{"title":"Climate change reduces pollination services and sunflower yields across Europe and Northern Africa","authors":"Stella Gachoki , Clémence Riva , Danilo Bevk , Yamina Haider , Noureddine Adjlane , Ioannis Manthos , Bojan Stipešević , Zlatko Puškadija , Marin Kovačić , Leonidas Charistos , Fani Hatjina , Fabrice Requier","doi":"10.1016/j.baae.2026.05.005","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.baae.2026.05.005","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Sunflower (<em>Helianthus annuus</em>) productivity is highly dependent on pollinators, yet the effects of climate on pollination services and crop yield remain poorly understood. In this study, we investigate how temperature gradients influence flower-visiting communities, pollination services, and sunflower productivity across Europe and Northern Africa. We conducted standardized two-year (2022 and 2023) pollination exclusion experiments across 36 sunflower fields spanning a broad climatic gradient, from temperate regions in Slovenia to arid conditions in Algeria. We found that sunflower production (seed set, seed number, and oil content) relied heavily on insect pollination. However, this benefit declined with rising temperatures, likely due to the observed decreases in wild pollinator diversity at high temperatures. Integrating these results with climate change projections suggests that southern Europe and northern Africa may soon face severe losses of pollination-mediated sunflower yield. Climate-driven reductions in pollination services pose a major risk to sunflower production in warm regions. These findings highlight the urgent need for pollinator conservation measures and the promotion of climate-resilient agricultural strategies to safeguard pollination services and ensure sustainable sunflower production under a warming climate.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8708,"journal":{"name":"Basic and Applied Ecology","volume":"93 ","pages":"Pages 85-94"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148185071","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The hidden multitrophic diversity of specialized grass-shoot insects – neglected by grassland management","authors":"Teja Tscharntke , Péter Batáry , Stefan Vidal","doi":"10.1016/j.baae.2026.01.004","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.baae.2026.01.004","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Current biodiversity research often focuses on large-scale biodiversity patterns, thereby neglecting specialized endophytic species hidden inside plant tissue, which are negatively affected by traditional grassland management. Here, we analyzed grass shoot-inhabiting herbivore-parasitoid communities of ten perennial and five annual grass species that are abundant in Germany. We dissected grass shoots and reared all insects to characterize these plant-herbivore-parasitoid food webs, which depend on the overwintering of intact grass shoots developing in unmown habitats.</div><div>Our results support the hypothesis that both mean shoot length of each grass species and the annual-perennial dichotomy explain differences in species richness. Annual grasses were not attacked at all, while the shoot length of perennial grass species showed a positive linear relationship with herbivore species richness, explaining 96 % of the variance. Shoot length was also closely related to the species richness of the total number of herbivore and parasitoid species (R²= 0.93). On average, 11.5 herbivore and 29.9 parasitoid species were found per perennial grass species. 31 % of the insects were monophagous, i.e. restricted to only one host grass species, and 32 % oligophagous, i.e. restricted to grasses (Poaceae). The increase in species richness with grass shoot length is in line with the hypothesis that higher resource heterogeneity, apparency and productivity of the host plant species enhance the diversity of consumers and their associated enemies. In bipartite network analyses, the interestingly high number of herbivore-parasitoid compartments increased with shoot length, likely due to the coevolution of these highly specialized tritrophic communities and adaptive radiation among grass species. The annual-perennial dichotomy was not related to differences in biomass, plant chemistry, architecture or habitat age.</div><div>In grassland management, the endophagous insect community has been largely ignored, despite the, on average, high richness per grass species (41.4 insect species) with 63 % being grass specialists. The need for unmown long-term refuges, protecting intact grass shoots for persistent insect populations, is often overlooked. Future grassland management should pay more attention to these neglected communities of specialized grass-shoot insects.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8708,"journal":{"name":"Basic and Applied Ecology","volume":"91 ","pages":"Pages 49-60"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146184982","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
C.H.A. van Leeuwen , H.G. van der Geest , J. Bom , J.J. de Leeuw , L.F.J. Tack , G.H. van Beilen , J.A. Vonk
