Intensification of agriculture has led, among other negative consequences, also to drying out of wetlands. Nevertheless, some of the wetland biotopes were preserved as small spots. This paper discusses the importance of those areas serving as refugia for small terrestrial mammals. Because small terrestrial mammals in the middle of food webs, they serve as an indicator for the presence of food sources (plants and invertebrates) and suggest the potential of the area as a living space for predators. The experiment took place at lowland agricultural landscape with wetland patches in west and west-east Slovakia (Záhorská and Podunajská nížina lowlands) using catch-mark-release method from 2015 to 2017. The importance was assessed according to abundance, biodiversity, persistence of species during seasons and habitat preference of small terrestrial mammals and equitability of the biotopes. Overall 368 individuals belonging to 12 species were recorded. The lowest abundance and diversity were registered at field biotopes where Apodemus sylvaticus was the most abundant. Microtus arvalis, Clethrionomys glareolus and Sorex araneus dominate at wetland biotopes. The higher biodiversity and abundance of small mammals were recorded at the wetland refugia. The results, together with position of small mammals in food webs, lead to conclusion that the wetland refugia are important habitats for the overall preservation of biodiversity and maintaining them is a part of the strategy for sustainable agriculture.

The extensive construction of drainage systems in the lowlands and flood plains of Slovakia has significantly changed the landscape and runoff ratios of rivers. Our study focuses on the assessment of the benefits provided by the ecosystems of water ditches and their catchment areas. Ditches and their buffer zone, similarly to other artificial anthropogenic elements in the country, fulfil various landscape-ecological functions and provide different ecosystem services (ESs) to human populations and society. As study areas, we chose ditches and their 1km buffer zones in the Podunajská nížina (P) lowland and Východoslovenská nížina (V) lowland (Slovakia). There are notable differences between these two selected lowlands. Hence, there are also differences in their potential to provide various ESs. Based on a re-evaluation of the present state of the ditches, we evaluated nine ESs related to three main groups of ESs, using the Common International Classification of Ecosystem Services (CICES). We assessed the ESs and benefits provided by ditches and their buffer zone in two ways: (1) ES assessment by experts and (2) biophysical assessment of ESs and their benefits based on an integrated assessment framework (relations between pressures, ecological status, and delivery of ESs). Finally, we compared the potentials for provisioning of the study areas. The study area in the V lowland has the highest potential to provide "Lifecycle maintenance, habitat and gene pool protection" benefits, and the study area in the P lowland has the highest potential to provide "Surface water for nondrinking purposes."

Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License With climate changes, soil-pollution and degradation, organic farming is communicated much more often. That is why more research about impact of organic farming has been appearing and developing. Aim of our research was to detect if there is any impact of organic farming on small terrestrial mammals such as has been found in other soil, plant and fauna. Nine localities, at which organic agriculture was practised, were studied and two localities were used as control samples. The research sites were located in the west of Slovakia and in Eastern Iberian Peninsula. They represent a typical Continental and Mediterranean areas. Forty-six individuals of seven species (Apodemus sylvaticus, Mus musculus, Mus spicilegus, Mus spretus, Rattus sp., Crocidura russula, Crocidura suaveolens) were recorded. The highest abundance was recorded at hedgerows in biodynamic vineyards and the most species at an ecotone of biodynamic vineyard and forest. At cultivated sites, we documented the highest number of species at biodynamic vineyard and biologically managed vineyard. The observed species show affiliation to different types of habitat which indicates the need of landscape heterogeneity to maintain diversity. The results signify the obligation to pay more attention to different types of organic farming, identify particular benefits and embrace the most suitable of them.