Functional traits in agriculture: agrobiodiversity and ecosystem services

Wood, Stephen A.; Karp, Daniel S.; DeClerck, Fabrice; Kremen, Claire; Naeem, Shahid; Palm, Cheryl

doi:10.1016/j.tree.2015.06.013

Cited by 300 publications

(253 citation statements)

References 83 publications

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“…Moreover, although the trait‐based approach has been validated at local scales (Lavorel et al., 2013), certain drivers of change (such as climate change) operate at much broader scales. Thus, the trait‐based approach should also be applied beyond the local scale (Wood et al., 2015). …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Trait‐based approaches to analyze links between the drivers of change and ecosystem services: Synthesizing existing evidence and future challenges

Hevia

Martín‐López

Palomo

et al. 2017

Ecology and Evolution

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Understanding the responses of biodiversity to drivers of change and the effects of biodiversity on ecosystem properties and ecosystem services is a key challenge in the context of global environmental change. We performed a systematic review and meta‐analysis of the scientific literature linking direct drivers of change and ecosystem services via functional traits of three taxonomic groups (vegetation, invertebrates, and vertebrates) to: (1) uncover trends and research biases in this field; and (2) synthesize existing empirical evidence. Our results show the existence of important biases in published studies related to ecosystem types, taxonomic groups, direct drivers of change, ecosystem services, geographical range, and the spatial scale of analysis. We found multiple evidence of links between drivers and services mediated by functional traits, particularly between land‐use changes and regulating services in vegetation and invertebrates. Seventy‐five functional traits were recorded in our sample. However, few of these functional traits were repeatedly found to be associated with both the species responses to direct drivers of change (response traits) and the species effects on the provision of ecosystem services (effect traits). Our results highlight the existence of potential “key functional traits,” understood as those that have the capacity to influence the provision of multiple ecosystem services, while responding to specific drivers of change, across a variety of systems and organisms. Identifying “key functional traits” would help to develop robust indicator systems to monitor changes in biodiversity and their effects on ecosystem functioning and ecosystem services supply.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Trait‐based approaches to analyze links between the drivers of change and ecosystem services: Synthesizing existing evidence and future challenges

Hevia

Martín‐López

Palomo

et al. 2017

Ecology and Evolution

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“…The conservation of agricultural biodiversity encompasses multiple dimensions: ecosystem services [50], sustainable production, food security, product diversification, reduced dependence on external inputs and improvement of livelihoods for small farmers [51][52][53]. In the case of the Andean region, the biodiversity is also the basis of food sovereignty because there are human communities that maintain and support the agrobiodiversity as part of their social and natural heritage [54,55].…”

Section: Productionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quinoa Expansion in Peru and Its Implications for Land Use Management

et al. 2018

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Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) has gained prominence worldwide over recent years and suddenly Peru has emerged as a major player in the global quinoa market. This study aims to analyze the expansion of quinoa farming in Peru in the period 1995-2014 and to discuss the changes in land-use the country has experienced as a result of the boom in the global demand for quinoa. Two statistical approaches, principal component analysis (PCA) and exponential smoothing, were applied in the data analysis to explore the evolution of the quinoa boom in Peru by periods and to forecast what the acreage expansion rate would have been if the boom had not occurred. The results show that the quinoa boom was responsible for an increase of 43% in the number of hectares planted with quinoa in 2014, in relation to the number predicted if there had been no boom. This provoked an acceleration of production in traditional quinoa farming areas and the extension of this activity to new regions. The consequences are already apparent in the land-use changes seen in Peru, namely the: (i) displacement; (ii) rebound; and (iii) cascade effects.

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“…In southern Ethiopia, the rise in new cash crops and cereals causes a shift from multi-species homegarden systems towards systems with fewer crops (Abeba et al 2010). These examples illustrate a trend towards systems with lower agro-biodiversity that are less able to exploit the complementarity in species' resource use and susceptibility to pests and diseases (Wood et al 2015), thus increasing the vulnerability to change and shocks (Thornton and Herrero 2015).…”

Section: Vulnerability Related To Crop Productionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Climate change adaptation and mitigation in smallholder crop–livestock systems in sub-Saharan Africa: a call for integrated impact assessments

et al. 2016

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African mixed crop-livestock systems are vulnerable to climate change and need to adapt in order to improve productivity and sustain people's livelihoods. These smallholder systems are characterized by high greenhouse gas emission rates, but could play a role in their mitigation. Although the impact of climate change is projected to be large, many uncertainties persist, in particular with respect to impacts on livestock and grazing components, whole-farm dynamics and heterogeneous farm populations. We summarize the current understanding on impacts and vulnerability and highlight key knowledge gaps for the separate system components and the mixed farming systems as a whole. Numerous adaptation and mitigation options exist for crop-livestock systems. We provide an overview by distinguishing risk management, diversification and sustainable intensification strategies, and by focusing on the contribution to the three pillars of climate-smart agriculture. Despite the potential solutions, smallholders face major constraints at various scales, including small farm sizes, the lack of response to the proposed measures and the multi-functionality of the livestock herd. Major institutional barriers include poor access to markets and relevant knowledge, land tenure insecurity and the common property status of most grazing resources. These limit the adoption potential and hence the potential impact on resilience and mitigation. In order to effectively inform decision-making, we therefore call for integrated, system-oriented impact assessments and a realistic consideration of the adoption constraints in smallholder systems. Building on agricultural system model development, integrated impact assessments and scenario analyses can inform the co-design and implementation of adaptation and mitigation strategies.F

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Functional traits in agriculture: agrobiodiversity and ecosystem services

Cited by 300 publications

References 83 publications

Trait‐based approaches to analyze links between the drivers of change and ecosystem services: Synthesizing existing evidence and future challenges

Trait‐based approaches to analyze links between the drivers of change and ecosystem services: Synthesizing existing evidence and future challenges

Quinoa Expansion in Peru and Its Implications for Land Use Management

Climate change adaptation and mitigation in smallholder crop–livestock systems in sub-Saharan Africa: a call for integrated impact assessments

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