The effect of landscape complexity and connectivity over time

Meeting the increasing demand for food and other agricultural products without considering biodiversity and climate change is not sustainable. In this context, new approaches to enhancing agrobiodiversity offer an opportunity to combine increased food production with increased sustainability. Enhancing agrarian ecosystem services by taking advantage of landscape heterogeneity and connectivity is a possible way forward. This will result in more biodiversity and resilient ecosystems. However, the transition to agricultural practices based on agroecological principles requires a holistic understanding of the ecological mechanisms operating in agroecosystems at the landscape level, including an understanding of how landscape structure and complexity affect agroecosystem services.

AgroBioConnect aims to investigate the impact of landscape complexity and connectivity over time, and the importance of land use on ecosystem services, both above and below ground, in a range of European agricultural landscapes. The relationship between the spatial pattern of the landscape and the provision of ecosystem services will be analysed by linking multiple scales, including by linking satellite remote sensing data with biodiversity data collected in the field. This so-called multi-level approach will be structured and analysed based on three levels:

level 1) defines the diversity of the landscape using remote sensing, and levels 2) and 3) represent the functional biodiversity above and below ground and linked to associated ecosystem services.

Above ground, the diversity of arthropods and the occurrence of beneficial arthropods such as predators, parasitoids and pollinators, which are important providers of ecosystem services such as pest control and pollination, will be studied. Below ground, soil function will be analysed by quantifying the gene expression of key genes of the soil microbiota. The microbial diversity in the soil will also be analysed using metagenomic methods. Remote sensing data will provide information on landscape fragmentation at different spatial scales and over recent decades. This will enable a continuous assessment of changes and analysis of related impacts on agrobiodiversity and the sustainability of crop production. By studying ecosystem services at multiple spatial scales, it will be possible to gain a more holistic view.

The Swedish contribution to AgroBioConnect is to lead a work package whose purpose is to develop and test a new approach and management support that enables actors to manage agrobiodiversity at the above-mentioned scales simultaneously – from soil to landscape level. Among other things, the tool will enable farmers to identify synergies, desirable and feasible measures to strengthen biodiversity on their properties. A general working method will be developed in the Swedish sub-study, which can then be adapted to the specific requirements and needs that exist locally and in different parts of Europe. The work will involve all other partners in AgroBioConnect, including to improve the robustness and usability of the decision support.

AgroBioConnect will overall contribute to a better understanding of how landscape complexity affects the provision of ecosystem services.

AgroBioConnect will contribute valuable knowledge for sustainable management of the agricultural landscape for both landowners and policymakers. This is also made possible by AgroBioConnect bringing together partners from six countries with complementary scientific and technical competence, with expertise in ecology, agrobiodiversity, soil quality, entomology, plant ecology, remote sensing analysis for environmental monitoring, communication and environmental management.

Contact person: Lotta Fabricius Kristiansen.

Funder: SusCrop– ERA-NET.