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Landscape and Local Controls of Insect Biodiversity in Conservation Grasslands: Implications for the Conservation of Ecosystem Service Providers in Agricultural Environments

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  • Thomas O. Crist

    (Institute for the Environment and Sustainability, Miami University, Oxford, OH 45056, USA
    Department of Biology, Miami University, Oxford, OH 45056, USA)

  • Valerie E. Peters

    (Institute for the Environment and Sustainability, Miami University, Oxford, OH 45056, USA)

Abstract

The conservation of biodiversity in intensively managed agricultural landscapes depends on the amount and spatial arrangement of cultivated and natural lands. Conservation incentives that create semi-natural grasslands may increase the biodiversity of beneficial insects and their associated ecosystem services, such as pollination and the regulation of insect pests, but the effectiveness of these incentives for insect conservation are poorly known, especially in North America. We studied the variation in species richness, composition, and functional-group abundances of bees and predatory beetles in conservation grasslands surrounded by intensively managed agriculture in Southwest Ohio, USA. Characteristics of grassland patches and surrounding land-cover types were used to predict insect species richness, composition, and functional-group abundance using linear models and multivariate ordinations. Bee species richness was positively influenced by forb cover and beetle richness was positively related to grass cover; both taxa had greater richness in grasslands surrounded by larger amounts of semi-natural land cover. Functional groups of bees and predatory beetles defined by body size and sociality varied in their abundance according to differences in plant composition of grassland patches, as well as the surrounding land-cover diversity. Intensive agriculture in the surrounding landscape acted as a filter to both bee and beetle species composition in conservation grasslands. Our results support the need for management incentives to consider landscape-level processes in the conservation of biodiversity and ecosystem services.

Suggested Citation

  • Thomas O. Crist & Valerie E. Peters, 2014. "Landscape and Local Controls of Insect Biodiversity in Conservation Grasslands: Implications for the Conservation of Ecosystem Service Providers in Agricultural Environments," Land, MDPI, vol. 3(3), pages 1-26, July.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jlands:v:3:y:2014:i:3:p:693-718:d:38124
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. David W. Crowder & Tobin D. Northfield & Michael R. Strand & William E. Snyder, 2010. "Organic agriculture promotes evenness and natural pest control," Nature, Nature, vol. 466(7302), pages 109-112, July.
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    Cited by:

    1. Wolff, Saskia & Hüttel, Silke & Nendel, Claas & Lakes, Tobia, 2020. "Identifying agricultural landscape types for Brandenburg, Germany using IACS data," FORLand Working Papers 23 (2020), Humboldt University Berlin, DFG Research Unit 2569 FORLand "Agricultural Land Markets – Efficiency and Regulation".

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