{"title":"Recoupling terrestrial, benthic and pelagic habitats by constructing littoral zones diversifies carbon flows to aquatic macroinvertebrates","authors":"C.H.A. van Leeuwen , H.G. van der Geest , J. Bom , J.J. de Leeuw , L.F.J. Tack , G.H. van Beilen , J.A. Vonk","doi":"10.1016/j.baae.2026.01.003","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.baae.2026.01.003","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Shoreline restoration measures are increasingly implemented to stimulate biodiversity recovery in degraded lake ecosystems. However, the underlying mechanisms of observed recovery processes often remain disclosed. Here, we mechanistically studied how the creation of littoral shorelines in a degraded pelagic-driven lake affected fluxes of organic material across shoreline gradients, which are known to be essential for the functioning of aquatic food webs. We assessed how new connections among habitat types (dry shorelines, littoral zones and the limnetic water column) affected carbon fluxes in the food web of the 70.000 ha large shallow turbid lake Markermeer (the Netherlands), to which 16% of soft sediment littoral shoreline was added by constructing 1300 ha of wetland islands in 2016. Development of islands and littoral habitats with water less than 1.5 m deep improved underwater light conditions compared to the surrounding turbid limnetic habitats of ∼4 m deep, and therefore stimulated benthic primary producers. Field monitoring and stable isotope analyses revealed increases of benthic primary production and of organic material fluxes from the shoreline into the pelagic zone, which both stimulated the macroinvertebrate diversity. During the early phase of the restoration project (<8 years) benthic primary production transferred best to higher trophic levels compared to carbon-rich terrestrial material, likely due to the relatively higher quality of benthic food for macroinvertebrates. We conclude that the creation of sheltered shallow habitats in limnetic-dominated lakes can diversify carbon fluxes among habitats which stimulates the base of the aquatic food web. This makes lake restoration via re-coupling of terrestrial, pelagic and benthic habitats an effective forward-looking restoration measure for degraded monotonous lake ecosystems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8708,"journal":{"name":"Basic and Applied Ecology","volume":"91 ","pages":"Pages 17-25"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146036141","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Miguel Cruz Palma , Antoine Guisan , Shawan Chowdhury , Flavien Collart , Federico Riva
{"title":"The relationship between plant and butterfly biodiversity is altered by compound effects of human activities at landscape and regional scales","authors":"Miguel Cruz Palma , Antoine Guisan , Shawan Chowdhury , Flavien Collart , Federico Riva","doi":"10.1016/j.baae.2026.02.002","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.baae.2026.02.002","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Understanding how human activities influence biodiversity is a pressing challenge. Here, we ask whether obligate biotic interactions between plants and butterflies respond to patterns in anthropogenic disturbance at landscape and regional scales. Here, we used hierarchical models to understand how the relationships between alpha and beta taxonomic diversities of butterflies and plants change across landscapes and regions exposed to a gradient of anthropogenic influence.</div><div>Analyzing 1682 sampling sites in which butterfly and plant species were both inventoried, from 45 studies identified through a literature review, we found that ecological communities sampled in highly disturbed areas displayed a lower number of butterfly species per plant species, and more homogenized butterfly communities. These responses were exacerbated when human activities affected both the landscape and the region hosting the plant and butterfly communities assessed.</div><div>Our results suggest that human activities can differentially affect butterflies and plants, two co-evolved groups, thus altering long-term eco-evolutionary dynamics. They also hint at how the negative effects of human activities on biodiversity compound between landscape and regional scales, illustrating the importance of multi-scale analyses and approaches for understanding and protecting biodiversity globally.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8708,"journal":{"name":"Basic and Applied Ecology","volume":"91 ","pages":"Pages 89-96"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147398328","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Karen C.B.S. Santos, Blake M. Dawson, Lachlan C. Jones, Erandi Wijesinghe, Lucie Martin, Romina Rader
{"title":"Not all pollinisers are equal: donor identity shapes fruit set, weight, and seed quality in apples","authors":"Karen C.B.S. Santos, Blake M. Dawson, Lachlan C. Jones, Erandi Wijesinghe, Lucie Martin, Romina Rader","doi":"10.1016/j.baae.2025.12.015","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.baae.2025.12.015","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Animal-mediated pollination in cross-compatible crops depends not only on pollinator activity but also on the compatibility and performance of pollen donors. Such intraspecific interactions can influence reproductive success through xenia effects, yet empirical evidence from field studies remains limited. We tested how pollen donor identity affects fruit set, fruit weight, and seed quality in two major apple cultivars (<em>Malus domestica</em> Borkh<em>.