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Semi-natural habitats (SNHs) surrounding agricultural fields contribute significantly to biodiversity in agricultural landscapes. SNHs can be divided into large habitat patches such as contiguous patches of forests, and smaller, interspersed linear habitat types such as grassy field margins. Traditional small-holder agricultural farmlands in China, replete with rich linear habitats, are notably beneficial for biodiversity. However, as these farmlands undergo consolidation to enhance the efficiency of machinery, linear habitats are being removed, a process that could adversely affect biodiversity. Appropriate agri-environmental measures (AEM), such as the restoration of field margins via strategic planting, could serve as an effective countermeasure to maintain biodiversity in consolidated land. This paper discusses how biodiversity monitoring can aid in evaluating the impact of land consolidation and the efficacy of AEM in China, from species richness and species composition perspectives. The paper also discusses the function of linear habitats and how they interact with large habitat patches in promoting biodiversity, while noting that outcomes are likely to vary among taxa. Long-term, multiple-taxa and comprehensive assessments are recommended in further studies, and a collaborative approach that involves multiple stakeholders is essential to ensure a success implication of AEM in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Agricultural intensification affects life history and functional trait diversity of farmland bird communities. • We calculated the functional diversity index and the community-weighted mean for six life history traits and the brood value index of 30 bird species in eight European farmland areas. • Stronger agricultural intensification at the field level (agrochemicals use, ploughing frequency) favors the assembly of shorter-lived communities and bird species with smaller relative brain sizes. Agricultural intensification reduces the taxonomic diversity of bird communities, but its influence on functional diversity has been less studied. Here, we analyze the response of functional diversity of different cereal farmland bird communities across Europe to a gradient of agricultural intensification. We collected bibliographical information on life history traits (i.e. body mass, brain size, age of sexual maturity, clutch size, number of clutches, lifespan) of 30 species of birds recorded during field surveys in eight European countries. The index "brood value" was calculated to know each species' level of reproductive investment per clutch. Intensification gradients at two spatial scales were obtained from field data through PCA, related to management practices at the field scale and the variation in structure and composition of farmland at the landscape scale respectively. We calculated the functional diversity index (FD) and the community-weighted mean (CWM) for each trait and sampling area, and linear mixed models in relation to the two intensification gradients were performed. Results showed that stronger intensification at the field level favors the assembly of shorter-lived communities and bird species with smaller relative brain sizes, also decreasing overall trait diversity. It also restricts the range of strategies for parental investment, reducing the functional diversity of the brood value index. More intensive field management would favor bird communities dominated by generalist and even introduced and/or managed hunting species, while putting at risk those farmland- and grassland-adapted species, typically more associated with the provision of ecosystem services. This highlights the relevance of field management (agrochemicals use, ploughing frequency) for the functional composition of bird communities and the conservation of farmland biodiversity. These findings add to existing knowledge on how species' pace of life and cognitive capacity interact with drivers of global change, such as agricultural intensification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wildflower areas are a popular agri-environment scheme to counteract agro-biodiversity loss. Yet, their benefits are controversially discussed. Since inconsistent benefits may be owed to landscape context and temporal dynamics, we applied a multi-year study to unravel effects of permanent and transient habitats on ground-dwelling arthropods in wildflower areas and cereal fields. Across three consecutive years, we studied activity density, species richness and community composition of rove beetles, carabid beetles and spiders in ten pairs of wildflower areas and cereal fields along independent gradients of proportions of permanent semi-natural habitats or transient wildflower areas. Arthropod responses to the proportions of permanent semi-natural habitats often followed a hump-shaped pattern, whereas transient wildflower areas seemed to drive linear responses. An interactive effect on rove beetle richness in wildflower areas implies that benefits were highest either at intermediate proportions of permanent semi-natural habitats or at lower proportions, but with additional availability of transient wildflower areas or in landscapes with low proportions of permanent semi-natural habitats, but high proportions