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Due to intensive agricultural practices, agricultural lands are subject to continuous degradation. Agricultural productivity depends to a great degree on soil characteristics — soil is the substrate which when managed properly can support plant growth, but when abused requires additional inputs. Research is increasingly focused on the development of new non-synthetic and non-fossil-based products having less impact on the environment and health. In this context, the use of algae biomass (macro and micro) has been widely researched as a fertilizer for agricultural production as a “green economy” alternative product. Currently, the production of marine algae far outstrips the production of microalgae and its main use is for food consumption and some industrial applications. The cost of production is also variable, as marine algae are usually cultivated in integrated multitrophic aquaculture systems. The production of microalgae involves many variables, among them the species, the culture medium, obtaining process, final application, etc. and, based on these, its production cost is estimated. Some researchers point out that the use of simplified technology and increased production capacity tend to reduce operating costs within the ideal photosynthetic yield. This review sought to highlight the importance of algae and their extracts as natural biofertilizers and biostimulants, as well as the mechanisms of action and the possible relationship of these organisms with cultivated plants.

Intensification of agricultural landscapes to fulfil increased global food demands has dramatically impacted biodiversity and ecosystem services. Several pollinator groups, which are vital for the maintenance of pollinator-dependent crops, have been severely affected by this intensification process. Management tools, such as the implementation of agri-environmental schemes, have been widely proposed to improve pollinator's communities and pollination services, although the effectiveness of wildflower strips in comparison to existing natural or semi-natural habitats and the impact on yield has not been fully demonstrated. Here, we aimed to assess the effect of flower strips implementation near sunflower fields in two intensive agricultural regions and to quantify their impact on visitation rates and sunflower productivity. Data were obtained in two regions in Spain (Burgos and Cuenca) in sunflower fields with associated semi-natural vegetation (SNVs), with implemented wildflower strips (WFSs) and without vegetation structures (NonVs). Visitation rates were monitored over 2 years by direct observations, and both sunflower seed production and weight were assessed in 52 fields per year. Our results revealed regional and inter-annual variation in visitation rates, likely driven by structural differences in the landscapes studied. In Cuenca, characterized by more heterogeneous and floral resources-richer landscapes, the effects of WFSs were significant in the second year of implementation, with higher visitation rates and productivity values in fields with implemented wildflower strips compared to those without. In contrast, in Burgos, no consistent effects among field treatments between years were observed. Synthesis and applications. The implementation of flower strips or maintenance of remnant semi-natural habitats adjacent to sunflower fields showed context-dependent effects on pollinator visitation rates and crop yield. In highly simplified agroecosystems, these interventions may be insufficient or may need longer times to produce significant effects. Yet, in regions where natural and semi-natural patches were already present, the implementation of flower strips was a successful strategy to promote pollinators and sunflower productivity, CULTIVAR project, Grant/Award Number: CENTRO-01-0145-FEDER-000020; European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation programme, Grant/Award Number: 773554; Poll-Ole-GI SUDOE, Grant/Award Number: SOE1/P5/E0129; POPH/FSE, Grant/AwardNumber: SFRH/BD/116043/2016 and SFRH/BPD/123087/2016; UID/BIA/04004/2019

The following is the correction affiliation for coauthor Omar Castaño-Sánchez:BETA Technological Center, University of Vic–University of Central Catalonia, Carrer de la Laura 13, 08500 Vic, Catalonia, Spain. omar.castano@uvic.cat. --The original article has been corrected., Due to intensive agricultural practices, agricultural lands are subject to continuous degradation. Agricultural productivity depends to a great degree on soil characteristics — soil is the substrate which when managed properly can support plant growth, but when abused requires additional inputs. Research is increasingly focused on the development of new non-synthetic and non-fossil-based products having less impact on the environment and health. In this context, the use of algae biomass (macro and micro) has been widely researched as a fertilizer for agricultural production as a “green economy” alternative product. Currently, the production of marine algae far outstrips the production of microalgae and its main use is for food consumption and some industrial applications. The cost of production is also variable, as marine algae are usually cultivated in integrated multitrophic aquaculture systems. The production of microalgae involves many variables, among them the species, the culture medium, obtaining process, final application, etc. and, based on these, its production cost is estimated. Some researchers point out that the use of simplified technology and increased production capacity tend to reduce operating costs within the ideal photosynthetic yield. This review sought to highlight the importance of algae and their extracts as natural biofertilizers and biostimulants, as well as the mechanisms of action and the possible relationship of these organisms with cultivated plants.

