37 research outputs found
Aktivitäten von Laufkäfern (Carabidae, Col.) in einem intensiv wirtschaftenden Ackerbaubetrieb unter Berücksichtigung des Einflusses von Wallhecken
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Regionalizing land use impacts on farmland birds
No full text# The Author(s) 2015. This article is published with open access at Springerlink.com Abstract The environmental impacts of land use vary regionally. Differences in geomorphology, climate, landscape structure, and biotope inventories are regarded as the main causes of this variation.We present a methodological approach for identifying regional re-sponses in land use type to large-scale changes and the implications for the provision of habitat for farmland birds. The methodological innovations of this approach are (i) the coupling of impact assessments with econom-ic models, (ii) the linking of cropping techniques at the plot scale with the regional distribution of land use, and (iii) the integration of statistical or monitoring data on recent states. This approach allows for the regional differentiation of farmers ’ responses to changing exter-nal conditions and for matching the ecological impacts of land use changes with regional environmental sensi-tivities. An exemplary scenario analysis was applied for a case study of an area in Germany, assessing the im-pacts of increased irrigation and the promotion of energy cropping on farmland birds, evaluated as a core indica-tor for farmland biodiversity. The potential effects on farmland birds were analyzed based on the intrinsic habitat values of the crops and cropping techniques. The results revealed that the strongest decrease in habitat availability for farmland birds occurred in regions with medium-to-low agricultural yields. As a result of the limited cropping alternatives, the increase in maize pro-duction was highest in marginal regions for both examined scenarios. Maize production replaced many crops with good-to-medium habitat suitability for birds. The declines in habitat quality were strongest in regions that are not in focus for conservation efforts for farmland birds
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No full textAgricultural field crops differ in their vegetation height, coverage, and temporal development, affecting the abundances of bird species, which are often used as bioindicators. Although this relationship has been observed, no significant methodology exists to describe the dynamics of field crop growth on a landscape scale in connection with the abundance of indicator bird species that allows meaningful interpretation of bird abundance data with respect to crop vegetation parameters during the breeding season. In a field observation program, we monitored 2,900 ha of agricultural landscape to represent both the crop growth processes and the bird abundances. We measured these two parameters in the study area, dominated by winter wheat, winter rapeseed, maize, and fallow fields, and adapted the moving window approach to a new method of “moving window growth” to describe the dynamic development of height and coverage of the crops over time. Simultaneously, Skylarks (Alauda arvensis) territorial behavior was measured concurrently on the same fields and crops. Their dynamic abundance was documented over the breeding season. To test the relationship between crop growth and development and bird abundance, we applied a generalized linear model (GLM) in two ways: (a) without differentiation of crop species and (b) with differentiation of crop species. We found significant relationships between bird abundance and vegetation height and coverage with respect to both individual parameters and their interactions, even without differentiation of the agricultural crops. In general, increasing vegetation height and coverage, especially the interaction, led to decreasing bird abundance values. The model quality increased significantly by including differentiation of specific crops as an explanatory variable indicating a non‐homogenous situation between crops. Separate models for individual crop species revealed larger differences in model quality with best and least goodness of fit values for fallow fields and winter rapeseed, respectively. Because of the clear interactions between bird abundance, type of field crop, and vegetation height and coverage, it follows that both habitat suitability assessments of arable fields and the definition of favorable vegetation structures for farmland birds should be crop species‐specific
Assessing the habitat suitability of agricultural landscapes for characteristic breeding bird guilds using landscape metrics
No full textMany of the processes behind the decline of farmland birds can be related to modifications in landscape structure (composition and configuration), which can partly be expressed quantitatively with measurable or computable indices, i.e. landscape metrics. This paper aims to identify statistical relationships between the occurrence of birds and the landscape structure. We present a method that combines two comprehensive procedures: the “landscape-centred approach” and “guild classification”. Our study is based on more than 20,000 individual bird observations based on a 4-year bird monitoring approach in a typical agricultural area in the north-eastern German lowlands. Five characteristic bird guilds, each with three characteristic species, are defined for the typical habitat types of that area: farmland, grassland, hedgerow, forest and settlement. The suitability of each sample plot for each guild is indicated by the level of persistence (LOP) of occurrence of three respective species. Thus, the sample plots can be classified as “preferred” or “less preferred” depending on the lower and upper quartiles of the LOP values. The landscape structure is characterized by 16 different landscape metrics expressing various aspects of landscape composition and configuration. For each guild, the three landscape metrics with the strongest rank correlation with the LOP values and that are not mutually dependent were identified. For four of the bird guilds, the classification success was better than 80%, compared with only 66% for the grassland bird guild. A subset of six landscape metrics proved to be the most meaningful and sufficiently classified the sample areas with respect to bird guild suitability. In addition, derived logistic functions allowed the production of guild-specific habitat suitability maps for the whole landscape. The analytical results show that the proposed approach is appropriate to assess the habitat suitability of agricultural landscapes for characteristic bird guilds
