Time will tell: resource continuity bolsters ecosystem services

Abstract

A common suggestion to support ecosystem services to agriculture provided by mobile organisms is to increase the amount of natural and seminatural habitat in the landscape. This might, however, be inefficient, and demands for agricultural products limit the feasibility of converting arable land into natural habitat. To develop more targeted means to promote ecosystem services, we need a solid understanding of the limitations to population growth for service-providing organisms. We propose a research agenda that identifies resource bottlenecks and interruptions over time to key beneficial organisms, emphasising their resulting population dynamics. Targeted measures that secure the continuity of resources throughout the life cycle of service-providing organisms are likely to effectively increase the stock, flow, and stability of ecosystem services.

Keywords

resource chain; pest control; pollination; population dynamics

Published in

Trends in ecology & evolution
2015, volume: 30, number: 9, pages: 524-530
Publisher: ELSEVIER SCIENCE LONDON

SLU Authors

• Shellhorn, Nancy

  • Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO)

• Gagic, Vesna

  • Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    
  • Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO)

• Bommarco, Riccardo

  • Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

Associated SLU-program

SLU Plant Protection Network

UKÄ Subject classification

Ecology

Publication identifier

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2015.06.007

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/69934