2017-2018 Belmont Forum and BiodivERsA joint call for research proposals, under the BiodivScen ERA-Net COFUND programme, and with the funding organisations AEI, NWO, ECCyT and NSF Funding information, Allen-Perkins A, Magrach A, Dainese M, Garibaldi LA, Kleijn D, Rader R, Reilly JR, Winfree R, Lundin O, McGrady CM, Brittain C, Biddinger DJ, Artz DR, Elle E, Hoffman G, Ellis JD, Daniels J, Gibbs J, Campbell JW, Brokaw J, Wilson JK, Mason K, Ward KL, Gundersen KB, Bobiwash K, Gut L, Rowe LM, Boyle NK, Williams NM, Joshi NK, Rothwell N, Gillespie RL, Isaacs R, Fleischer SJ, Peterson SS, Rao S, Pitts-Singer TL, Fijen T, Boreux V, Rundlöf M, Viana BF, Klein AM, Smith HG, Bommarco R, Carvalheiro LG, Ricketts TH, Ghazoul J, Krishnan S, Benjamin FE, Loureiro J, Castro S, Raine NE, de Groot GA, Horgan FG, Hipólito J, Smagghe G, Meeus I, Eeraerts M, Potts SG, Kremen C, García D, Miñarro M, Crowder DW, Pisanty G, Mandelik Y, Vereecken NJ, Leclercq N, Weekers T, Lindstrom SAM, Stanley DA, Zaragoza-Trello C, Nicholson CC, Scheper J, Rad C, Marks EAN, Mota L, Danforth B, Park M, Bezerra ADM, Freitas BM, Mallinger RE, Oliveira da Silva F, Willcox B, Ramos DL, D da Silva E Silva F, Lázaro A, Alomar D, González-Estévez MA, Taki H, Cariveau DP, Garratt MPD, Nabaes Jodar DN, Stewart RIA, Ariza D, Pisman M, Lichtenberg EM, Schüepp C, Herzog F, Entling MH, Dupont YL, Michener CD, Daily GC, Ehrlich PR, Burns KLW, Vilà M, Robson A, Howlett B, Blechschmidt L, Jauker F, Schwarzbach F, Nesper M, Diekötter T, Wolters V, Castro H, Gaspar H, Nault BA, Badenhausser I, Petersen JD, Tscharntke T, Bretagnolle V, Willis Chan DS, Chacoff N, Andersson GKS, Jha S, Colville JF, Veldtman R, Coutinho J, Bianchi FJJA, Sutter L, Albrecht M, Jeanneret P, Zou Y, Averill AL, Saez A, Sciligo AR, Vergara CH, Bloom EH, Oeller E, Badano EI, Loeb GM, Grab H, Ekroos J, Gagic V, Cunningham SA, Åström J, Cavigliasso P, Trillo A, Classen A, Mauchline AL, Montero-Castaño A, Wilby A, Woodcock BA, Sidhu CS, Steffan-Dewenter I, Vogiatzakis IN, Herrera JM, Otieno M, Gikungu MW, Cusser SJ, Nauss T, Nilsson L, Knapp J, Ortega-Marcos JJ, González JA, Osborne JL, Blanche R, Shaw RF, Hevia V, Stout J, Arthur AD, Blochtein B, Szentgyorgyi H, Li J, Mayfield MM, Woyciechowski M, Nunes-Silva P, Halinski de Oliveira R, Henry S, Simmons BI, Dalsgaard B, Hansen K, Sritongchuay T, O'Reilly AD, Chamorro García FJ, Nates Parra G, Magalhães Pigozo C, Bartomeus I