Showing papers by "Jacqueline Loos published in 2018"
Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg1, Zürcher Fachhochschule2, University of Bayreuth3, University of Picardie Jules Verne4, University of Oviedo5, Wageningen University and Research Centre6, Masaryk University7, University of Nottingham8, University of Rostock9, Max Planck Society10, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul11, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill12, Santa Clara University13, Leiden University14, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic15, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology16, Sapienza University of Rome17, Natural Resources Canada18, Florida International University19, Universidade Federal do Acre20, Ghent University21, University of Göttingen22, University of the Basque Country23, Aarhus University24, Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory25, Environmental Change Institute26, University of Nova Gorica27, Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts28, King Juan Carlos University29, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague30, VU University Amsterdam31, University of Würzburg32, National University of Cordoba33, National University of Saint Anthony the Abbot in Cuzco34, Wake Forest University35, University of Exeter36, Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue37, University of Montpellier38, University of Adelaide39, University of Chile40, IFREMER41, University of British Columbia42, Universidade do Estado de Santa Catarina43, University of Münster44, University of Hamburg45, University of Wrocław46, University of Zurich47, Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research48, University of Oldenburg49, University of Wyoming50, University of Waikato51, Institut national de la recherche agronomique52, Sofia University53, Royal Botanic Gardens54, University of Edinburgh55, Landcare Research56, Radboud University Nijmegen57, Spanish National Research Council58, University of Barcelona59, University of Leeds60, University of Tartu61, University of Minnesota62, University of Sydney63, University of Jena64, University of La Serena65, Peking University66, Iwokrama International Centre for Rain Forest Conservation and Development67, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki68, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences69, University of Oulu70, University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire71, International Institute of Minnesota72, American Museum of Natural History73, Leipzig University74
TL;DR: It is shown that global trait composition is captured by two main dimensions that are only weakly related to macro-environmental drivers, which reflect the trade-offs at the species level but are weakly associated with climate and soil conditions at the global scale.
Abstract: Plant functional traits directly affect ecosystem functions. At the species level, trait combinations depend on trade-offs representing different ecological strategies, but at the community level trait combinations are expected to be decoupled from these trade-offs because different strategies can facilitate co-existence within communities. A key question is to what extent community-level trait composition is globally filtered and how well it is related to global versus local environmental drivers. Here, we perform a global, plot-level analysis of trait-environment relationships, using a database with more than 1.1 million vegetation plots and 26,632 plant species with trait information. Although we found a strong filtering of 17 functional traits, similar climate and soil conditions support communities differing greatly in mean trait values. The two main community trait axes that capture half of the global trait variation (plant stature and resource acquisitiveness) reflect the trade-offs at the species level but are weakly associated with climate and soil conditions at the global scale. Similarly, within-plot trait variation does not vary systematically with macro-environment. Our results indicate that, at fine spatial grain, macro-environmental drivers are much less important for functional trait composition than has been assumed from floristic analyses restricted to co-occurrence in large grid cells. Instead, trait combinations seem to be predominantly filtered by local-scale factors such as disturbance, fine-scale soil conditions, niche partitioning and biotic interactions.
349 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors report the causes and consequences of the cessation of traditional grassland management regimes, provide strategies for reducing the impact of abandonment and consider these from the perspective of sustainability.
Abstract: Disturbance by biomass removal is a crucial mechanism maintaining the diversity of Palaearctic grasslands, which are unique biodiversity hotspots. Te century-long traditional land use of mowing, grazing and burning, has been fundamentally changed in many parts of the Palaearctic. Due to socio-economic changes, large areas of former pastures and meadows have been abandoned, leading to a succession towards secondary scrublands or forest and the encroachment of competitor grass species, all leading to a decrease in biodiversity. Here we report the causes and consequences of the cessation of traditional grassland management regimes, provide strategies for reducing the impact of abandonment and consider these from the perspective of sustainability. We consider the possibilities for initiating sustainable management regimes in the contemporary socio-economic environment, and discuss the prospects and limitation of alternative management regimes in the conservation of grassland biodiversity. Tese themes are also the core topics of this Special Feature, edited by the EDGG. We hope that this Special Feature will encourage steps towards more sustainable strategies for the conservation of Palaearctic grasslands and the integration of the sustainability perspective into their conservation.
