scholarly journals Exploring complementarities between modelling approaches that enable upscaling from plant community functioning to ecosystem services as a way to support agroecological transition

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Noémie Gaudio ◽  
Gaëtan Louarn ◽  
Romain Barillot ◽  
Clémentine Meunier ◽  
Rémi Vezy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Plant Diversity ◽  
Agricultural Practices ◽  
Plant Interactions ◽  
Ecological Processes ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Scales ◽  
Temporal Prediction ◽  
Agroecological Transition ◽  
Transition Modelling ◽  
The Many

Abstract Promoting plant diversity through crop mixtures is a mainstay of the agroecological transition. Modelling this transition requires considering both plant-plant interactions and plants’ interactions with abiotic and biotic environments. Modelling crop mixtures enables designing ways to use plant diversity to provide ecosystem services, as long as they include crop management as input. A single modelling approach is not sufficient, however, and complementarities between models may be critical to consider the multiple processes and system components involved at different and relevant spatial and temporal scales. In this article, we present different modelling solutions implemented in a variety of examples to upscale models from local interactions to ecosystem services. We highlight that modelling solutions (i.e. coupling, metamodelling, inverse or hybrid modelling) are built according to modelling objectives (e.g. understand the relative contributions of primary ecological processes to crop mixtures, quantify impacts of the environment and agricultural practices, assess the resulting ecosystem services) rather than to the scales of integration. Many outcomes of multispecies agroecosystems remain to be explored, both experimentally and through the heuristic use of modelling. Combining models to address plant diversity and predict ecosystem services at different scales remains rare but is critical to support the spatial and temporal prediction of the many systems that could be designed.

Biotic Interactions and Ecosystem Functioning

2019 ◽  
pp. 45-66
Author(s):  
Nicola P. Randall ◽  
Barbara Smith
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Primary Productivity ◽  
Ecosystem Functioning ◽  
Genetically Modified ◽  
Agricultural Practices ◽  
Biotic Interactions ◽  
Fertilizer Application ◽  
Ecological Processes ◽  
Biological Pest Control ◽  
Fungal Interactions

This chapter introduces different functional groups and their role in agroecosystems and in provision of ecosystem services. Examples include detritivores and other nutrient cyclers, primary producers, pollinators, herbivores, and pest regulators. The importance of plant–fungal interactions (endophytes and mycorrhiza), primary productivity, maintenance of soil fertility through nutrient cycles, biological pest control, and crop pollination are discussed and related to different management systems. The influence of agricultural practices (e.g. pesticide/fertilizer application, introduction of new/genetically modified species) on biotic interactions and ecosystem functioning of agricultural practices are also illustrated, alongside a consideration of the biological issues associated with the replacement of ecological processes with chemicals, machinery, and so on in some modern agricultural systems.

scholarly journals Agricultural rewilding: a prospect for livestock systems

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aymeric Mondiere ◽  
Michael S Corson ◽  
Lois Morel ◽  
Hayo MG van der Werf
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Ecological Integrity ◽  
Agricultural Landscapes ◽  
Plant Production ◽  
Human Intervention ◽  
Ecological Processes ◽  
Key Species ◽  
Agroecological Transition ◽  
Livestock Systems

