In: Oecologia, 2019, vol. 189, no. 1, p. 185–197
Studies on biodiversity–ecosystem functioning (BEF) in highly controlled experiments often yield results incompatible with observations from natural systems: experimental results often reveal positive relationships between diversity and productivity, while for natural systems, zero or even negative relationships have been reported. The discrepancy may arise due to a limited or closed local...
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In: Oikos, 2017, vol. 126, no. 6, p. 782–791
How species diversity influences ecosystem functioning has been the subject of many experiments and remains a key question for ecology and conservation biology. However, the fact that diversity cannot be manipulated without affecting species composition makes this quest methodologically challenging. Here, we evaluate the relative importance of diversity and of composition on biomass...
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In: Écoscience, 2014, vol. 21, no. 1, p. 79–95
We studied ballooning spiders captured weekly over an 11-y period using a 12.2-m- high suction trap in an agricultural landscape of western Switzerland. We analyzed population trends, changes in phenology, and species composition. Yearly trends in population size of the most abundant species were studied with nonparametric correlations. We found that these trends were markedly different for...
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In: Journal of Animal Ecology, 2013, vol. 82, no. 6, p. 1203–1214
Understanding the environmental factors that structure biodiversity and food webs among communities is central to assess and mitigate the impact of landscape changes. Wildflower strips are ecological compensation areas established in farmland to increase pollination services and biological control of crop pests and to conserve insect diversity. They are arranged in networks in order to favour...
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In: Ecology and Evolution, 2012, vol. 2, no. 10, p. 2460-2473
Wildflower strips are used to increase natural enemies of crop pests and to conserve insect diversity on farmland. Mollusks, especially slugs, can affect the vegetation development in these strips considerably. Although recent theoretical work suggests that more diverse plant communities will exhibit greater resistance against herbivore pressure, empirical studies are scarce. We conducted a...
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In: Biological Conservation, 2010, vol. 143, no. 6, p. 1521-1528
In annual crops, where disturbance intensities are generally high, numerous investigations demonstrated beneficial effects of organic and other extensive farming practices on biodiversity. It is however unclear if organic farming has the same beneficial effect in perennial crops (e.g. vineyards) because of a generally reduced background disturbance level. Moreover, the impact of farming practices...
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