71 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors reviewed the scientific literature to understand the role of different crop varieties for ecosystem services, comparing the performance and perception of traditional landraces versus modern varieties and ask the following questions: 1. When and why do farmers prefer cultural ecosystem services of landrace over high-yielding varieties.
Abstract: Agricultural intensification with modern plant breeding focuses on few high-yielding crops and varieties. The loss of traditional crop species and variety diversity contributes to the current decline of provisioning, regulating, and cultural ecosystem services, as reported in the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment. Access to local and adapted varieties is pivotal for resilient agroecosystems, in particular under current global change. We reviewed the scientific literature to understand the role of different crop varieties for ecosystem services, comparing the performance and perception of traditional landraces versus modern varieties and ask the following questions: 1. Do landraces and modern varieties differ in terms of provisioning and regulating ecosystem services? 2. When and why do farmers prefer cultural ecosystem services of landraces over high-yielding varieties? Based on 41 publications, our results document that modern varieties are preferred over landraces because of their typically higher provisioning services such as crop yield. However, landraces often guarantee higher provisioning services under non-optimal farming conditions. Landraces can show high resilience under harsh environmental conditions and are a trusted source achieving stable crop yield (e.g., under droughts stress). Regulating services such as resistance against pests and diseases appear to often become lost during breeding for high-yielding, modern varieties. Furthermore, small-scale farmers typically prefer local landraces due to regional cultural features such as family traditions and cooking characteristics for special dishes. In conclusion, both landraces and modern varieties have merit depending on the farmers’ priorities and the social-ecological context. In any case, maintaining and restoring the huge diversity of landrace varieties is necessary for sustaining current and future needs.
67 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors conceptualized the notion of a landscape interface as the intersection between the ecological and social subsystems, which through time, shapes and is shaped by the local value system.
Abstract: Cultural landscapes and their social–ecological values are threatened by changing lifestyles, policies and land-use practices, making their appropriate management a key sustainability challenge. Drawing on five years of interdisciplinary research in Transylvania, we conceptualise the notion of a ‘landscape interface’ – the intersection between the ecological and social subsystems, which through time, shapes and is shaped by the local value system. The landscape interface is a source of system continuity and stability. In Transylvania, many locals still act according to the value system associated with a disappearing landscape interface, a phenomenon we term a ‘value change debt.’ We argue that the erosion of the old value system, together with the weakening of the landscape interface, threatens sustainability – whereas reconnecting social–ecological feedback and thus strengthening the landscape interface could foster sustainability. The new conceptual perspective proposed here could foster greater underst...
31 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors focus on European cultural landscapes, which represent prime examples for the success but also the fragility of social-ecological agricultural systems that benefit from land sharing and question whether and how either sparing or sharing can actually be implemented on the ground.
Abstract: While the academic land sharing–land sparing debate peaked in the recognition that neither strategy alone may offer the best solution to integrate commodity production with biodiversity conservation, the lack of integrating the local realities of people and their cultural landscapes beyond mere biodiversity conservation is hampering the knowledge transfer from our scientific discourse to the policy agenda. Here, we focus on European cultural landscapes, which represent prime examples for the success but also the fragility of social-ecological agricultural systems that benefit from land sharing. In contrast, we challenge the effectiveness of land sparing for sustainable agriculture. Moreover, we question whether and how either sparing or sharing can actually be implemented on the ground. We conclude that creating and maintaining sharing systems nowadays is a normative choice that society can take. Based on this, we caution against the ongoing prioritization of optimizing the economic benefits perceived from such systems. We highlight the limitations of economic instruments to safeguard the multifunctionality of sharing landscapes. Taken together, we suggest that deliberations on the sparing–sharing discussion ought to be moved from a limited perspective on biodiversity towards a holistic consideration of landscapes as spaces that are shaped by and satisfy manifold aspects of human well-being, ranging from cultural to materialistic needs.
15 citations
TL;DR: The Romanian Grassland Database (RGD) is described, registered under EU-RO-008 in the Global Index of Vegetation-Plot Databases (GIVD), and its "Data Property and Governance Rules" under which data are contributed and retrieved are explained.
