Biodiversity loss is undeniable, but at what rate? Why? How does it affect us? And what can we do? The Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) has been answering these questions since its creation in 2012.
Research led by two French institutions shows that farmland comprising small fields sown with different types of crops is conducive to plant and animal diversity. Promoting such landscapes would help make up for the loss of natural and semi-natural habitats between crops.
Two CREAF researchers have taken part in the study, which shows that small, irregularly shaped fields on farmland boost the number and abundance of species. This is because pollinators use crop borders as highways or corridors for movement and protection. The trend of ever larger crop fields is endangering insect pollinator populations and their ability to pollinate crops
Experts at CREAF say that bee populations are on the decline and that pesticides such as neonicotinoids are one of the main causes. It is important to promote organic, sustainable agriculture and move forward on the prohibition of these compounds.
We offer a Ph.D. position within teh project "Spatial heterogeneity in plant-pollinator communities: effects on interaction and consequences to pollination function". (Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation, project CGL2013-41856-P).
This study, in which the CREAF participated, determined that relationships between species follow a few common patterns, and, therefore, with little data a lot of detail can be understood regarding the ecological networks of ecosystems and predict a species’ evolution in the face of perturbations.