CONTEXT: Agricultural intensification is a major cause of biodiversity loss. Biodiversity conservation and restoration generally involve human intervention. In comparison, rewilding, a radically different approach to address the erosion of biodiversity, aims to increase the ability of ecological processes to act with little or no human intervention, and thus to enhance biodiversity and the supply of ecosystem services. OBJECTIVE: In this review and call to explore the potential of rewilding for agriculture, in particular for livestock systems, we identified effects of agroecological livestock systems on biodiversity and analysed similarities, differences and complementarities between the agroecological transition and the rewilding of livestock systems.METHODS: We researched literature in the Web of Science Core Collection that focussed on biodiversity, livestock, agriculture, rewilding and interactions among them.RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Agricultural rewilding is an emerging form of land use that we conceptually position between agroecology and rewilding. It combines restoration of ecological processes with some degree of agricultural production, most often of animals. Over time, human land-use has aimed to increase plant and animal output, which has degraded the ecological integrity of ecosystems. This process of dewilding accelerated with the advent of agriculture. In recent decades, certain agricultural landscapes and farms have evolved in the opposite direction, decreasing material human inputs and improving ecological integrity. This evolution takes three forms: agroecological transition, agricultural rewilding and rewilding. Of these, the first and third concern relatively large areas. A selection of 11 agricultural rewilding projects established for at least 5 years in the United Kingdom had areas of 121-4402 ha. The projects targeted 48 key species/breeds, 23 of which were ecosystem engineers: 18 grazers, 4 pig breeds and beavers. The main actions to enhance rewilding were extensive grazing and habitat restoration. The main economic activities were meat or animal sales, tourism and education programmes. Agricultural rewilding may provide a multifunctional model to which livestock farms may transition to respond better to societal demands.SIGNIFICANCE: Agricultural rewilding offers a new and inspiring prospect for livestock systems and poses research questions about its relation to agroecology and rewilding, its implementation, its potential for plant production and its value for livestock farmers. The forms it can take remain to be explored, and the potential influence of these forms on biodiversity, ecosystem services and environmental impacts needs to be characterised. Exploring the forms that agricultural rewilding may take requires close collaboration among ecologists, animal scientists and agronomists.

scholarly journals Valuation of kelp forest ecosystem services in the Falkland Islands: A case study integrating blue carbon sequestration potential

One Ecosystem ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Bayley ◽  
Paul Brickle ◽  
Paul Brewin ◽  
Neil Golding ◽  
Tara Pelembe
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Kelp Forest ◽  
Blue Carbon ◽  
Falkland Islands ◽  
Kelp Forests ◽  
Storm Damage ◽  
Ecological Processes ◽  
True Value ◽  
Sequestration Potential

Kelp forests provide many important ecosystem services to people, including mitigating storm damage, cycling nutrients, and providing commercially-harvestable resources. However, kelp forests’ ability to sequester carbon dioxide, and therefore help regulate the climate, has until recently, been overlooked in assessments of the beneficial services they provide. In this study we incorporate updated knowledge on the potential of kelp to sequester ‘blue carbon’, and use the extensive kelp forests of the Falkland Islands as a case study to assess the value of kelp forest to society through multiple associated ecosystem services. Our analysis shows kelp forests provide a highly valuable range of direct and indirect services, which if managed correctly, will continue to benefit people, both now and in the future. The total estimated value of the Falkland Islands’ kelp system is currently equivalent to ~ £2.69 billion per year (or £3.24 million km-2 year-1). However, the true value of the kelp forest surrounding the Falkland Islands is likely to be higher still, given that our estimate does not account for elements such as associated scientific research, tourism, and cultural services, due to the necessary data currently being unavailable. Similarly, the full value of these highly biodiverse ecosystems in supplying habitat and food to a large range of associated species is crucial, yet extremely difficult to fully quantify. This study illustrates the importance of maintaining kelp ecosystems in a healthy state to ensure they continue to supply valuable ecological processes, functional roles, and ecosystem services, including their overlooked role as significant long-term carbon sinks.

Biological Diversity and Ecosystem Functions

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oswald J. Schmitz
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Environmental Change ◽  
Biological Diversity ◽  
Ecosystem Functions ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Many ◽  
The Relationship

This chapter reflects on the relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem functions. Drawing connections between ecosystem functions and ecosystem services can make the concept of sustainability less nebulous. It offers tangible ways to translate science into practice by revealing the intricacies of nature and the many threads that link humans to nature through such intricacies. Establishing such connections illustrates why it is important to ensure that ecosystem functions endure. The chapter shows how the New Ecology is helping us appreciate how and why the complex ways that species that have evolved and forged interdependencies with each other matter to sustainability. It argues that maintaining diversity within ecosystems ensures that a wide range of options is available for adapting to environmental change.

