| 1. |
- Kehoe, Laura, et al.
(författare)
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Make EU trade with Brazil sustainable
- 2019
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Ingår i: Science. - : American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). - 0036-8075 .- 1095-9203. ; 364:6438, s. 341-
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Tidskriftsartikel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)
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| 2. |
- Lamprini Daouti, Eirini, et al.
(författare)
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Functional redundancy of weed seed predation is reduced by intensified agriculture
- 2024
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Ingår i: Ecology Letters. - 1461-023X .- 1461-0248. ; 27
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Intensified agriculture, a driver of biodiversity loss, can diminish ecosystem functions and their stability. Biodiversity can increase functional redundancy and is expected to stabilize ecosystem functions. Few studies, however, have explored how agricultural intensity affects functional redundancy and its link with ecosystem function stability. Here, within a continental-wide study, we assess how functional redundancy of seed predation is affected by agricultural intensity and landscape simplification. By combining carabid abundances with molecular gut content data, functional redundancy of seed predation was quantified for 65 weed genera across 60 fields in four European countries. Across weed genera, functional redundancy was reduced with high field management intensity and simplified crop rotations. Moreover, functional redundancy increased the spatial stability of weed seed predation at the field scale. We found that ecosystem functions are vulnerable to disturbances in intensively managed agroecosystems, providing empirical evidence of the importance of biodiversity for stable ecosystem functions across space.Within a continent-wide study, we assess the impact of agricultural intensity and landscape simplification on the functional redundancy of weed seed predation. We found that functional redundancy was reduced with high field management intensity and simplified crop rotations. Additionally, high functional redundancy increased the spatial stability of weed seed predation, underscoring the importance of biodiversity in maintaining stable ecosystem functions across space in intensively managed agroecosystems.image
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| 3. |
- Vasconcelos, Sasha, et al.
(författare)
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A meta-analysis of biocontrol potential and herbivore pressure in olive crops: Does integrated pest management make a difference?
- 2022
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Ingår i: Basic and Applied Ecology. - : Elsevier BV. - 1439-1791 .- 1618-0089. ; 63, s. 115-124
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Agricultural policies in the European Union (EU) are increasingly promoting organic management and integrated pest management (IPM) as environmentally friendly alternatives to high-input conventional management. While there is consensus that organic management is largely beneficial for biodiversity, including the natural enemies of crop pests, IPM has been much less scrutinized. We conducted a meta-analysis based on 294 observations extracted from 18 studies to compare the effects of conventional, IPM and organic management on biocontrol potential and herbivore pressure in olive, an important cash crop in the EU. Information about the management practices used was also compiled to assess differences in intensity between the three management strategies. Results suggest that IPM is predominantly based on intensive practices, employing chemical control rather than preventive measures as a first resort. Biocontrol potential and herbivore pressure were similar in conventional management and IPM. Moreover, biocontrol potential was higher in organic crops than in crops under IPM, especially when considering canopy-dwelling natural enemies. Although organic management enhanced biocontrol potential, it also benefitted some olive pests, and in both cases effects were more pronounced at warmer temperatures. Our results suggest that, in its current form, IPM might not significantly affect biocontrol potential or herbivore pressure when compared with conventional olive crop management. A shift to a more comprehensive implementation of IPM practices is thus needed, involving the use of proactive measures to promote natural enemies and regulate olive pests before resorting to chemical control. Moreover, greater use of non-chemical inputs might be required for effective regulation of olive pests in organic olive crops. (C) 2022 Published by Elsevier GmbH on behalf of Gesellschaft fur Okologie.
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| 4. |
- Vasconcelos, Sasha, et al.
(författare)
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Canopy arthropod declines along a gradient of olive farming intensification
- 2022
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Ingår i: Scientific Reports. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2045-2322. ; 12
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Arthropod declines have been linked to agricultural intensification. However, information about the impacts of intensification is still limited for many crops, as is our understanding of the responses of different arthropod taxa and trophic groups, thus hindering the development of effective mitigation measures. We investigated the impacts of olive farming intensification on canopy-dwelling arthropods in the Mediterranean region. Intensification involves the increased use of agrochemicals, mechanisation and irrigation, but also structural changes from traditional orchards with low densities of large and old trees, to intensive and superintensive orchards with high to very high densities of smaller and younger trees, respectively. Canopy arthropods were vacuum-sampled at 53 sites representing the three orchard intensification levels, in spring, summer and autumn 2017. We evaluated how the arthropod community varied across intensification levels, and in response to orchard structure, management and landscape context. We found no changes in the diversity of arthropod taxa across intensification levels after correcting for sample coverage, but arthropod abundance declined markedly along the intensification gradient. Decreased abundance was associated with changes in orchard structure, lower herbaceous cover, and higher herbicide and insecticide use. The abundance of a specialized olive pest was lower in landscapes with higher woodland cover. The negative effects of intensification were stronger in spring and summer than in autumn, and parasitoids and predators were particularly affected. Overall, results suggest that retaining herbaceous cover, reducing agrochemical inputs and preserving natural woody elements in the landscape, may contribute to mitigate impacts of olive farming intensification on canopy arthropods, particularly on beneficial species.
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| 5. |
- Vasconcelos, Sasha, et al.
