Search

Reversing the decline of biodiversity in European agricultural landscapes is urgent. We suggest eight measures addressing politics, economics, and civil society to instigate transformative changes in agricultural landscapes. We emphasize the need for a well-informed society and political measures promoting sustainable farming by combining food production and biodiversity conservation.

Advances in agrochemistry in the 19th century, along with increased specialisation and intensification of food production, transformed agriculture triggering a farmland biodiversity crisis. Present economic incentives reinforce this crisis to an unprecedented scale. As the loss of farmland biodiversity undermines the basis of agroecosystems’ productivity and, hence, the sustainability of food systems, another transformation is urgently needed. Here, we advocate a concept of future pathways tailored to the characteristics of agricultural land systems and relate these to targeted farming approaches using agroecological principles. The concept depicts a transformative vision to effectively re-establish farmland biodiversity, a cornerstone of sustainable agriculture. It has the potential to support a systematic refinement of existing biodiversity and agricultural policies to enhance their impact and benefit for people and nature.

Environmental heterogeneity is an important driver of ecological communities. Here, we assessed the effects of local and landscape spatial environmental heterogeneity on ant community structure in temperate semi-natural upland grasslands of Central Germany. We surveyed 33 grassland sites representing a gradient in elevation and landscape composition. Local environmental heterogeneity was measured in terms of variability of temperature and moisture within and between grasslands sites. Grassland management type (pasture vs. meadows) was additionally included as a local environmental heterogeneity measure. The complexity of habitat types in the surroundings of grassland sites were used as a measure of landscape environmental heterogeneity. As descriptors of ant community structure, we considered species composition, community evenness, and functional response traits. We found that extensively grazed pastures and within-site heterogeneity in soil moisture at local scale, and a high diversity of land cover types at the landscape scale affected ant species composition by promoting nest densities. Ant community evenness was high in wetter grasslands with low within-site variability in soil moisture and surrounded by a less diverse landscape. Fourth-corner models revealed that ant community structure response to environmental heterogeneity was mediated mainly by worker size, colony size, and life history traits related with colony reproduction and foundation. We discuss how within-site local variability in soil moisture and low intensity grazing promote ant species densities, and highlight the role of habitat temperature and humidity affecting on community evenness. We hypothesize that a higher diversity of land cover types in a forest-dominated landscape buffers less favorable environmental conditions for ant species establishment and dispersal between grasslands. We conclude that spatial environmental heterogeneity at local and landscape scale plays an important role as deterministic force in filtering ant species and, along with neutral processes (e.g. stochastic colonization), in shaping ant community structure in temperate semi-natural upland grasslands.

1. Concerns about insect declines are growing and the provisioning of ecosystem services like pollination may be threatened. To safeguard biodiversity, greening measures were introduced within the reform of the EU's Common Agricultural Policy. One measure commonly applied by farmers is the cultivation of nitrogen fixing crops. Although underlying studies are largely missing, this measure is criticized as providing no significant biodiversity benefit. 2. Using a landscape-scale approach, we selected 30 paired study landscapes (1 km × 1 km) in Germany, that is, 15 study landscapes with faba bean (FB) fields (Vicia faba L .) a nd 15 w ithout a ny g rain l egumes. F lower-visiting w ild b ees were recorded with transect walks at the field margins of different crops using a stratified sampling approach. We analysed the effect of FB cultivation and landscape composition on the abundance and species richness of wild bees as well as on the functional composition of the bee communities. 3. Bumblebee densities (Bombus spp. Latreille) were more than twice as high in FB compared to control landscapes after the flowering of the beans. Non-Bombus wild bee densities, however, were not affected by FB cultivation, but were enhanced by increasing amounts of semi-natural habitats (SNH). 4. After the beans' blooming had ceased, FB landscapes had a higher proportion of wild bees collecting pollen from Fabaceae than control landscapes. The communityweighted means for bee size, measured as intertegular distance, were not affected by FB cultivation, but we found smaller species and species with shorter tongues with an increasing percentage of SNH. 5. Synthesis and applications. The cultivation of faba bean Vicia faba L . s trongly increased bumblebee densities throughout the season. This indicates that also on-field greening measures can support biodiversity. Nevertheless, since only functional groups adapted to faba bean benefit, measures to promote seminatural habitats in agricultural landscapes need to be implemented. We conclude that the combination of on- and off-field measures is essential to maintain farmland biodiversity and the Common Agricultural Policy should furthermore promote both.