Plant Diversity and Its Relevance for the Provision of Ecosystem Services

2013 ◽  
pp. 93-106 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jürgen Homeier ◽  
Florian A. Werner ◽  
Julia Gawlik ◽  
Thorsten Peters ◽  
Karl-Heinz J. Diertl ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Plant Diversity

Daphnia as a Model for Eco-evolutionary Dynamics

2018 ◽  
pp. 403-424
Author(s):  
Matthew R. Walsh ◽  
Michelle Packer ◽  
Shannon Beston ◽  
Collin Funkhouser ◽  
Michael Gillis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Evolutionary Dynamics ◽  
Model Organism ◽  
Life History Evolution ◽  
Ecological Processes ◽  
Evolutionary Forces ◽  
Evolutionary Changes ◽  
History Evolution ◽  
Ecological Importance ◽  
The Many

Much research has shown that variation in ecological processes can drive rapid evolutionary changes over periods of years to decades. Such contemporary adaptation sets the stage for evolution to have reciprocal impacts on the properties of populations, communities, and ecosystems, with ongoing interactions between ecological and evolutionary forces. The importance and generality of these eco-evolutionary dynamics are largely unknown. In this chapter, we promote the use of water fleas (Daphnia sp.) as a model organism in the exploration of eco-evolutionary interactions in nature. The many characteristics of Daphnia that make them suitable for laboratory study in conjunction with their well-known ecological importance in lakes, position Daphnia to contribute new and important insights into eco-evolutionary dynamics. We first review the influence of key environmental stressors in Daphnia evolution. We then highlight recent work documenting the pathway from life history evolution to ecology using Daphnia as a model. This review demonstrates that much is known about the influence of ecology on Daphnia life history evolution, while research exploring the genomic basis of adaptation as well as the influence of Daphnia life history traits on ecological processes is beginning to accumulate.

Integrating Socioeconomic and Geographic Information Systems: A Methodology for Rural Development and Agricultural Policy Design

1996 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan Stonich
Keyword(s):  
Evaluation System ◽  
Policy Design ◽  
Rural Poverty ◽  
Agricultural Practices ◽  
Ecological Processes ◽  
Agricultural Producers ◽  
University Of Kentucky ◽  
Peasant Communities ◽  
Environmental Consequences ◽  
Sustainable Ecology

Understanding the factors related to destructive ecological processes in the tropics has expanded significantly in the last decade. Much has been learned about heterogeneity in geomorphology, soils, hydrology, and climate and about associated vulnerability to ecological damage. Research on cropping systems has divulged both the suitability and the liability in swidden agricultural practices and has led to recommendations involving alternative cropping and agroforestry complexes (Altieri 1987). At the same time, there has been a growing awareness that a more comprehensive knowledge of tropical ecology and enlarged technological and/or agricultural options will not necessarily affect a sustainable ecology (Altieri and Hecht 1990; Redclift 1984, 1987). Research on peasant economies in Latin America and elsewhere has demonstrated the existence of a highly differentiated peasantry, the vast majority of whom are landless or land-poor and who are more dependent on income earned from off-farm than from on-farm sources (Collins 1986; Deere and Wasserstrom 1981; Stonich 1991b). Such studies have demonstrated that systemic interconnections among family and corporate farmers with landholdings of all sizes promote environmental destruction (Stonich 1989); have established the existence of labor scarcity rather than labor surpluses in many peasant communities and the related environmental consequences (Brush 1977,1987; Collins 1987,1988; Posner and MacPherson 1982; Stonich 1993); and have called for rural and agricultural development policy that takes into account a socially differentiated peasantry and diversified rural poverty (de Janvry and Sadoulet 1989). It is increasingly evident that ecological destruction cannot be fathomed apart from the demographic, institutional, and social factors that influence the agricultural practices and other natural resource management decisions of agricultural producers. This paper describes a multidisciplinary methodology designed to examine the interactions among demographic trends, social processes, agricultural production decisions, and ecological decline in southern Honduras, a region characterized by widespread and worsening human impoverishment and environmental degradation. The methodology integrated the research efforts and databases compiled by anthropologists from the University of Kentucky using a farming systems approach, who were part of the socioeconomic component of the International Sorghum Millet Project (INTSORMIL) with potentially complementary research conducted by the natural and agricultural scientists working as part of the Comprehensive Resource Inventory and Evaluation System Project (CRIES) at Michigan State University.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document