(författare)
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Mixed effects of oak woodlands on biocontrol potential and pest pressure in olive orchards under management intensification
- 2024
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Ingår i: Journal of Pest Science. - 1612-4758 .- 1612-4766. ; 97, s. 355-368
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Public health and environmental concerns are increasing the pressure to reduce chemical pesticide usage, thereby requiring management alternatives to control pest damage to crops. Retaining semi-natural habitats within agricultural landscapes is often assumed to be one such alternative, by contributing to boost natural enemy populations and reduce pest abundance and spread. However, these potential benefits might be diluted or counteracted by intensive field management, thus limiting their effectiveness. We test these hypotheses, focusing on olive farming in southern Portugal, where we quantified the abundance of three pests, the olive fruit fly (Bactrocera oleae), olive moth (Prays oleae) and olive psyllid (Euphyllura olivina), and their parasitism and infestation rates in 17 orchards representing an intensification gradient and varying landscape cover by oak woodlands. Fly infestation was lower in more intensive orchards, there were no woodland effects, and parasitism was never detected. Psyllid infestation was also lower in more intensive orchards, but declined with woodland cover in more intensive orchards, while slightly increasing in less intensive ones. Psyllid parasitism rate could not be confidently estimated. Moth infestation declined with woodland cover in the most intensive orchards, while varying little in less intensive orchards. Moth parasitism rate declined with intensification and increased with woodland cover, particularly in less intensive orchards. Infestation by the moth was positively related to its abundance, albeit less so when parasitism rates were higher. Overall, our findings show mixed effects of oak woodlands, although retaining such habitats might still enhance biocontrol potential and reduce pressure by some pests, even under management intensification.
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| 6. |
- Vasconcelos, Sasha
(författare)
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Temporal mismatches in flight activity patterns between Pipistrellus kuhlii and Prays oleae in olive farms: Implications for biocontrol services potential
- 2024
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Ingår i: Journal of Applied Ecology. - 0021-8901 .- 1365-2664. ; 61, s. 526-537
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Biocontrol services are widely recognized to provide key incentives for bat conservation. However, we have virtually no information on whether and how disruptions in bat-mediated biocontrol services are driven by mismatches between the temporal activity patterns of insectivorous bats and insect pests. We investigated the temporal relationship between the nightly activity patterns of the common pipistrelle bat (Pipistrellus kuhlii) and the olive fruit moth (Prays oleae). Temporal mismatches between species pairs were estimated as the time difference (expressed as a percentage of the night) at which P. kuhlii and P. oleae reached 50% of their abundance. The study was carried out during spring, summer, and fall between 2017 and 2019 in 60 olive farms representing increasing levels of structural simplification (as a surrogate of agricultural intensification). Olive farms were classified as exhibiting high (i.e. HIGH olive farms; n = 27), intermediate (MID; n = 18), and low (LOW; n = 15) structural complexity. Temporal mismatches between the activity levels of P. kuhlii and P. oleae varied between seasons and types of olive farms, being comparatively lower in summer than in spring and fall. Furthermore, summer was the only season in which temporal mismatches between species pairs differed between types of olive farms, with higher temporal mismatches found in LOW than in HIGH and MID olive farms. Overall, our work demonstrates the existence of temporal mismatches between the nightly activity patterns of P. kuhlii and P. oleae. Furthermore, it demonstrates that the structural simplification of olive farms increases temporal mismatches between species pairs, particularly in summer when bat-mediated biocontrol services are most needed. Synthesis and applications. Future research should consider mismatches between the temporal activity patterns of insectivorous bats and insect pests. Otherwise, the actual impact of agricultural intensification on bat-mediated biocontrol services as well as the economic impact of their loss on the agriculture industry might be underestimated. To enhance biocontrol services, we propose increasing the availability of suitable roosting and foraging sites as well as conserving areas of remnant native woodland and scattered hollow-bearing trees.
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| 7. |
- Vasconcelos, Sasha
(författare)
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The InBIO Barcoding Initiative Database: DNA barcodes of Portuguese moths
- 2024
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Ingår i: Biodiversity data journal. - 1314-2836 .- 1314-2828. ; 12
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background The InBIO Barcoding Initiative (IBI) Dataset - DS-IBILP08 contains records of 2350 specimens of moths (Lepidoptera species that do not belong to the superfamily Papilionoidea). All specimens have been morphologically identified to species or subspecies level and represent 1158 species in total. The species of this dataset correspond to about 42% of mainland Portuguese Lepidoptera species. All specimens were collected in mainland Portugal between 2001 and 2022. All DNA extracts and over 96% of the specimens are deposited in the IBI collection at CIBIO, Research Center in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources. New information The authors enabled "The InBIO Barcoding Initiative Database: DNA barcodes of Portuguese moths" in order to release the majority of data of DNA barcodes of Portuguese moths within the InBIO Barcoding Initiative. This dataset increases the knowledge on the DNA barcodes of 1158 species from Portugal belonging to 51 families. There is an increase in DNA barcodes of 205% in Portuguese specimens publicly available. The dataset includes 61 new Barcode Index Numbers. All specimens have their DNA barcodes publicly accessible through BOLD online database and the distribution data can be accessed through the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF).
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