Research interests

My research interest lies in exploring the landscape ecology of insects and plants in agricultural landscapes. I am interested in how land use, landscape structure, and conservation efforts affect the distribution and dynamics of biodiversity, with particular focus on organisms that deliver ecosystem services to us. In this context I examine the community ecology, population ecology and functioning of predators that provide us with biological control of agricultural pest insects, and of flower visiting insects (such as bumble bees, solitary bees, hover flies, and butterflies) that pollinate crop and wild flowers. I participate in interdisciplinary collaborations that aim to translate the attained information, on the ecology and functioning of various organisms inhabiting our cultured landscapes, into policy support and suggestions for future land use management of biodiversity and ecosystem services.

Research team and resources

I am part of a research team working on these issues. Read more about our resources and activities here: Ecosystem services and conservation research team

Undergraduate thesis opportunities

Do you want to do your undergraduate thesis with us? Read more here.

Editorial activities

Handling editor for Oecologia.

Recent publications (full list here)

Garibaldi L et al. 2013. Wild bees enhance fruitset of crops regardless of honey bee abundance. Science in press

Rusch A, Bommarco R, Jonsson M, Smith HG, Ekbom B. 2013. Flow and stability of natural pest control services depend on complexity and crop rotation at the landscape scale. Journal of Applied Ecology in press 

Bommarco R., Kleijn D., Potts S.G. Ecological intensification: harnessing ecosystem services for food security. Trends in Ecology and Evolution online

Marini L., A. Bertolli, E. Bona, G. Federici, F. Martini, F. Prosser & R. Bommarco. 2012. Beta-diversity patterns elucidate mechanisms of alien plant invasion in mountains. Global ecology and biogeography in press

Bommarco R., L. Marini, B.E. Vaissière. 2012. Insect pollination enhances seed yield, quality and market value in oilseed rape. Oecologia in press

Marini L., Bruun H.H., Heikkinen R.K., Helm A., Honnay O., Krauss J., Kühn I., Lindborg R., Pärtel M., Bommarco R. 2012. Traits related to species persistence and dispersal explain changes in plant communities subjected to habitat loss. Diversity and Distributions in press

Bommarco R., O. Lundin, H.G. Smith & M. Rundlöf. 2011. Drastic historic shifts in bumble bee community composition in Sweden. Proceedings of the Royal Society - Series B in press

Bommarco R., F. Miranda, H. Bylund & Ch. Björkman. 2011. Insecticides suppress natural enemies and increase pest damage in cabbage. Journal of Economic Entomology 104(3):782-791

Marini L., E. Öckinger, A. Battisti, R. Bommarco. 2011. High mobility reduces betadiversity among orthopteran communities – Implications for conservation. Insect Conservation and Diversity. In press

Winqvist C., J. Bengtsson, T. Aavik, F. Berendse, L.W. Clement, S. Eggers, Ch. Fischer, A. Flohre, F. Geiger, J. Liira, T. Pärt, C. Thies, T. Tscharntke, W.W. Weisser, R. Bommarco. 2011. Mixed effects of organic farming and landscape complexity on farmland biodiversity and biological control potential across Europe. Journal of Applied Ecology. In press

Marini L., R. Bommarco, P. Fontana, A. Battisti. 2010. Disentangling effects of habitat diversity and area on orthopteran species with contrasting mobility. Biological conservation. In press

Hambäck P.A., Bergman K-O, Bommarco R., Krauss J., Kuussaari M., Pöyry J. & Öckinger E. 2010. Allometric density responses in butterflies: The response to small and large patches by small and large species. Ecography. In press

Öckinger E., Schweiger O., Crist T., Debinski D., Krauss J., Kuussaari M., Petersen J., Pöyry J., Settele J., Summerville K., Bommarco R. 2010. Life-history traits predict species responses to habitat area and isolation – A cross-continental synthesis. Ecology Letters 13: 969–979

Bommarco R., J.C. Biesmeijer, B. Meyer, S.G. Potts, J. Pöyry, S.P.M. Roberts, I. Steffan-Dewenter, E. Öckinger. 2010. Dispersal capacity and diet breadth modify the response of wild bees to habitat loss. Proc. R. Soc. Lond. B. 277:2075-2082

Krauss J., R. Bommarco, M. Guardiola, R.K. Heikkinen, A. Helm, M. Kuussaari, R. Lindborg, E. Öckinger, M. Pärtel, J. Pino, J. Pöyry, K.M. Raatikainen, A. Sang, C. Stefanescu, T. Teder, M. Zobel & I. Steffan-Dewenter. 2010. Habitat fragmentation causes immediate and time-delayed biodiversity loss at different trophic levels. Ecology Letters 13:597-605

Bommarco R., Lönn M., Danzer U., Pålsson K-J, Torstensson P. 2010. Genetic and phenotypic differences between thistle populations in response to habitat and weed management practices. Biological journal of the Linnean society. 99:797-807

Kuussaari M., Bommarco R., Heikkinen R.K., Helm A., Krauss J., Lindborg R., Öckinger E., Pärtel M., Pino J., Roda F., Stefanescu C., Teder T., Zobel M., Steffan-Dewenter I. Extinction debt: a challenge for biodiversity conservation. 2009. Trends in Ecology & Evolution. 24:564-571