The effects of environmental context on biodiversity in agro-ecosystems: managing for biodiversity and ecosystem services.

Transcription

1 Prof. Mark Emmerson The effects of environmental context on biodiversity in agro-ecosystems: managing for biodiversity and ecosystem services. WP1. Impacts of Energy Crops on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Functioning

2 Sectoral Impacts on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services WP1. Impacts of Energy Crops on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Functioning WP1 Project Team Dara Stanley Pollinators Jesko Zimmerman Carbon sequestration Erin O Rourke Biocontrol Lisa Dolan WP1 & 2 Research Assistant Florence Hecq WP1 Research Assistant Jens Dauber Project Manager Mark Emmerson Biocontrol QUB Jane Stout Pollination TCD Padraig Whelan Invasions UCC Rosalyn Thompson Invasion resistance David Bourke Project Manager ~20 Graduate and Undergraduate Research Assistants Mike Jones Carbon sequestration TCD

3 WP1. Impacts of Energy Crops on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Functioning Food? Fuel?

4 WP1. Impacts of Energy Crops on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Functioning Conventional crops Novel Bioenergy Crop

5 WP1. Impacts of Energy Crops on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Functioning Novel Bioenergy Crop Miscanthus x giganteus Novel Bioenergy Crop High dry weight annual yield (25t/h). Rhizomatous perennial grass with a C 4 photosynthesis pathway. Originates in Asia. Adapted to temperate climates. Introduction subsidised in Ireland.

6 The role of Energy Crops in landscapes. Source or refuge for Biodiversity Sink for Biodiversity

7 The experimental design and sampling effort for studying the Valuation of Ecosystem Services natural enemy biodiversity of bioenergy crops. Pollinators 535 Million UK Economy Natural Enemies 3.6 Billion US Economy Arable Plants?Unknown? Carbon Seq. 847 Million UK Economy NEA (2011), Power (2010)

8 WP1. Impacts of Energy Crops on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Functioning 1. Quantify the effects of novel energy crops on the biodiversity of agricultural ecosystems (O Rourke et al., Stanley et al., Emmerson et al.) 2. Define the relationship between biodiversity and the delivery of ecosystem services in agricultural systems (Emmerson et al.) 3. Assess impacts of high and low intensity energy crop farming on diversity. (O Rourke et al.) 4. Document landscape scale effects of intensification on biodiversity in energy crops. (Bourke et al.)

9 The experimental design and sampling effort for studying the Experimental Design natural enemy biodiversity of bioenergy crops. CROP TYPE Carbon Sequestration MT MG OSR CT CG EDGE MARGIN CENTRE pollinators Arable Plants Natural Enemies

10 Study Area Conventional Grass Miscanthus on Tillage Miscanthus on Grass Winter Oilseed Rape Conventional Tillage Counties: Wexford Kilkenny Carlow Waterford Tipperary Cork

11 Pollination services How do energy crops affect the Biodiversity of pollinators? c Dara Stanley TCD Species Richness b a,b b b,c MG CG MT CT OSR Crop Type

12 Pollination services How do energy crops affect the Biodiversity of pollinators? Dara Stanley TCD Pollination Potential MT MG OSR CT CG log 10 (Species Richness)

13 Biocontrol services Erin O Rourke UCC How do energy crops affect the Biodiversity of natural enemies? Species Richness a a a a,b b MG CG MT CT OSR Crop Type

14 Biocontrol services Erin O Rourke UCC How do energy crops affect the Biodiversity of natural enemies? Consumption (M 0.75 ) MT MG OSR CT CG log 10 (Species Richness)

15 Production services Rosalyn Thompson UCC How do energy crops affect the Biodiversity of arable plants? Species Richness b b b a b MG CG MT CT OSR Crop Type

16 Production services Rosalyn Thompson UCC How do energy crops affect the Biodiversity of arable plants? log10(percent Cover) MT MG OS CT CG Log log (Species Richness)

17 Information to inform policy 1. Different energy crops affect components of biodiversity differently. 2. We can account for these context dependencies. 3. Manage for directly for biodiversity and you manage for the delivery of associated ecosystem services indirectly. 4. Information to inform composition of bioenergy crops that maximise biodiversity. 5. Diversity of crop types at the landscape scale has positive effects on landscape diversity.

18 Acknowledgements All PhD students and Post Doctoral Researchers working on SIMBIOSYS. Many Farmers that enabled the work. Funders: EPA