Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment最新文献

{"title":"Livestock production systems shape alpha and beta diversity of small mammal assemblages","authors":"Rodrigo Javier Alonso ,&nbsp;Rosario Lovera ,&nbsp;Melanie Ruiz ,&nbsp;Malena Rospide ,&nbsp;Martin Neyen Lammen ,&nbsp;Daniela Paula Montes de Oca ,&nbsp;Juliana Sánchez ,&nbsp;Regino Cavia","doi":"10.1016/j.agee.2025.110176","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agee.2025.110176","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Within highly modified environments, livestock production systems shape small mammal assemblages, which are particularly relevant due to their responsiveness to local habitat structure and management practices, and their role as agricultural pests and reservoirs of zoonotic pathogens. This study examines changes in the composition and structure of small mammal assemblages, assessed through taxonomic alpha and beta diversity, across different livestock farming systems, seasons, years, and geographical regions in northeast Buenos Aires province, Argentina. Seasonal sampling was conducted on dairy farms, intensive and extensive pig farms, and feedlots from 2008 to 2021, though not continuously. For alpha and beta diversity comparisons, we used abundance-based diversity indices and multivariate ordination analyses, respectively. A total of 1317 individuals from ten species were captured, with <em>Rattus norvegicus</em> (n = 777) as the dominant species. Multivariate analyses revealed that the composition of small mammal assemblages was influenced by the type of farm and season. Species richness was highest on dairy and intensive pig farms, whereas feedlots exhibited greater evenness with more common and dominant species. Seasonal variations affected diversity patterns, with the highest species richness in fall and winter. The results highlight how different types of farms, seasons and landscape contexts shape small mammal communities, changing abiotic factors and introducing interactions between native and invasive species. These findings underscore the need for tailored small mammal management strategies to mitigate biodiversity loss and zoonotic risks in livestock systems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7512,"journal":{"name":"Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment","volume":"400 ","pages":"Article 110176"},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2026-04-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145941020","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Synergistic agricultural systems improve soil health and support sustainable land use in sandy soils","authors":"Camila P. Cagna ,&nbsp;Moges K. Biru ,&nbsp;Diego A.H.S. Leitao ,&nbsp;Patricia A.B. Barreto-Garcia ,&nbsp;Viviany Viriato ,&nbsp;Jose C.B. Dubeux Jr. ,&nbsp;Cassio A. Tormena ,&nbsp;Marcio R. Nunes","doi":"10.1016/j.agee.2025.110193","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agee.2025.110193","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Sandy soils cover around 900 million hectares globally and are increasingly targeted for agricultural expansion and food production. However, these soils are highly vulnerable to degradation due to their low nutrient and water retention capacity, poor structure, and susceptibility to compaction. Our objective was to identify conservation-based production systems to sustain or enhance the health of sandy soils. Soil physical, chemical, and biological properties and processes were assessed across three soil depths (0–5, 15–20, and 25–30 cm). Diversified cropping systems, particularly the sod-based rotation system combined with cover crops and nitrogen fertilization (SBR-GL34), improved overall soil health. This production system increased total soil porosity by up to 18 %, reduced subsurface bulk density by 11 %, and enhanced soil organic carbon stock by up to 18 % compared with business-as-usual (BAU). Labile fractions also improved, with permanganate-oxidizable carbon increasing by 38 %, while β-glucosidase and arylsulfatase increased by 60 % and 64 %, respectively. Despite these improvements, compared to native, all production systems had lower carbon stocks (55–65 %) and showed signes of soil physical degradation. Integrating cover crops, nitrogen fertilization, and grazing also enhanced microbial activity and nutrient cycling, mitigating the negative effects of converting from native to agricultural systems. Among all agricultural systems, SBR-GL34 showed the highest potential to improve (compared to BAU) and sustain (compared to native) soil health and productivity of sandy soils. Overall, combining appropriate nutrient management with long-term agricultural practices that reduce soil disturbance and maximize diversity and soil cover with live plants and crop residue supports sustainable agricultural production in sandy soils.