Determining the effects of local and landscape drivers on endangered species and predicting potential suitable habitats for their persistence is crucial for effective conservation management. Here, we applied a multi-scale approach to disentangle the effects of host resources, local, and landscape variables on the occurrence pattern of Phengaris (= Maculinea) nausithous in semi-natural upland grasslands. Our approach comprised the assessment of host parameters (plant cover, density, height, flower heads density, ant nest density, ant colony size), local grassland management (pasture, meadow), site conditions (area, shape, terrain attributes), and landscape variables (landscape composition, connectivity). We used ensemble of small models based on bivariate generalized linear models for explaining and predicting the butterfly occurrence pattern. Bivariate models revealed that host ant nest density, plant cover and height, local grassland management type (pasture), slope and eastness, landscape forest cover and grassland connectivity had a positive effect on the occurrence of P. nausithous (average explained deviance 20.5%). Host ant density, host plant cover, and local grassland management were the most influential factors on the ensemble predictions. The presence of P. nausithous in upland grasslands is not only determined by host resources, but also by local and landscape factors. Such factors proved to be relevant for identifying and predicting suitable grassland sites for this endangered species. Consequently, we recommend that conservation actions should include a landscape perspective to promote connectivity by facilitating coherent grazing networks enabling dispersal between semi-natural upland grasslands and thus species persistence.

In agroecosystems, crop diversification plays a fundamental role in maintaining and regenerating biodiversity and ecosystem services, such as natural pest control. Temporal diversification of cropping systems can affect the presence and activity of natural enemies by providing alternative hosts and prey, food, and refuges for overwintering. However, we still lack studies on the effects of temporal diversification on generalist predators and their biocontrol potential conducted at field scale in commercial agricultural settings. Here, we measured proxies of ecosystem functions related with biological pest control in 29 commercial agricultural fields characterized by cereal-based cropping system in Lower-Saxony, northern Germany. The fields differed in the number of crops and cover crops cultivated during the previous 12 years. Using the Rapid Ecosystem Function Assessment approach, we measured invertebrate predation, seed predation and activity density of generalist predators. We aimed at testing whether the differences in the crop rotations from the previous years would affect activity of predators and their predation rates in the current growing season. We found that the length of the crop rotation had neutral effects on the proxies measured. Furthermore, predation rates were generally lower if the rotation comprised a higher number of cover crops compared to rotation with less cover crops. The activity density of respective taxa of predatory arthropods responded differently to the number of cover crops in the crop rotation. Our results suggest that temporal crop diversity may not benefit the activity and efficiency of generalist predators when diversification strategies involve crops of very similar functional traits. Adding different resources and traits to the agroecosystems through a wider range of cultivated crops and the integration of semi-natural habitats are aspects that need to be considered when developing more diverse cropping systems aiming to provide a more efficient natural pest control.

Recent studies report declines in biomass, abundance and diversity of terrestrial insect groups. While anthropogenic land use is one likely contributor to this decline, studies assessing land cover as a driver of insect dynamics are rare and mostly restricted in spatial scale and types of land cover. In this study, we used rooftop-mounted car nets in a citizen science project (‘InsectMobile’) to allow for large-scale geographic sampling of flying insects across Denmark and parts of Germany. Citizen scientists sampled insects along 278 10 km routes in urban, farmland and semi-natural (grassland, wetland and forest) landscapes in the summer of 2018. We assessed the importance of local to landscape-scale effects and land use intensity by relating insect biomass to land cover in buffers of 50, 250, 500 and 1000 m along the routes. We found a negative association of urban cover and a positive association of farmland on insect biomass at a landscape-scale (1000 m buffer) in both countries. In Denmark, we also found positive effects of all semi-natural land covers, i.e. grassland (largest at the landscape-scale, 1000 m), forests (largest at intermediate scales, 250 m), and wetlands (largest at the local-scale, 50 m). The negative association of insect biomass with urban land cover and positive association with farmland were not clearly modified by any variable associated with land use intensity. Our results show that land cover has an impact on flying insect biomass with the magnitude of this effect varying across spatial scales. Since we consistently found negative effects of urban land cover, our findings highlight the need for the conservation of semi-natural areas, such as wetlands, grasslands and forests, in Europe.

