June 2024
Diverse landscapes ensure greater animal and plant diversity in fields - Global study provides new insights for sustainable agriculture
Lasioglossum costulatum on a Rapunzel bellflower (Campanula rapunculus).
Photo: Mareike Oponczewski
Intensive agriculture is considered to be one of the causes of species extinction worldwide. However, a diverse landscape can significantly promote biodiversity in the field. This is the conclusion reached by an international research team involving Justus Liebig University Giessen (JLU), which analyzed studies from Europe, Asia, North and South America. According to the study, numerous wild animal and plant species in agricultural fields benefit from a diverse environment with a high number of crops, including birds, bees and other beneficial insects such as ground beetles and spiders. The study, led by Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore, has been published in the journal Ecology Letters.
T. S. Priyadarshana, E. A. Martin et al. (2024) Crop and landscape heterogeneity increase biodiversity in agricultural landscapes: A global review and meta-analysis, Ecol Letters Vol. 27, Issue 3, e14412
https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.14412
For more information:
Prof. Dr. Emily Poppenborg Martin, Animal Ecology