of wildflower areas. However, ground-dwelling arthropod activity density or species richness did not systematically increase over the three study years. Our results suggest that both permanent and transient habitats differ in how they affect biodiversity, possibly due to different temporal continuity and resource diversity. Benefits of permanent semi-natural habitats seemed highest at an equilibrium between an increasing resource-related species pool and an increasing diversity dilution, whereas benefits of transient wildflower areas seemed to increase with resource complementarity and connectivity at the landscape scale. Nevertheless, both habitats seem to complement each other and considered in concert, seem to be most effective in promoting benefits of wildflower areas to ground-dwelling arthropods at intermediate landscape complexity. The substantial variation in diversity patterns among years with weather extremes, suggests that optimizing benefits of wildflower areas requires further multi-year studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Wheat variety mixtures have contrasting effects on aboveground arthropod communities. • Wheat intraspecific diversity has a weak positive effect on predator abundances. • Wheat intraspecific and functional diversity have a weak negative effect on spider evenness. • Few wheat stand characteristics have effects on ground or rove beetles. Abstract Although modern agriculture generally relies on homogeneous varieties that are usually grown in pure stands, crop variety mixtures have been used for a long time, notably to improve resistance to fungal diseases. A growing number of studies suggest that intraspecific plant diversity may also enhance the abundance and diversity of wild species and thereby some ecosystem services such as biological control by natural predators. However, positive effects of the genetic diversity of plant species on the diversity of associated communities have mostly been documented in natural systems, with only a handful of studies targeting crop species in agroecosystems. Here, we investigated the ecological effects of the number of winter wheat varieties (Triticum aestivum) on aboveground arthropods and particularly predatory species. We manipulated the number of wheat varieties (1, 2, 4 or 8) in 120 plots (80 m2 each) to examine how wheat diversity and stand characteristics impact communities of three dominant aboveground arthropod groups that include many predatory species: ground beetles, rove beetles and spiders. The number of wheat varieties had a weak, but positive effect on predator abundance, notably spider abundance. In contrast, wheat functional diversity, as assessed by the number of wheat functional groups, was only negatively related to the diversity of spiders. Among wheat stand characteristics, the variance in plant height, wheat biomass and the Green Area Index were weakly correlated with ground beetle, rove beetle and predatory diversity, respectively. The Green Area Index was also weakly correlated with ground beetle abundance. Our study suggests that wheat variety mixtures have variable and limited effects on aboveground arthropods and probably low effectiveness to enhance biological control, but these results should be further tested under low-input agriculture in real fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the relative contributions of wild and managed pollinators, and the functional contributions made by a diverse pollinator community, is essential to the maintenance of yields in the 75% of our crops that benefit from insect pollination. We describe a field study and pollinator exclusion experiments conducted on two soft-fruit crops in a system with both wild and managed pollinators. We test whether fruit quality and quantity is limited by pollination, and whether different pollinating insects respond differently to varying weather conditions. Both strawberries and raspberries produced fewer marketable fruits when insects were excluded, demonstrating dependence on insect pollinators. Raspberries had a short flowering season which coincided with peak abundance of bees, and attracted many bees per flower. In contrast, strawberries had a much longer flowering season and appeared to be much less attractive to pollinators, so that ensuring adequate pollination is likely to be more challenging. The proportion of high-quality strawberries was positively related to pollinator abundance, suggesting that yield was limited by inadequate pollination on some farms. The relative abundance of different pollinator taxa visiting strawberries changed markedly through the season, demonstrating seasonal complementarity. Insect visitors responded differently to changing weather conditions suggesting that diversity can reduce the risk of pollination service shortfalls. For example, flies visited the crop flowers in poor weather and at the end of the flowering season when other pollinators were scarce, and so may provide a unique functional contribution. Understanding how differences between pollinator groups can enhance pollination services to crops strengthens the case for multiple species management. We provide evidence for the link between increased diversity and function in real crop systems, highlighting the risks of replacing all pollinators with managed alternatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Researchers and policy-makers have become increasingly interested in re-designing agri-environmental policy to improve both economic efficiency and ecological effectiveness. One idea within this debate has been payments for results (outcomes) rather than payment for actions. Payment for result policies have been argued to have some important advantages, but two key disadvantages are the higher risks faced by landowners, leading to low participation rates; and the potentially high costs of monitoring outcomes. Bartkowski et al. (2021) propose an alternative of payment for modelled results, which claims to avoid these two problems. Our paper provides the first application of this approach to spatially realistic patterns of ecological and economic heterogeneity for farmland biodiversity in England. We compare payment for modelled results findings with approximately equivalent payment for actions schemes intended to deliver increases in the same biodiversity indicators. Key insights are that payment for modelled results delivers superior predicted ecological outcomes for the same budgetary cost as payment for actions, whilst economic surpluses to farmers are also higher. • We simulate the ecological and economic outcomes of alternatives Agri-Environment Schemes. • Payment for modelled results is compared to payment for actions. • Payment for modelled results leads to better biodiversity outcomes and higher surpluses for farmers. • Big spatial variation in where land is converted to conservation land use is predicted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agri-Environment Schemes (AES) have been implemented across Europe in an attempt to address biodiversity losses associated with agricultural intensification. For many declining farmland bird species, the reduced availability and suitability of nesting and foraging habitats are thought to play a major role in population declines and some AES have hoped to counteract this by encouraging the provision of such habitats. This study aimed to determine the relative importance of AES on the territory selection of a widespread but declining farmland bird, the Yellowhammer Emberiza citrinella. Yellowhammers were more likely to locate territories in areas containing 'enhanced margins'; i.e. where field margin habitats were sown with wild flowers and/or agricultural legumes. An average of 0.033 ± 0.008 ha of this 'enhanced margin' habitat was present within 100 m of Yellowhammer territories compared to 0.020 ± 0.008 ha within 100 m of random points. This preference may reflect the higher invertebrate chick food abundance associated with this habitat as they contained, on average 46.3% and 36.8% more invertebrate food items than cereal and floral crops respectively. Alternatively, given that chick food abundance was similar between grass and enhanced field margins, this observed preference may be the result of a more open sward structure which increases prey accessibility and improves predator avoidance. Yellowhammers selected territories containing early succession hedgerows, as these constitute the most suitable nesting sites, and preferred territories containing a suitable songpost. Our results suggest that management strategies aiming to conserve breeding Yellowhammers should focus on increasing the coverage of invertebrate rich AES habitats such as floristically-enhanced margins and pollen and nectar plots, and ensure that they are located within typical foraging ranges of cut hedges with elevated songposts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing pressures on natural areas and limited conservation budgets require, particularly in rural landscapes in the Western world, an immediate answer to the question how much natural area is required to provide a sustainable future for wild plant and animal species on farmland. The European Union proposed in its Common Agricultural Policy that 3–7% of EU farmland should be managed as ecological focus area (EFA) in order to halt biodiversity loss. For the first time, we empirically assessed the implications of this policy by evaluating the effects of the density of natural elements in agricultural landscapes on multi-taxon species richness, including vascular plants, breeding birds, butterflies, hoverflies, dragonflies, and grasshoppers for an entire European country. We found that species richness increased either as linear or as a logarithmic function of the proportion of natural elements in the landscape, but not with a sigmoid function as predicted by the ‘intermediate landscape complexity’ hypothesis. Even landscapes with 3–7% of natural elements harboured generally 37–75% of maximum species richness, indicating good potential of implementing the CAP target to preserve farmland biodiversity. However, differences between the 3 and 7% limits were considerable for butterflies, birds, and hoverflies. Also, the shape of the species richness response was shown to differ between landscape types for butterflies. Thus, it may be necessary to develop tailor-made guidelines at regional levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study on Corn Buntings or Emberiza calandra and their habitat in Germany.

The article presents a study on the breeding of Skylarks or Alauda arvensis in corn and crop fields.

