Unmeasured side effects of mosquito control on biodiversity

Intensive mosquito control programs are likely to contribute to insect diversity loss, but these effects are both underestimated and understudied. We recommend to conduct direct biodiversity monitoring programs to understand the effects of both chemical and biological control

Contrasting effects of mass-flowering crops on bee pollination of hedge plants at different spatial and temporal scales

Landscape-wide mass-flowering of oilseed rape (canola Brassica napus) can considerably affect wild bee communities and pollination success of wild plants. We aimed to assess the impact of oilseed rape on the pollination of wild plants and bee abundance during and after oilseed-rape bloom, including effects on crop-noncrop spillover at landscape and adjacent-field scales. We focused on two shrub species (hawthorn Crataegus spp., dog rose Rosa canina) and adjacent herb flowering in forest edges, connected hedges, and isolated hedges in Lower Saxony, Germany. We selected 35 landscape circles of 1 km radius, differing in the amount of oilseed rape; 18 were adjacent to oilseed rape and 17 to cereal fields, and we quantified bee density via pan traps at all sites. Adjacent oilseed rape positively affected fruit mass and seed number per fruit of simultaneously flowering hawthorn (no effect on dog rose, which flowers after the oilseed rape bloom). At the landscape scale, oilseed rape had a negative effect on bumble bee density in the hedges during flowering due to dilution of pollinators per unit area and the consequently intensified competition between oilseed rape and wild shrubs, but a positive effect after flowering when bees moved to the hedges, which still provided resources. In contrast, positive landscape-scale effects of oilseed rape were found throughout the season in forest edges, suggesting that edges support nesting activity and enhanced food resources. Our results show that oilseed rape effects on bee abundances and pollination success in seminatural habitats depend on the spatial and temporal scale considered and on the habitat type, the wild plant species, and the time of crop flowering. These scale-dependent positive and negative effects should be considered in evaluations of landscape-scale configuration and composition of crops. Food resources provided by mass-flowering crops should be most beneficial for landscape-wide enhancement of wild bee populations if seminatural habitats are available, providing (1) nesting resources and (2) continuous flowering resources during the season

Increasing landscape complexity enhances species richness of farmland arthropods, agri-environment schemes also abundance – A meta-analysis

Intensification of agricultural production and simplification of landscape structure have negatively affected arthropod communities, in particular since the end of Second World War. Agri-environment schemes may partly compensate for these losses and enhance arthropod populations, but their effectiveness is higher in simple landscapes rather than complex landscapes, characterized by a large proportion and diversity of semi-natural areas. As the landscape-scale species pool is known to drive local species richness, we tested our hypothesis that landscape complexity determines local arthropod species richness, whereas local management affects only arthropod abundance. Here we undertake a meta-analysis as part of a wider systematic review of the effects of land use heterogeneity on arthropod species richness. We searched for studies quantifying the effects of agri- environment schemes (e.g. wildflower strips/areas, grassy field margins, organic farming) and landscape complexity on arthropod richness and abundance. We additionally separated vegetation- vs. ground-dwelling taxa, because the effects were hypothesized to be greater in the more mobile vegetation-dwelling taxa. As expected, increasing landscape complexity enhanced arthropod richness, but not their abundance. Unexpectedly, agri-environment schemes did not only support the abundance of arthropods, but also their species richness. This pattern was driven by the vegetation-dwelling, not the ground-dwelling taxa, presumably because the higher mobility of vegetation-dwelling taxa allows faster responses to environmental changes. Our results show that agri-environment schemes in Europe benefit both arthropod abundance and species richness, whereas increasing landscape complexity primarily enhances species richness. This is why both local and landscape management need to be taken into account to halt current biodiversity losses in agricultural landscapes. Agri-environment schemes need to be implemented at a larger spatial and temporal scales to enhance landscape complexity, maintaining or restoring biodiversity sustainably

Landscape configuration of crops and hedgerows drives local syrphid fly abundance

Summary 1. Human-dominated landscapes are characterized by a mosaic of natural and managed eco- systems, affecting arthropod communities on different spatial scales. Effective landscape man- agement for functionally important organisms suffers from little understanding of organism spillover between semi-natural habitats and adjacent crops, and of how it is affected by the surrounding landscape. 2. We examined syrphid abundance (Diptera: Syrphidae) in three types of linear semi-natural habitats, differing in connectedness to annual crops and forest [forest edges ( n = 12), forest- connected hedges ( n = 11) and isolated hedges ( n = 12)], as well as in the adjacent oilseed rape or winter wheat fields (i.e. altogether n = 70 sites in 35 landscapes). The landscape cir- cles with 1 km radius around the study sites differed in the proportion of oilseed rape (rang- ing from 0% to 35% oilseed rape) enabling us to test landscape-scale effects of oilseed rape. 3. Aphidophagous syrphids were more abundant in forest-connected hedgerows than in for- est edges (with isolated hedges being intermediate), and more abundant in crop fields adjacent to hedgerows than adjacent to forest edges, indicating spillover from semi-natural habitats to the adjacent crop fields. Aphidophagous syrphid abundance was higher in semi-natural habi- tats adjacent to oilseed rape fields than adjacent to wheat fields if the proportion of oilseed rape in the landscape was low (indicating local concentration). 4. Synthesis and applications. This study highlights the potential of hedgerows to enhance the abundances of beneficial syrphids and their spillover to adjacent crop fields, especially when they are connected with forests. We provide evidence that this local exchange is moderated by the extent of mass-flowering crops in the surrounding landscapes due to local concentration. There- fore, measurements for the improvement in local biological functioni ng should be evaluated by simultaneously investigating local and regio nal aspects of crop configurations to allow for region-specific management recommendations. Increasing the total amount of hedgerows in the agricultural matrix under moderate landscape- scale proportions of mass-flowering crops may serve best for the conservation of biodiversity and augmentation of i mportant ecosystem services such as biological control and pollination in lands capes dominated by agricultural cultivations

Grassland management in agricultural vs. forested landscapes drives butterfly and bird diversity

Calcareous grasslands and orchard meadows are among the most species-rich semi-natural habitats in Europe, but they are severely threatened by intensified land use and abandonment. Here, we focus on the effects of management vs. abandonment of these grasslands in agricultural vs. forest-dominated landscapes of Germany. We recorded butterflies and birds and classified them in farmland and woodland species according to their habitat preferences. Species richness and abundance of farmland butterflies were higher on calcareous grasslands than orchard meadows and benefited from forested landscapes in case of orchard meadows. Species richness of woodland butterflies was higher on abandoned than managed grasslands, independent of habitat type and landscape context. Richness and abundance of farmland birds benefited from managed orchard meadows, and were more abundant in agricultural landscapes. On calcareous grasslands, however, the abandonment led to higher richness and abundance of farmland birds. Woodland birds exhibited higher species richness in abandoned than managed grasslands, especially in orchard meadows. Woodland birds and butterflies appeared to be less affected by habitat type, management or landscape context than farmland species. Calcareous grasslands were much more important for butterfly diversity than orchard meadows, but suitability of orchards for butterflies was improved when embedded in forested landscapes. In contrast to butterflies, bird diversity benefited more from orchard meadows than calcareous grasslands, which had higher diversity when management was abandoned. In conclusion, landscape context can shape communities in these two grassland habitat types, so conservation management should consider reserves in both agricultural and forested landscapes and thereby, diversify regional biota