Supporting Agricultural Ecosystem Services through the Integration of Perennial Polycultures into Crop Rotations
No full textThis review analyzes the potential role and long-term effects of field perennial polycultures (mixtures) in agricultural systems, with the aim of reducing the trade-offs between provisioning and regulating ecosystem services. First, crop rotations are identified as a suitable tool for the assessment of the long-term effects of perennial polycultures on ecosystem services, which are not visible at the single-crop level. Second, the ability of perennial polycultures to support ecosystem services when used in crop rotations is quantified through eight agricultural ecosystem services. Legume–grass mixtures and wildflower mixtures are used as examples of perennial polycultures, and compared with silage maize as a typical crop for biomass production. Perennial polycultures enhance soil fertility, soil protection, climate regulation, pollination, pest and weed control, and landscape aesthetics compared with maize. They also score lower for biomass production compared with maize, which confirms the trade-off between provisioning and regulating ecosystem services. However, the additional positive factors provided by perennial polycultures, such as reduced costs for mineral fertilizer, pesticides, and soil tillage, and a significant preceding crop effect that increases the yields of subsequent crops, should be taken into account. However, a full assessment of agricultural ecosystem services requires a more holistic analysis that is beyond the capabilities of current frameworks
Changes in a Bird Community in an Agricultural Landscape in Northeast Germany between 1999 and 2015
No full textTemporal changes in the bird community of an agricultural landscape in northeast Germany were analysed covering three different analytical foci (landscape-wide, habitat types, sample plots) and two aggregation levels of bird observation data (whole bird community, bird guilds). The analyses are based on a systematic data sampling over two multi-year campaigns (1999–2002; 2013–2015). Our analyses address the question of how changes in the occurrences of agricultural birds (numbers of species and of individuals) at local spots manifest themselves in the landscape as a whole. By summarizing all findings concerning single variables (number of species, observation frequencies, abundances, different habitat types, bird guilds), a dramatic, systematic decline of the bird community at sample plots was discovered between the campaigns, which is not yet recognisable across the whole landscape in terms of species richness. Furthermore, we found that landscape-wide, the birds’ use of habitat changed; the variability between single sample plots increased strongly and most species occurred at fewer sample plots over the whole landscape. Obviously, sample plots with high bird occurrences are becoming more relevant for maintaining bird communities over the whole landscape. Bird community composition changed significantly within the observation period
An analytical framework to link governance, agricultural production practices, and the provision of ecosystem services in agricultural landscapes
No full textThe provision of ecosystem services (ES) in agricultural landscapes depends, inter alia, on agricultural production, and can therefore be influenced by governance. To capture the impacts of governance on ES via agriculture, we proposed and tested an analytical framework – based on agricultural location theory – to describe possible agricultural impact pathways. These pathways show how different governance approaches (e.g. hierarchical, market-based, collaborative, and their hybrids) influence site and farm conditions, which in turn influence agricultural production practices and thus ES provision. The framework was applied to three European case study regions in the Netherlands, Germany, and Austria. The sub-objectives were: i) to identify regional governance approaches and assess how well they reflect the regional specifics, as a basis for applying the framework; and, by applying the framework, to: ii) investigate how these governance approaches then differ in their agricultural impact pathways and thus effects on agriculture; and iii) evaluate their respective influence on ES provision. The governance approaches were compiled and analysed from several sources, e.g. legal documents and grey literature from regional sources, regional workshops, and consultation with stakeholders. The analyses showed that different governance types indeed differ in how well they accommodate regional specifics in their agricultural impact pathways, and thus in their influence on agriculture and ES provision. Overall, the analytical framework is suited to highlighting the agricultural perspective in the ES concept and to exploring the constraints and opportunities for farmers to adopt agricultural production practices that favour the provision of ES as environmental public goods
Assessment of regional capabilities for agricultural coexistence with genetically modified maize
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