About

The transition towards agrobiodiversity practices requires a holistic understanding of the ecological mechanisms at work in agroecosystems. AgroBioConnect investigates the effect of landscape complexity on the above and belowground biodiversity in several European agricultural landscapes. The relationship between the landscape spatial pattern and the ecosystem services provision will be analyzed by linking satellite data with above- and belowground biodiversity data collected in the field. The remote sensing data analysis will provide information on the degree of landscape fragmentation at various spatial scales over the last decade. Monitoring the overall aboveground arthropod abundance and diversity, including specific beneficial arthropods (e.g. predators, parasitoids and pollinators, that are important providers of ecosystem services) and analysing soil microbial diversity using metagenomic approaches and quantifying expression of key soil microbiota genes involved in biogeochemical cycles will allow to disentangle the relation of landscape uses and the sustainability of crop production. The multilevel approach is expected to drive a better understanding on how landscape complexity influences ecosystem services provision, thus providing valuable knowledge for improving the agricultural landscape management and policies targeted to achieve adaptation to climate change. In this regard, a tool to support biodiversity-friendly land management practices is planned to be developed.

Results

Following are the planned major results (Deliverables) of the project:

Report on the relationship among biodiversity, functioning and landscape parameters (D2.3)

Database of DNA sequences for parasitoids and pollinators crucial to fruit production (D3.1)

Report with advices for farmers on the level of landscape fragmentation and diversity needed to support ecosystem services (D3.6)

Report on soil microbial and functional diversity in a range of landscapes (D4.1)

Recommendations for an approach and a decision-making-tool to support a diversity-friendly landscape management (D5.2)

Policy recommendations and implementation strategies to support agrobiodiversity at landscape and farm level (D5.4)