Legume crops such as faba bean (Vicia faba L.) have been underrepresented in conventional cropping systems in Europe for decades for economic reasons, even though faba bean is a native crop and suitable to diversify local cropping systems. While the environmental benefits that go along with faba bean cropping are well established, there is a gap of knowledge on the effects faba bean may have on biodiversity and associated ecosystem services, such as natural biocontrol in agricultural landscapes. The aim of the present field study was to quantify neighbourhood effects of faba bean on densities of vegetation- dwelling natural biocontrol agents and herbivores in adjacent winter wheat. Densities of predators, herbivores, parasitized aphids (mummies) and leaf damage by the cereal leaf beetle (CLB) were assessed by repeated visual counts in conventionally managed winter wheat crops. In winter wheat adjacent to faba bean, total predator density was higher than in wheat adjacent to winter wheat, independent of the observation period. This effect was not reflected in the predator-prey ratio though. The total density of mummies and parasitism rate were not affected by the neighbouring faba bean crop. Predator density decreased towards the field centre. CLB leaf damage and yield were not affected by the neighbouring crop. All densities were affected by the observation period. The effects were measurable in spite of the external management such as insecticide application, which had a negative effect on both predator and herbivore densities. The present study sheds first light on faba bean effects on natural biocontrol agents in conventionally managed agro-ecosystems. While few, effects were measurable, which shows the need for further research on the association of faba bean cropping with the ecosystem service natural biocontrol.

Trees growing in nutrient-limited temperate forest soils can gain nutrients by root proliferation into nutrient-rich hotspots and/or by forming mycorrhizal symbioses. In this study we investigated the effects of nutrient-rich hotspots (inhabited wood ant nests) on Norway spruce root biomass and occurrence of ectomycorrhizal (EcM) exploration types. Substrates were collected from the mineral soil layer in a temperate middle-European spruce forest (Nationalpark Harz, Germany) from four micro-regions within each of the five wood ant nests sampled, i.e. 1) centre of the belowground part of a nest, 2) nest's rim, 3) nest's run-off zone (ca. 20 cm from nest's rim), and 4) from the surrounding forest soil (>10 m from nest's rim). Root biomass, EcM exploration types, moisture and nutrient contents were determined in all substrates. Although naturally enriched, wood ant nests had neither root biomass nor occurrence of EcM exploration types higher compared to the surrounding forest soil. The probable main reasons were high phosphorus content and low moisture maintained inside inhabited nests, although the effect was not significant. Apparently, other substrate properties not determined in our study also affect the occurrence of exploration types in wood ant nest substrates. Inhabited wood ant nests thus seem unfavourable for root proliferation and their subsequent EcM colonization. However, roots can gain nutrients from the run-off zone around nests where low moisture is not maintained and nutrient contents are higher due to leaching from the nest substrate.

Agriculture has been, and still is, strongly shaping landscapes across Europe. In recent decades, agricultural land use has changed considerably, mainly driven by reforms of agricultural and bioenergy policies. Here, we related temporal and spatial changes in agricultural land use at both the landscape and regional scale to population trends of farmland birds. Monitoring data of the Common Breeding Bird Survey of Lower Saxony, Germany, and high-resolution data on agricultural land use from 2005 to 2012 were used to calculate the temporal trend slopes of farmland birds and agricultural variables at the landscape scale (1 km 2 ). Agricultural variables comprised the area covered by maize, set-aside, permanent grassland as well as crop diversity. The number of territories were analysed for all farmland birds together as well as for two subgroups (‘field nesters’ and ‘non-field nesters’). Further, we tested whether population trends of farmland birds differed between agricultural regions, characterised by different land-use change dynamics. Trends of farmland birds and non-field nesters were negatively related to increasing maize cultivation at the landscape scale. We further found that population trends of field nesters reacted region-specifically and performed worst in an agricultural region that was characterised by the strongest increase of maize and decrease of crop diversity, indicating a negative effect of broad-scale landscape homogenisation. To counteract the process of spatial and temporal land-use homogenisation and to inform policy-makers on options for mitigation, we conclude that conservation actions should be tailored at a regional scale to halt or even reverse negative farmland bird population trends.