Abstract: This report describes the Romanian Grassland Database (RGD), registered under EU-RO-008 in the Global Index of Vegetation-Plot Databases (GIVD). This collaborative initiative aims to collect all available vegetation-plot data (releves) of grasslands and other open habitats from the territory of Romania to provide them for science, nationally and internationally, e.g. via the European Vegetation Archive (EVA) and the global database "sPlot". The database mainly contains vegetation-plots from not only wet, mesic, dry, saline, alpine and rocky grasslands, but also other vegetation types like heathlands, mires, ruderal, segetal, aquatic and cryptogamdominated vegetation. Currently, 21,685 releves have mainly been digitised from literature sources (90%), while the remainder comes from individual unpublished sources (10%). We report on the background and history of the RGD, explain its "Data Property and Governance Rules" under which data are contributed and retrieved, and outline how the RGD can contribute to research in the fields of vegetation ecology, macroecology and conservation.
14 citations
Journal Article•
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors compared the impact of current and potential future land-use intensification on the avifauna in Transylvania, Romania, one of Europe's most notable traditional farming landscapes.
Abstract: Traditional farming landscapes harbour high biodiversity worldwide, but are increasingly threatened by agricultural intensification. Here, we aimed to assess the impact of current and potential future land-use intensification on the avifauna in Transylvania, Romania, one of Europe’s most notable traditional farming landscapes. We conducted repeated point counts for breeding birds in a randomly selected set of 30 forest, 60 grassland, and 60 arable sites. We first compared the overall bird richness and the richness of birds with different habitat specialization between the three main land-use types. Second, we examined the responses of bird richness to a gradient in woody vegetation cover and compositional heterogeneity in arable land and grassland to indicate changes in land-use intensity. Third, we examined at which spatial scales the effects occurred. All three land-use types contributed to the overall regional bird diversity, including several species of conservation concern. Overall species richness and richness of forest specialists was highest in forests, whereas the opposite was true for farmland birds. Within farmland, richness of forest specialists and farmland birds was most strongly positively affected by woody vegetation cover within one hectare. However, for farmland birds this effect was stronger in arable land compared to grassland. In contrast, woody vegetation cover had a negative effect on the richness of open-country specialists within 50 hectares. Maintaining forest cover in farming landscapes will be important to conserve forest specialists. To conserve farmland species, individual farmers should be encouraged to maintain woody vegetation cover at the local scale. In contrast, open-country specialists would benefit from extensive grassland areas with low cover of woody vegetation. Thus, maintaining bird diversity in traditional farming landscapes requires a combination of smalland large scale conservation approaches. For this to be successful, cooperation among multiple stakeholders is necessary to achieve largerscale conservation action.
5 citations
DOI•
19 Dec 2018TL;DR: In this article, the authors analyse anhand eines qualitativen Forschungsansatzes, welche Anpassungsstrategien Landwirte bei der Implementierung von Greening verfolgen.
Abstract: Die Reform der Gemeinsamen Agrarpolitik (GAP) 2013 umfasste als Neuerung das Greening, welches 30 % der Direktzahlungen an die Erfullung spezifischer Umweltauflagen bindet. In der vorliegenden Studie analysieren wir anhand eines qualitativen Forschungsansatzes, welche Anpassungsstrategien Landwirte bei der Implementierung von Greening verfolgen. Anhand bestehender Literatur entwickelten wir einen Interviewleitfaden und befragten neun Landwirte in der Region Sudniedersachsen. Unsere Analyse zeigt, dass die Anpassungsstrategien okonomisch motiviert sind. Die rechtlichen Vorgaben des Greenings empfinden Landwirte als komplex und wenig flexibel. Aufgrund der Komplexitat wahlen die Landwirte diejenigen Masnahmen, mit denen sie vertraut sind, die das beste Kosten/Nutzen-Verhaltnis haben und in der Umsetzung das geringste Risiko beinhalten.
Keywords: Agrarokosysteme; Biodiversitat; GAP; Greening; Land-sharing; Qualitative Forschung; Umweltpolitik
3 citations
01 Jan 2018
1 citations