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7512,"journal":{"name":"Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment","volume":"400 ","pages":"Article 110193"},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2026-04-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145941075","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Assessing the non-target effects of herbicides on field margin plant communities after controlling for soil, climate, local context and landscape metrics","authors":"Laura Henckel ,&nbsp;Guillaume Fried ,&nbsp;Jean-Philippe Guillemin ,&nbsp;Isis Poinas ,&nbsp;Christine N. Meynard ,&nbsp;Benoit Ricci","doi":"10.1016/j.agee.2025.110190","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agee.2025.110190","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Pesticides are often identified as one of the major causes of biodiversity decline in farmlands. However, our knowledge about this relationship has mostly being inferred from small to landscape-scale studies, or from indirect indicators of agricultural practices at large scales. Here, we used a national network of more than 500 sites monitored yearly from 2013 to 2018 in France to assess the non-target effects of herbicides on field margin plant communities. We used hierarchical generalized linear models to investigate the effects of practices on plant species richness, plant species evenness, proportion of nature-value plants, and proportion of grasses in field margins, while controlling for a large number of possible confounding effects. The intensity of herbicide use had a negative effect on plant species richness, and on the proportion of nature-value plants. In the margin of cereal fields, there was a negative effect of dicotyledon herbicides on richness and a negative effect of grass herbicides on species evenness. We also identified, in some specific crops, a negative effect of non-herbicide treatments on margin flora richness and on the proportion of nature-value plants. The presence of surrounding grasslands had a consistent favourable effect on richness and on the proportion of nature-value plants in field margins. Finally, situations of risk for pesticides drift had a negative effect on margin flora. This study confirms that reducing herbicide use represents a robust lever to maintain the floristic diversity of field margins, which could be combined with strategies reducing the risk of pesticide drift.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7512,"journal":{"name":"Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment","volume":"400 ","pages":"Article 110190"},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2026-04-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145941076","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Leaf and root traits codetermine biomass production and allocation patterns in agriculturally managed wetlands in a semi-arid region","authors":"Xiaofei Wang ,&nbsp;Yu An ,&nbsp;Le Wang ,&nbsp;Mingye Zhang ,&nbsp;Xianglong Xing ,&nbsp;Shouzheng Tong ,&nbsp;Haitao Wu","doi":"10.1016/j.agee.2026.110229","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agee.2026.110229","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In semi-arid regions, wetlands are increasingly converted to agriculture use due to growing food demand. Current practices like mowing and grazing considerably alter plant biomass allocation patterns, yet the underlying functional mechanisms remain unclear. To clarify this, we combine community-level leaf and root traits with biomass partitioning analysis across a management gradient (from natural to heavily grazed wetlands) in China's Songnen Plain. Results revealed that agricultural intensification triggered strategic biomass reallocation: aboveground biomass (AGB) and belowground biomass (BGB) decreased 83.1 % and 51.9 % from natural wetlands (NW, 1093.5 g m⁻²) to heavily grazed sites (HG), while root-to-shoot ratio (RSR) increased 12-fold (HG:3.6 vs. NW:0.3). This coincided with the coordinated leaf-root economic strategies: NW favored acquisitive strategies (e.g. peak high leaf area [LA] =1917.1 mm², and specific root length [SRL] = 3219.3 cm g⁻¹), whereas mowed/grazed sites optimized conservation investments (e.g. peak leaf carbon concentration [LCC] = 487.4 g kg⁻¹, and root carbon concentration [RCC] = 391.0 g kg⁻¹), illustrating a functional shift from resource acquisition to conservation. Correlation analysis and stepwise regression identified leaf dry weight (LDW), leaf carbon-to-nitrogen ratio, leaf phosphorus concentration, LA, LCC, root length, specific root area (SRA), RCC, and root surface area (RSA) as key predictors for AGB, whereas BGB was predicted by LCC, LDW and leaf nitrogen-to-phosphorus ratio, RSA, SRA and root phosphorus concentration (RPC). Leaf traits (LA and LDW) and root traits (RCC, RPC, and SRL) were identified as the best predictors of RSR. Variance partitioning analysis showed that leaf-root trait interactions dominated biomass production and allocation (76.9 %-89.8 % of explained variance), underscoring an integrated root-leaf economic network. Structural equation modeling further revealed that the decreased LA indirectly enhanced RSR through positive effects on AGB and synergistic interactions with LDW, SRL and RCC. Contrasting effects of LA-LDW/SRL interactions on BGB further regulated RSR. LA-driven synergies with SRL and trade-offs between RCC and SRL directly modulated RSR. These results collectively demonstrate that trait interaction networks, rather than individual traits, serve as the key driver of biomass production and allocation in agriculturally managed wetlands. This functional trait-coordination framework advances our understanding of plant strategies for enhancing wetland resilience in semi-arid agricultural landscape.