Worldwide, the role of farmlands for biodiversity conservation and the delivery of multiple ecosystem services has been widely acknowledged. In the European Union (EU), societal demands to include environmental conservation concerns within the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) have resulted in the recognition of the importance of maintaining High Nature Value farmlands (HNVf). HNVf constitute complex social-ecological systems, which owe their nature conservation value to the maintenance of specific, mostly low-intensity farming systems, supporting high levels of species and habitats dependent on agricultural practices. Even though HNVf assessment in space and time is essential to evaluate the effectiveness of Rural Development Programmes, the diversity of rural landscapes across EU, the scarcity of data on farming systems, and the lack of common methodological guidelines has hampered the implementation of HNVf mapping and monitoring across Europe. Thus, there is a pressing need to develop and test methodological approaches that may support HNVf assessment across the EU.The Integrated Administration and Control System (IACS) which is mandatory for all EU Member States constitutes a system for the management and control of CAP payments to farmers. Essentially, IACS comprises high-resolution, spatially explicit information on the type and intensity of agricultural land-use. Even though such data exhibits high thematic, spatial and temporal resolution, IACS has seldom been used, due to significant access restrictions. Here, the potential to use IACS data to support the assessment of HNVf was evaluated within the German Federal State of Lower Saxony by implementing a recently developed methodological framework. Sets of indicators known to be essential for identifying potential HNVf and underlying farming systems (expressing landscape structure and composition, farming systems, and crop diversity), were derived from IACS. Spatial patterns of indicators were analyzed at two different scales to delineate the potential distribution of HNVf across Lower Saxony. Results highlighted that most regions in Lower Saxony were characterized by intensive farming practices including high livestock density, high share of intensive crops and low density of linear elements.Only 3% of the Utilized Agricultural Area (UAA) of Lower Saxony potentially constituted HNVf, with the majority of HNVf coinciding with mosaics of arable and/or permanent crops and semi-natural features under less intensive farming practices. Semi-natural grasslands, partially under agri-environment scheme management contracts, covered roughly 1% of the UAA and were mostly intermingled with other farmland habitats in extensively managed agricultural landscapes.

Flower-visiting insects are important crop pollinators, but their populations in agricultural landscapes are declining. One reason is the decreasing quantity and quality of floral resources. Deterioration of the situation caused by an increasing production of energy crops like maize, a pollen-only resource, may be mitigated by alternative crops such as Silphium perfoliatum L., which produces pollen and nectar over a long-lasting flowering period (July–September). The aim of this study was to assess the floral resources of S. perfoliatum. We calculated pollen grains and nectar sugar mass per inflorescence as well as inflorescences per plant using experimental plots and commercial fields in Germany. In addition, we analyzed free and protein-bound amino acids in pollen as well as sugars and free amino acids in nectar. The amount of pollen and nectar sugar per inflorescence decreased with increasing stem branching. The production of pollen and nectar sugar, however, was greatest in the second half of August due to the high number of inflorescences per plant at that stage. About half of the farmers harvested S. perfoliatum before the end of flowering to gain higher methane yields. With an early harvest around the beginning of September about one sixth of total pollen and one fifth of total nectar sugar production were lost to pollinators. Pollen and nectar showed high amounts of certain essential amino acids, particularly histidine, but total amino acids were low in concentration. Hence, S. perfoliatum should be complemented with different bee fodder plants to ensure a well-balanced diet.

Agrarholz mit schnellwachsenden Baumen fur die Energiegewinnung hat, insbesondere in ausgeraumten Agrarlandschaften, ein groses Potenzial zu einer Bereicherung der strukturellen Vielfalt und anderer Lebensraumressourcen und damit der Biodiversitat beizutragen. Dies gilt sowohl fur Agrarholz in Plantagen als auch in Agroforstsystemen. Die grose Vielzahl an Studien, die zur Biodiversitat in Agrarholzbestanden durchgefuhrt wurden, und die zum Teil zu unterschiedlichen Bewertungen von Agrarholz im Hinblick auf dessen naturschutzfachliche, allgemein biodiversitatsfordernde oder funktionelle Bedeutung kamen, veranschaulicht die Komplexitat dieses Themas. Eine Etablierung von Agrarholz fuhrt nicht von selbst und ohne Beachtung einiger wichtiger Grundsatze zu einer Forderung der Biodiversitat. Eine rein auf Ertragsmaximierung ausgerichtete Produktion von Agrarholz konnte sogar zu einem weiteren Verlust an Biodiversitat fuhren.

The maintenance of High Nature Value (HNV) farming is a priority for reaching the target of halting biodiversity loss in the European Union by 2020. Nevertheless, since the introduction of the HNV farming concept in the early 1990s and the first call for HNV farmland indicators in 2000, farmland biodiversity has continued to decline in many parts of Europe. The main processes behind this decline are agricultural intensification and abandonment. Past and current agricultural subsidies and conservation measures have mainly failed to safeguard HNV farmland and the respective farming systems. In this paper, we revise current approaches for localizing and characterizing HNV farming, identify shortcomings and describe the next generation of HNV farming indicators; show how HNV farming is related to existing concepts aimed at biodiversity conservation; and provide an overview of EU policy instruments that could help preserve HNV farming. We finish by outlining which steps should be taken so that HNV farming remains a part of our modern agricultural landscape.