</em>), Pink Lady and Royal Gala, using controlled hand-pollination experiments in commercial orchards in Stanthorpe, Australia. Each cultivar was pollinated with multiple donor cultivars alongside self-pollination, spontaneous selfing, emasculation, and open pollination controls. Donor identity significantly affected all reproductive outcomes. In Pink Lady, Kanzi pollen produced the highest fruit set, heaviest fruit, and greatest proportion of well-formed seeds, while in Royal Gala, Red Delicious, Pink Lady and Granny Smith donors performed best. Patterns of reproductive success generally aligned with S-allele compatibility. Pollinisers that did not share S-alleles with the recipient (e.g., Kanzi for Pink Lady, Red Delicious or Granny Smith for Royal Gala) yielded higher fruit set and/or fruit weight, whereas some partially compatible pairs produced smaller fruit or lower seed quality. Notably, high proportion of fruit set or high seed set did not always translate into larger fruit, indicating a decoupling of fertilisation and fruit growth responses. These findings demonstrate that not all compatible (or partially compatible) cultivars are equally effective pollinisers, and selecting high-performing pollen donors and ensuring flowering synchrony can enhance productivity and fruit quality in apple orchards. Pollen donor identity may be an overlooked driver of yield and quality in apple production, with implications for the ecological understanding of conspecific pollen transfer and the applied optimisation of cultivar combinations in orchards. Policies and extension services should support growers in revisiting polliniser choices based on field performance rather than relying solely on historical compatibility charts.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8708,"journal":{"name":"Basic and Applied Ecology","volume":"91 ","pages":"Pages 10-16"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146036142","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Little differences of uncut refuge rotation frequency on arthropod communities in extensively managed meadows","authors":"Matteo Negroni , Astrance Fenestraz , Raphaël Arlettaz , Jean-Yves Humbert","doi":"10.1016/j.baae.2026.01.001","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.baae.2026.01.001","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Using modern mowing machines in extensively managed meadows has a dramatic impact on arthropod communities, threatening the biodiversity of one of Europe's richest ecosystems. More wildlife-friendly mowing practices must be adopted in order to mitigate this negative impact. Leaving an uncut grass refuge on 10−20 % of the area of a meadow has been evidenced to benefit arthropods. However, adopting the right spatio-temporal rotation frequency of such refuges would be key. We experimentally compared the abundance and diversity of arthropods in refuges that were rotated after each cut, usually twice per year (within-year rotational refuges, WYRR), versus refuges that changed from one year to the other (between-years rotational refuges, BYRR). We focused on a broad spectrum of indicator taxa: Aranea, Coleoptera, Neuroptera, Heteroptera, Vespidae, Apoidea, Syrphidae, Orthoptera, Auchenorryncha, caterpillars and butterflies. Rotating the refuge location twice a year (WYRR) increased overall arthropod abundance by 13 % compared to refuges rotated once a year (BYRR), while species diversity did not differ between the two regimes. Yet, the refuge rotation frequency affected the different arthropod groups in varying ways. Aranea and Apoidea abundances were 33 % and twice higher, respectively, in WYRR, while Auchenorrhyncha and caterpillar abundances were up to fourfold and threefold higher, respectively, in BYRR. Species richness of flowering plants and forb cover were higher in WYRR than in BYRR. We therefore recommend rotating uncut grass refuges after each cut. However, as findings also revealed some antagonistic effects, we suggest, where possible, alternating between the two regimes at meadow or landscape scales to optimise benefits for the whole arthropod community in the long term.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8708,"journal":{"name":"Basic and Applied Ecology","volume":"91 ","pages":"Pages 97-107"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147398327","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Integrating species distribution models (SDM) in spatially explicit GIS-tools to support nature-sensitive urban planning","authors":"Malte Bührs, Andreas Rienow, Harald Zepp","doi":"10.1016/j.baae.2026.01.005","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.baae.2026.01.005","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Urban areas are expanding globally, presenting challenges and opportunities for biodiversity conservation and ecosystem services. To inform biodiversity-sensitive urban planning, predictive and spatially explicit tools that integrate ecological modelling into operational workflows are needed. We present a framework that couples ensemble species distribution models (ESDMs) with a QGIS-based decision-support tool to evaluate urban habitat suitability for conservation-relevant bird species. We designed this approach in the Ruhr Metropolis in western Germany, a polycentric urban region characterized by high population density and diverse land use. ESDMs were developed for 26 bird species across five ecological guilds (Farmland, Openland, Synanthropic, Water, Woodland) using presence-only citizen science data and high-resolution environmental predictors. Models were constructed using biomod2, with pseudoabsences, spatial thinning, and block cross-validation to account for sampling bias and spatial autocorrelation. Logistic regression models for these five guilds were implemented in the open-source QGIS-based toolbox EnhancES for assessing ecosystem services to allow real-time spatial evaluation of habitat suitability.</div><div>Model performance was TSS ≥ 0.58 and ROC ≥ 0.78 across all species guilds; suitability predictions aligned well with ecological expectations. Applying the tool to the city of Bochum with the example of the Green Belt E demonstrated its ability to identify multifunctional biodiversity hotspots and conservation priorities.