Copyright of Basic & Applied Ecology is the property of Urban & Fischer Verlag and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Basic & Applied Ecology is the property of Urban & Fischer Verlag and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Abstract: Most evaluations of agri-environment policies conducted in Europe have focused on biodiversity improvement effects. Their effectiveness with respect to protecting existing biodiversity has been less investigated. Biodiversity and landscape protection effects can be expected in marginal agricultural areas, where farming has been less intensive. We investigated (i) the effectiveness of the Ecological Compensation Area (ECA) scheme for biodiversity protection according to different evaluation criteria and (ii) how the effectiveness of the scheme was influenced by climate, socio-economic conditions and farming structures. Vegetation surveys were carried out in 18 municipalities across the Swiss Alps on 162 randomly selected meadows managed as ECAs and on 162 conventionally managed meadows. Average species richness of ECA-meadows per municipality ranged between 27 and 46 vascular plant species per 25m2 (conventionally managed meadows: 16–35 species per 25m2). In lower altitude municipalities (mainly fulltime farming) where ECA meadows constituted 20% of farmland, the difference in species richness between the two land-use types was highly significant and the contribution of ECA-meadows to the grassland species pool was highest. In higher altitude municipalities (mainly part-time farming) where ECA meadows constituted at least 40% of farmland, higher species richness was found. This was associated with a strong botanical similarity of ECA and conventionally managed meadows. We conclude that at lower altitudes, where farming is relatively intensive, the ECA scheme protects a few, economically marginal, species rich and botanically complementary sites, important for maintaining the species pool. At higher altitudes the ECA scheme contributes to protecting existing biodiversity at the landscape scale. As it is more efficient to protect than to restore biodiversity, the protection effect of agri-environmental schemes needs to be adequately recognized. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: An environmental risk assessment of a new agricultural management practice depends upon the provision of empirical evidence of cause and effect. This will invariably be derived from comparative experiments testing the null hypothesis that a change in management will have no effect on an assessment endpoint (the metric on which policy decisions will be based). Crucial to the design of these experiments is the answer to the question of ‘what to measure?’. The selection of these measurement endpoints and the design of sampling protocols will be determined by the properties of the environmental stressors associated with the change in management practice and the taxa that are exposed to their effects, as well as logistic and financial considerations. The rationale for deciding what to measure in the context of these various criteria is reviewed. For a measurement endpoint to be a valid indicator of the risk of a negative impact of management on the assessment endpoint, a predictable and quantifiable link must be made between the two. It should also be recorded at the appropriate taxonomic resolution to safely assume that all the constituent parts will both respond in a similar way to the management stressor and have a similar effect on the assessment endpoint. Protocols must be designed with the spatial and temporal properties of the management stressor and the measurement endpoint in mind and a consideration of the statistical power of the experiment to detect changes. Where there is a lag in the response time of a measurement endpoint to a stressor due to inertia in the system, an accurate measurement of the effect of the novel management may require experiments running over several years. Throughout, care must be taken that the statistical and biological validity of a sampling regime is not compromised in the face of logistic and financial pressures. The Farm Scale Evaluations of the management of Genetically Modified Herbicide Tolerant crops are presented as a case study to illustrate the concepts discussed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In this study, we explored the potential of the payment-by-results approach in supporting the maintenance of High Nature Value (HNV) grasslands in a typical HNV farming system and Natura 2000 site in Slovenia (Europe) with a high share of small farms, fragmented land ownership and long-term process of land abandonment. We tested the applicability of a hypothetical result-based scheme (RBS) for the conservation of dry grasslands and a set of associated plant indicators, and identified key obstacles to its implementation. Based on a statistical analysis of a survey with 263 farmers and a thematic data analysis of 62 farmer interviews and 10 in-depth interviews and focus groups with researchers, public officials and agricultural advisors, we found that a majority of both farmers and experts support the introduction of RBSs. The selected plant indicators were well-known among the local farmers and monitoring of their presence was preferred over the current system, which demands keeping records on the implementation of farming practices. However, although the RBSs seem to be a superior alternative to the current management-based schemes, their introduction might not be enough to ensure HNV farming systems' successful conservation. Our results indicate a lack of institutional capacity to implement RBSs on a larger scale, particularly in terms of data support and qualified staff in the advisory service and monitoring agencies. Furthermore, experience to date and mistrust among stakeholders indicate a questionable ability and motivation of authorities to develop locally-based, flexible and innovative