x giganteus) and reed canary grass (Phalaris arundinacea L.) in England [3,40] and carabid beetles in corn and switchgrass in the southeastern USA [48]. Perennial crops such as switchgrass and mixed prairie are anticipated to provide greater habitat stability than annual crops, and this is expected to increase the diversity and abundance of beneficial insects in these fields [1].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Implications of Three Biofuel Crops for Beneficial Arthropods in Agricultural Landscapes

et al. 2010

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Production of biofuel feedstocks in agricultural landscapes will result in land use changes that may have major implications for arthropod-mediated ecosystem services such as pollination and pest suppression. By comparing the abundance and diversity of insect pollinators and generalist natural enemies in three model biofuel crops: corn, switchgrass, and mixed prairie, we tested the hypothesis that biofuel crops comprised of more diverse plant communities would support increased levels of beneficial insects. These three biofuel crops contained a diverse bee community comprised of 75 species. Overall, bees were three to four times more abundant in switchgrass and prairie than in corn, with members of the sweat bee (Halictidae) and small carpenter bee (Ceratina spp.) groups the most abundant. Switchgrass and prairie had significantly greater bee species richness than corn during the July sampling period. The natural enemy community at these sites was dominated by lady beetles (Coccinellidae), long-legged flies (Dolichopodidae), and hover flies (Syrphidae) which varied in their response to crop type. Coccinellids were generally most abundant in prairie and switchgrass, with the exception of the pollen feeding Coleomegilla maculata that was most abundant in corn. Several rare or declining coccinellid species were detected in prairie and switchgrass sites. Dolichopodidae were more abundant in prairie and switchgrass while Syrphidae showed no significant response to crop type. Our results indicate that beneficial insects generally responded positively to the increased vegetational diversity of prairie and switchgrass sites; however, when managed as a dedicated biofuel crop, plant and arthropod diversity in switchgrass may decrease. Our findings support the hypothesis that vegetationally diverse biofuel crops support higher abundance and diversity of beneficial insects. Future policy regarding the production of biofuel feedstocks should consider the ecosystem services that different biofuel crops may support in agricultural landscapes.

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“…This was verified by the more severe decrease in fledgling numbers when the production of bioenergy increases, meaning that the breeding period is shortened and less breeding attempts will occur. However, previous field studies related to bird and bioenergy crops showed that miscanthus supports a higher density of breeding skylarks than other arable crops, but at an early stage of crop establishment when the vegetation does not exceed a maximum threshold (Bellamy et al, 2009;Sage et al, 2010;Semere and Slater, 2007). The high skylark density found in the literature was explained by a significant proportion of bare ground and the presence of weeds on which adults feed.…”

Section: Negative Effect Of Food and Bioenergy Production On Skylarksmentioning

confidence: 78%

Modelling farmer decision-making to anticipate tradeoffs between provisioning ecosystem services and biodiversity

Guillem

Murray-Rust

Robinson

et al. 2015

Agricultural Systems

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The impact of growing miscanthus for biomass on farmland bird populations

Cited by 88 publications

References 28 publications

Short-Rotation Coppice of Willows for the Production of Biomass in Eastern Canada

Short-Rotation Coppice of Willows for the Production of Biomass in Eastern Canada

Implications of Three Biofuel Crops for Beneficial Arthropods in Agricultural Landscapes

Modelling farmer decision-making to anticipate tradeoffs between provisioning ecosystem services and biodiversity

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