</div><div>This study demonstrates how ecological modelling outputs can support integrative biodiversity assessments and be translated into practical spatial planning tools. By embedding the results of predictive models into accessible GIS frameworks such as EnhancES, we enable urban planners to evaluate ecosystem services and habitat functions, fostering data-driven decisions in spatial planning. Predictive habitat suitability outputs as part of an ecosystem service assessment scheme inform spatial prioritization, guide urban green infrastructure design, and evaluate planning scenarios. By linking ecological modelling with decision-relevant GIS-tools, this framework bridges the science-practice gap and facilitates data-driven planning for resilient, multifunctional urban landscapes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8708,"journal":{"name":"Basic and Applied Ecology","volume":"91 ","pages":"Pages 61-73"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146184983","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Justus Aisu , Jessica Kraaz , Helge Bruelheide , Lucie Moeller , Vincent Offenderlein , Peter Dietrich
{"title":"Plant cover rather than species richness drives nematode community structure and function on extensive and semi-intensive roof greening","authors":"Justus Aisu , Jessica Kraaz , Helge Bruelheide , Lucie Moeller , Vincent Offenderlein , Peter Dietrich","doi":"10.1016/j.baae.2026.01.007","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.baae.2026.01.007","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Green roofs are important urban habitats, yet the effects of rooftop vegetation management on belowground communities, particularly nematodes, are largely unknown. In this study, we investigated how nematode community structure, abundance, and functional composition are shaped across four types of green rooftops with different management systems; extensive greening with or without irrigation, semi-intensive greening with either native or neophyte plant species. We also tested the effects of weeding as a common disturbance practice. Management type strongly shaped nematode communities. Extensive roofs supported predator-omnivore rich assemblages, while intensive roofs supported bacterivore-rich communities. Total abundance and α-diversity increased with management intensity. Functional indices indicated a higher maturity and structural indices in extensive roofs compared to intensive roofs. Weeding reduced overall nematode abundance but did not significantly alter their community composition. Plant cover and soil carbon-to-nitrogen (C/N) ratios emerged as good predictors of nematode abundance. High plant cover supported high total nematode densities, while high C:N ratios suppressed abundance. Overall, our results indicate that green roof management types are associated with consistent differences in nematode community structure and functional indices, reflecting contrasting belowground ecological conditions across roof types.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8708,"journal":{"name":"Basic and Applied Ecology","volume":"91 ","pages":"Pages 74-84"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146184984","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Vera Soares , Maria João Canadas , Paulo Flores Ribeiro , Natasha Ribeiro , José Lima Santos
{"title":"Bird species richness peaks at intermediate levels of farmland in wooded savannas and dry forests, but not in rainforests","authors":"Vera Soares , Maria João Canadas , Paulo Flores Ribeiro , Natasha Ribeiro , José Lima Santos","doi":"10.1016/j.baae.2025.12.013","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.baae.2025.12.013","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Despite widespread concern over farmland-driven biodiversity loss in tropical landscapes, the possibly non-linear response of species richness to farmland and the possible dependency of this response on biome remain poorly understood. Drawing on nationwide data about the occurrence of terrestrial bird species at the landscape level in Mozambique, we analysed the effects of farmland extent on species richness, globally threatened, large-range and open-habitat species. In the analysis of species richness, we allowed for non-linear effects and difference in patterns between the rainforest and the wooded savanna–dry forest biomes. According to the intermediate disturbance hypothesis, we found that species diversity peaks at an intermediate level of farmland in wooded savannas and dry forests. However, it monotonically declines with farmland in rainforests, ironically the biome used by Connell to illustrate this hypothesis. This difference across biomes reflects higher resilience of the biota of drier biomes to farmland expansion, possibly related to the role of fire and herbivory in their regulation. Our results confirm that trends in species richness do hide the decline of threatened species and the increase in widespread generalists with farmland extent, contributing to biotic homogenization. Richness alone is thus a poor early-warning indicator of biodiversity loss particularly in wooded savannas and dry forests where species richness initially rises with farmland. Our results emphasize that effective conservation in tropical landscapes requires biome-specific solutions and better indicators of biodiversity loss to guide policies aimed at protecting species richness in rainforests and avoiding biotic homogenization in wooded savannas and dry forests.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8708,"journal":{"name":"Basic and Applied Ecology","volume":"91 ","pages":"Pages 36-48"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146074468","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}