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Understanding the main drivers of biodiversity loss in Europe's agricultural landscapes has been a research priority in the last decades. One of the most important factors promoting biodiversity in farmed landscapes is habitat heterogeneity, which has often proved crucial for avian species and communities. Birds are highly sensitive to environmental changes and make use of a broad range of ecological niches, thus being exceptionally sensitive to the loss of habitat heterogeneity. Remote sensing data are particularly suited to quantify habitat heterogeneity at fine scales over relatively large extents, allowing to consider how different measures of heterogeneity may affect biotic communities at a regional scale. Here, we used airborne LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging) and satellite multispectral data to derive vegetation canopy height and primary productivity for 118 sites in complex agricultural landscapes in a region in the Central Alps. We computed different bird diversity indices and classified bird species into guilds according to specific traits to analyse the relationship between avian communities and different facets of habitat heterogeneity. Results confirmed that habitat heterogeneity is essential in shaping rich and diverse bird communities, and it is particularly important for several farmland birds. By comparing the effects of canopy height, primary productivity, and specific vegetation features (e.g., cover of grassland, shrub, and tree layers), we showed how different habitat characteristics as well as landscape heterogeneity affected bird richness, diversity, functional entropy, and trait patterns. Landscape and height heterogeneity, estimated by NDVI and LiDAR Rao's Q indices, strongly influenced all response variables, for example, high NDVI values promoted species diversity and ground-understory nesters, and shrub layer was important for ground-understory nesters and forest specialists. Finally, we provide recommendations for conservation practices and mitigation measures to improve bird diversity in agricultural landscapes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The severe biodiversity decline in European agricultural landscapes demands a specific evaluation of the various land-use practices. Many butterflies in Europe, as an important ecological indicator and pollinator taxon, require human interventions to sustain their populations in cultivated landscapes. However, land-use changes and management intensification are currently responsible for their decline. In this study, we compare butterfly communities occurring on 93 sites in seven widely distributed land-use types, viz. extensive meadows and pastures, semi-intensive meadows, vineyards, arable land, settlements and apple orchards. We recorded a high butterfly diversity in supposedly high nature-conservation value (HNV) grasslands (extensive meadows and pastures). All other land-use types showed significantly lower diversity, with decreasing diversity from semi-intensive meadows to apple orchards. Moreover, functional traits uncovered a general trend: extensive grasslands supported communities of more specialized and sedentary species whilst all other non-HNV land-use types showed communities characterized by mobile generalists. Community composition was driven by the land-use type and explained by plant-based indicator values for nutrients and light and temperature variables. Important life-history traits further correlated with site variables confirming the shift from specialists to generalists along increasing land-use intensity gradients and the effect of the thermal environment on phenological traits. We found supporting evidence for the effectiveness of regional Agri-Environmental Measures for butterfly conservation in European cultural landscapes and for the European conservation schemes to focus at least partly on the preservation of HNV grasslands with extensive management. Furthermore, we clearly show the poor ecological state of butterfly communities in more disturbed land-use types (including urban areas) and propose adopting measures to improve butterflies' conservation in these environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The European steppes and their biota have been hypothesized to be either young remnants of the Pleistocene steppe belt or, alternatively, to represent relicts of long-term persisting populations; both scenarios directly bear on nature conservation priorities. Here, we evaluate the conservation value of threatened disjunct steppic grassland habitats in Europe in the context of the Eurasian steppe biome. We use genomic data and ecological niche modelling to assess pre-defined, biome-specific criteria for three plant and three arthropod species. We show that the evolutionary history of Eurasian steppe biota is strikingly congruent across species. The biota of European steppe outposts were long-term isolated from the Asian steppes, and European steppes emerged as disproportionally conservation relevant, harbouring regionally endemic genetic lineages, large genetic diversity, and a mosaic of stable refugia. We emphasize that conserving what is left of Europe's steppes is crucial for conserving the biological diversity of the entire Eurasian steppe biome. Europe hosts isolated remnants of the steppe belt that once covered much of Eurasia. Here the authors combine genomic data and ecological niche modelling on three plant and three insect species to show evolution independent of the zonal steppe and high conservation value of these extrazonal steppes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flowering Farmland Competitions (FFLCs) are becoming more and more prominent, especially in Europe. By conducting a survey among organisers and by searching the internet we are able to give a historical and spatial overview and to analyse their potential to promote sustainable farm management in combination with Agri-Environmental Measures (AEMs). The number of competitions held amounts to more than 300 in a time span of 15 years. In every case, they have been intended to raise awareness of biodiversity in agriculture and to promote co-existence or even symbiosis between good agricultural practices and nature conservation. They are usually organised by public administrative bodies and NGOs from the field of nature conservation, as well as those from the field of agriculture. The money spent on FFLCs is moderate and usually ranges between 5000 and 90,000 Euros per competition. FFLCs gain broad attention amongst the public, both with farmers and with people not involved in agriculture, and are therefore well-suited to raising awareness and supporting Agri-Environmental Measures. FFLCs are of course no substitute for AEMs since they do not offer substantial financial help to ameliorate the shortcomings of extensive agricultural practice, but they can be an effective measure for improving the acceptance of biodiversity-friendly and sustainable management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carex cespitosa L. (Cyperaceae) has been traditionally regarded as widespread in Europe, being reported from most countries. However, its distribution is currently overestimated due to the ambiguous use of the name C. cespitosa, together with frequent taxonomic confusion, mainly with the closely related C. elata All. and C. nigra (L.) Reichard. We present a critical revision of the distribution of C. cespitosa in Europe W of the former USSR, based on herbarium material and literature. We confirm the presence of the species in 19 European countries, while its occurrence is considered as doubtful in another five countries. Data pertinent to the ecology and conservation status of the species in the different countries are also provided. It is considered threatened or nearly so in at least eight countries. Hybrids with C. acuta L., C. elata and C. nigra are morphologically characterized and discussed. Although chorological revisions of the European flora are commonly considered of relatively minor scientific relevance, the situation detected by our survey of C. cespitosa reveals the importance of, and need for, these basic works for the accurate knowledge of many species, especially for subsequent works on conservation biology and biogeography. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]