agri-environmental measures. RBSs alone also do not adequately address some of the root causes for the disappearance of HNV grasslands, particularly: the lack of knowledge regarding the appropriate modern farming system(s) to ensure their sustainable management in line with conservation goals; specific needs of small farmers; and the need for a socially acceptable land policy reform to enable easier access to land. We argue that systematic investment in closing the existing data and research gaps as well as in increasing the capacity of key institutions at the national and local levels are needed, particularly in European regions of high conservation priority. Furthermore, better integration of nature conservation in different rural policies and a holistic developmental approach in (remote) rural areas are necessary to prevent further abandonment of HNV farming and enable the adoption of biodiversity-friendly farming models. • A result-based scheme for Eastern sub-Mediterranean dry grasslands was developed. • Farmers recognised plant indicators well and most supported introduction of RBSs. • Lack of institutional capacity may hamper large scale implementation of RBSs. • AEMs alone are not enough to reverse the abandonment of HNV farming systems. • RBSs do not seem better suited than existing AEMs to address needs of small farmers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Ecosystems and biodiversity are sources of inspiration for artistic works. • We researched old Japanese children's songs related to ecosystems and biodiversity. • Major ecosystem types mentioned in songs were forests, oceans, rivers and lakes. • Major taxa mentioned in songs were plants and birds, which are well recognized. • Farmland and urban birds appeared more commonly in songs than other birds. Web accessible databases of artistic work are useful tools for evaluating artistic inspiration drawn from ecosystems and biodiversity in a specific cultural context. However, to date, few studies have developed methods to quantify the degree of this artistic inspiration. This study performed a systematic keyword search to find old Japanese children's songs related to ecosystems and biodiversity. Of 12,550 songs, more than a quarter referred to ecosystems or biodiversity in the first sentence itself. The most common ecosystem types were forest, ocean, rivers and lakes, and the most common taxonomic groups were plants and birds. Rarefaction and extrapolation methods showed that the highest number of families mentioned was that of plants. Several families served as sources of inspiration, with most of the top-ranking families including terrestrial species with visual or oral attractiveness (e.g. flowering plants). Farmland and urban birds were referred to more in songs than birds living in other habitats. These results demonstrate the importance of a variety of ecosystems and associated wildlife for enhancing artistic inspiration in Japan. Overall, our study provides a methodological approach to gain insights on how nature works as a source of artistic inspiration, which could be applied to a variety of online databases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Integration of biodiversity policy into the EU's Common Agricultural Policy is demonstrated on the case of Slovenia. • Approximately 5% of the annual Slovenian agricultural policy budget was allocated to biodiversity conservation in the observed period. • A lack of measurable objectives and performance indicators for policy instruments was identified. • Targeted measures are judged to be only partially effective, and policy only partly successful in meeting biodiversity objectives. • The post-2020 CAP lacks key incentives to stimulate better strategic planning in the EU Member States. In the European Union (EU), the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is considered to be the critical public policy in terms of both impacts and funds dedicated to nature conservation, yet the goal of halting biodiversity loss in the EU remains elusive. The present paper examines the degree of biodiversity policy integration into the CAP and the quality of policy programming in a selected EU Member State in the 2014–2020 period. We use a heuristic model combining an assessment of biodiversity policy integration and a program theory analysis of the policy's logic model. In addition, the elaboration of the logic model for other agricultural policy objectives, relevance and potential effects of measures and allocation of budgetary funds are evaluated for comparative purposes. The program logic model was found to be only loosely defined for most objectives of Slovenian agricultural policy. At the strategic level, the integration of biodiversity policy is limited to instruments that remunerate above-standard farming practices, investments and payments to areas with natural constraints. In contrast, the inclusion and consistency of biodiversity conservation in instruments supporting standard practices (e.g. direct payment schemes) is addressed only to a limited extent. Given their design and implementation, fewer than 10 % of relevant measures were judged to have strong or significant potential effects and will thus probably only partly meet the policy objectives. Finally, biodiversity conservation (estimated 5% of the total agricultural policy budget), as well as other environmental objectives (22–23 %), have a significantly lower priority than income- and production-related objectives (54–60 %). The future CAP should include adequate safeguards and incentives to improve the quality of programming and integration of biodiversity policy, particularly since an increasing emphasis is given to decision-making at the national level. However, although the post-2020 CAP programming system could, in principle, be seen as a step forward, there remains a high risk of underperformance in the field of biodiversity conservation in the EU Member States. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]