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7512,"journal":{"name":"Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment","volume":"400 ","pages":"Article 110229"},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2026-04-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145941078","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Wildflower strip influence on pest predation in cereal fields: Temporal variations and complementarity among predator guilds","authors":"Florencia Baudino ,&nbsp;Ezequiel González ,&nbsp;Martin Štrobl ,&nbsp;Matěj Trnka ,&nbsp;Alena Samková ,&nbsp;Michal Knapp","doi":"10.1016/j.agee.2026.110233","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agee.2026.110233","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Wildflower strips (WFS) are widely used measures to support biodiversity and ecosystem services, including pest control, in intensively managed agricultural landscapes. However, their effectiveness in reducing pest abundance and supporting natural enemies is highly variable. We studied the effect of WFS on predation rates and egg abundance of cereal leaf beetles (CLB) across four sampling periods spanning the phenology of cereal crops. We quantified predation by piercing-sucking, chewing and unknown predators using sentinel egg cards within WFS and in four locations within cereal fields (at distances of 12 and 36 m from WFS and control margins), and measured natural CLB egg abundance on cereal plants by visual observation. We analyzed the influence of WFS, field margin proximity, and sampling period on CLB egg predation by different predator guilds, on CLB egg abundance, and the relationship between CLB abundance and predation rates. CLB predation was mainly attributed to unknown predators (i.e., missing eggs), followed by piercing-sucking predators. Predation rates were higher within wildflower strips compared to cereal fields, especially in late June, and tended to be lowest far from control field margins. CLB egg abundance peaked in May and was positively related to local predation rates. The positive association between egg abundance and predation suggests that resource concentration effects are important drivers of CLB control, especially in sites without wildflower strips. Our results underscore the importance of incorporating spatial and temporal dynamics of both pests and predators into habitat-based strategies for sustainable biological control, which can help to limit pesticide use.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7512,"journal":{"name":"Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment","volume":"400 ","pages":"Article 110233"},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2026-04-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145956700","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Natural habitats enhance pollination services in apple and sweet cherry orchards: Evidence from Southern Mediterranean agroecosystems","authors":"Camila B. García ,&nbsp;Keira Dymond ,&nbsp;Manuel López-Aliste ,&nbsp;Pablo Díaz-Siefer ,&nbsp;Francisco E. Fontúrbel ,&nbsp;Michael P.D. Garratt ,&nbsp;Juan L. Celis-Diez","doi":"10.1016/j.agee.2026.110220","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agee.2026.110220","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Wild pollinators play a critical role in crop production. However, the ongoing loss of natural habitats threatens pollination services and food security. We evaluated how the percentage of surrounding natural habitat and the distance from orchard edges influence wild floral visitors and pollination deficit in sweet cherry and apple orchards in Mediterranean Chile. Additionally, we examined the relationship between floral visitation and fruit production. We studied eighteen orchards of each crop and classified them into three categories according to the percentage of natural habitats within a 1 km radius: &lt; 35 %, 36–70 % and &gt; 70 %. Three pollination treatments (supplementary, open, and exclusion) were applied at the edge and into the orchard interior. We quantified floral visitor richness, floral visits, fruit set and fruit quality. Our results showed that sweet cherry orchards with less than 35 % surrounding natural habitat had significantly lower wild insect species richness and floral visits compared to orchards with &gt; 35 %. In both crops, species richness and wild floral visits declined with increasing distance from the orchard edge. Wild floral visitors enhanced fruit set in both crops, while honey bees contributed to sweet cherry fruit set and apple seed set. Although insect pollination improved fruit quality, we found no direct relationship between flower visitation and fruit quality. In apple orchards with &gt; 70 % natural habitat, fruit weight deficit was lower at the edge compared to both the interior and the edges of orchards with &lt; 35 % of natural habitat. We recommend conserving natural habitats around orchards to support wild pollinator diversity and visitation, thereby reducing pollination deficits.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7512,"journal":{"name":"Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment","volume":"400 ","pages":"Article 110220"},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2026-04-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146035274","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Long-term reclamation enhances soil organic carbon accumulation via mitigating salinity and alkalinity in coastal saline soils","authors":"Wei Zhu ,&nbsp;Shiguo Gu ,&nbsp;Xin Zhang ,&nbsp;Xuan Yu ,&nbsp;Shuanghuang Yu ,&nbsp;Xiangping Wang ,&nbsp;Rui Jiang ,&nbsp;Xiangtian Meng ,&nbsp;Rongjiang Yao","doi":"10.1016/j.agee.2025.110212","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agee.2025.110212","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Coastal saline soil reclamation is critical for global food security, with soil organic carbon (SOC) accumulation being central to rehabilitation. However, the characteristics of SOC under different saline-alkali levels corresponding to various reclamation ages with in-situ crop straw incorporation, and its key components, plant residue carbon (PRC) and microbial necromass carbon (MNC) remain unclear. Using a chronosequence of reclamation durations (0, 3, 5, and 8 years) in Dongtai reclamation area, China, we measured SOC, soil nutrients, enzyme activities, and microbial biomass. Reclamation progressively reduced soil electrical conductivity (EC), while pH declined more gradually. The accumulation of PRC and MNC lagged behind the reduction of EC and pH, following curvilinear patterns. By year 8, SOC in the 0–15 cm and 15–30 cm layers reached 6.30 g kg⁻¹ and 6.37 g kg⁻¹, representing 62 % and 120 % increases from the year 0, while PRC increased by approximately 500 % in both layers. Fungal necromass carbon (FNC) dominated MNC pool, with FNC/BNC (bacterial necromass carbon) ratios of 7.48 (0–15 cm) and 6.52 (15–30 cm) at year 8, respectively. EC and pH decreased, thus affect enzyme activities and soil nutrients, and SOC sequestration was ultimately promoted. Therefore, long-term reclamation (&gt; 8 years) enhances desalination and SOC storage, substantial SOC gains occur only once soils become non-salinized (EC_1:5 &lt; 1 dS m⁻¹, pH &lt; 8.5), underscoring EC and pH control as prerequisites for stable SOC sequestration.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7512,"journal":{"name":"Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment","volume":"400 ","pages":"Article 110212"},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2026-04-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145902259","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Impacts of carbon farming practices on biodiversity at the farm scale","authors":"Hanna Susi ,&nbsp;Paula Thitz ,&nbsp;Marleena Hagner ,&nbsp;Krista Raveala ,&nbsp;Johan Ekroos ,&nbsp;Anna-Liisa Laine","doi":"10.1016/j.agee.2026.110230","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agee.2026.110230","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Biodiversity loss from intensive agriculture poses a major threat to the long-term sustainability and resilience of food production systems. Sustainable land management practices, such as carbon farming, offer promising alternatives, but their biodiversity impacts and the most effective methods for detecting these impacts remain poorly understood. We surveyed 19 farms in boreal Finland to assess the effects of four carbon farming practices—cover crops, all-in mixes, adaptive grazing and ley mixtures—on plants, arthropods, nematodes and birds. We evaluated biodiversity responses using four alpha diversity metrics (abundance, species richness, Shannon’s diversity and Pielou’s evenness) and two beta diversity metrics (Bray–Curtis and Chi-square dissimilarity). Biodiversity responses were strongly context-dependent, varying by farming practice, taxonomic group and diversity metric. Abundance emerged as the most sensitive alpha metric across taxa, often detecting changes not reflected in community composition metrics. These findings suggest that abundance may serve as a useful early indicator of ecological change in managed landscapes. Adaptive grazing increased herbivorous arthropod abundance in contrast to control treatment, whereas ley mixture and adaptive grazing supported higher nematode abundances than cover crops and all-in mixes. All diversity metrics except species richness detected changes in at least one species group, practice or field status, but abundance consistently captured the broadest responses. Carbon farming practices can support biodiversity when tailored to species group and context. Monitoring approaches that incorporate multiple metrics—and prioritize abundance as a sensitive and early indicator—can improve the detection of ecological responses to sustainable farming interventions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7512,"journal":{"name":"Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment","volume":"400 ","pages":"Article 110230"},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2026-04-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145995455","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Multi-year drought has persistent forage quality and quantity effects that can be intensified by heavy grazing in semiarid rangelands","authors":"Lauren M. Porensky ,&nbsp;Sally E. Koerner ,&nbsp;Amanda R. Williams ,&nbsp;Megan L. Van Emon ,&nbsp;Kevin R. Wilcox ,&nbsp;Kimberly J. Komatsu ,&nbsp;John D. Dietrich ,&nbsp;Kurt O. Reinhart","doi":"10.1016/j.agee.2026.110231","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agee.2026.110231","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Growing season droughts have major impacts on grassland vegetation and are predicted to become increasingly frequent in semiarid rangelands, but little is known about how droughts and post-drought legacies interact with grazing management to affect forage quality and quantity. In two semiarid prairie rangelands, we assessed the separate and combined effects of experimental rainfall reductions and grazing management strategies on ruminant forage quality and quantity over five years. We measured forage fiber content, organic matter digestibility, relative feed value, forage quantity, and the quantity of digestible forage. During a 2-year experimental rainfall reduction period, rainfall reductions decreased both forage quality and quantity at one site. At the second site, reductions were only apparent in heavily grazed plots. In the first year after experimental rainfall reduction treatments ended, plots that formerly received large rainfall reductions displayed strong legacy effects, with 26–57 % less digestible forage biomass but greater forage quality than controls. Increases in forage quality with former rainfall reduction treatments were strongest in plots that had received heavier grazing during the experimental drought period. Experimental treatments did not induce long-term changes in forage quantity, but rainfall reductions caused forage quality reductions that persisted up to three years after droughts ended. In contrast, grazing treatments did not have long-term effects on forage quality. Our results highlight that forage production capacity in North American grasslands is resilient to both drought stress and grazing disturbance, but these drivers can have additive and long-term effects on forage nutritive value. Heavy grazing during drought may strengthen both negative (during drought) and positive (post-drought) effects of drought on ungulate nutrition.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7512,"journal":{"name":"Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment","volume":"400 ","pages":"Article 110231"},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2026-04-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146033244","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Managed fly pollinators ensure berry crop yields under variable weather conditions","authors":"Abby E. Davis ,&nbsp;Raylea Rowbottom ,&nbsp;Lena A. Schmidt ,&nbsp;Jelena Preradovic ,&nbsp;Karen C.B.S. Santos ,&nbsp;Blake M. Dawson ,&nbsp;Mavi Manrique ,&nbsp;Derek Wright ,&nbsp;Bar Shermeister ,&nbsp;Brad Hocking ,&nbsp;Joao Branco ,&nbsp;Maurizio Rocchetti ,&nbsp;Cameron Spurr ,&nbsp;Romina Rader","doi":"10.1016/j.agee.2026.110254","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.agee.2026.110254","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Insect pollination is essential for global fruit and vegetable production, yet rising climate variability and widespread declines in bee populations threaten the reliability of this service. Flies (Diptera), despite their abundance and tolerance to different environmental conditions, remain largely overlooked as managed pollinators in agriculture. Here, we present field-based evidence from commercial farms in Australia showing that certain fly species can deliver effective and climate-resilient pollination services to high-value berry cropping systems. In replicated cage trials, European hover flies (<em>Eristalis tenax</em>) produced fruit comparable in weight and marketability to those pollinated by European honey bees (<em>Apis mellifera</em>) and Australian native stingless bees (<em>Tetragonula carbonaria</em>), whereas brown blow flies (<em>Calliphora stygia</em>) showed more variable performance. When scaled to full-sized commercial polytunnels, hover flies consistently produced market-quality blackberry fruit, matching open (mainly bee) pollination in spring and outperforming open pollination under the cooler, more variable conditions of winter. Hover fly-pollinated fruit equaled or exceeded the quality of hand-pollinated flowers and consistently outperformed self-pollinated controls. Across spring and winter floral visitation field surveys, hover flies maintained higher flower visitation than honey bees across cooler temperatures, broader humidity ranges, and early tomidday time periods, indicating greater climatic tolerance under field conditions. Together, these findings demonstrate that the hover fly, <em>E. tenax,</em> can provide scalable, climate-resilient pollination services and highlight the value of integrating flies into diversified pollination strategies to support resilient crop production under a changing climate.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7512,"journal":{"name":"Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment","volume":"400 ","pages":"Article 110254"},"PeriodicalIF":6.4,"publicationDate":"2026-04-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146033221","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}