Feed in tariffs (FiTs) and renewable heat incentives (RHIs) are driving a rapid expansion in anaerobic digestion (AD) coupled with combined heat and power (CHP) plants in the UK. Farm models were combined with consequential life cycle assessment (CLCA) to assess the net environmental balance of representative biogas, biofuel and biomass scenarios on a large arable farm, capturing crop rotation and digestate nutrient cycling effects. All bioenergy options led to avoided fossil resource depletion. Global warming potential (GWP) balances ranged from 1732 kg CO2 eM g 1 dry matter (DM) for pig slurry AD feedstock after accounting for avoided slurry storage to +2251 kg CO2 eM g 1 DM for oilseed rape biodiesel feedstock after attributing indirect land use change (iLUC) to displaced food production. Maize monoculture for AD led to net GWP increases via iLUC, but optimized integration of maize into an arable rotation resulted in negligible food crop displacement and iLUC. However, even under best-case assumptions such as full use of heat output from AD-CHP, crop–biogas achieved low GWP reductions per hectare compared with Miscanthus heating pellets under default estimates of iLUC. Ecosystem services (ES) assessment highlighted soil and water quality risks for maize cultivation. All bioenergy crop options led to net increases in eutrophication after displaced food production was accounted for. The environmental balance of AD is sensitive to design and management factors such as digestate storage and application techniques, which are not well regulated in the UK. Currently, FiT payments are not dependent on compliance with sustainability criteria. We conclude that CLCA and ES effects should be integrated into sustainability criteria for FiTs and RHIs, to direct public money towards resource-efficient renewable energy options that achieve genuine climate protection without degrading soil, air or water quality.

Increasing crop productivity to meet rising demands for food and energy, but doing so in an environmentally sustainable manner, is one of the greatest challenges for agriculture to date. In Ireland, Miscanthus x giganteus has the potential to become a major feedstock for bioenergy production, but the economic feasibility of its cultivation depends on high yields. Miscanthus fields can have a large number of gaps in crop cover, adversely impacting yield and hence economic viability. Predominantly positive effects of Miscanthus on biodiversity reported from previous research might be attributable to high crop patchiness, particularly during the establishment phase. The aim of this research was to assess crop patchiness on a field scale and to analyse the relationship between Miscanthus yield and species richness and abundance of selected taxa of farmland wildlife. For 14 Miscanthus fields at the end of their establishment phase (4–5 years after planting), which had been planted either on improved grassland (MG) or tilled arable land (MT), we determined patchiness of the crop cover, percentage light penetration (LP) to the lower canopy, Miscanthus shoot density and height, vascular plants and epigeic arthropods. Plant species richness and noncrop vegetation cover in Miscanthus fields increased with increasing patchiness, due to higher levels of LP to the lower canopy. The species richness of ground beetles and the activity density of spiders followed the increase in vegetation cover. Plant species richness and activity density of spiders on both MT and MG fields, as well as vegetation cover and activity density of ground beetles on MG fields, were negatively associated with Miscanthus yield. In conclusion, positive effects of Miscanthus on biodiversity can diminish with increasing productivity. This matter needs to be considered when assessing the relative ecological impacts of developing biomass crops in comparison with other land use

The recent growth in bioenergy crop cultivation, stimulated by the need to implement measures to reduce net CO2 emissions, is driving major land-use changes with consequences for biodiversity and ecosystem service provision. Although the type of bioenergy crop and its associated management is likely to affect biodiversity at the local (field) scale, landscape context and its interaction with crop type may also influence biodiversity on farms. In this study, we assessed the impact of replacing conventional agricultural crops with two model bioenergy crops (either oilseed rape Brassica napus or Miscanthus à  giganteus) on vascular plant, bumblebee, solitary bee, hoverfly and carabid beetle richness, diversity and abundance in 50 sites in Ireland. We assessed whether within-field biodiversity was also related to surrounding landscape structure. We found that local- and landscape-scale variables correlated with biodiversity in these agricultural landscapes. Overall, the differences between the bioenergy crops and the conventional crops on farmland biodiversity were mostly positive (e.g. higher vascular plant richness in Miscanthus planted on former conventional tillage, higher solitary bee abundance and richness in Miscanthus and oilseed rape compared with conventional crops) or neutral (e.g. no differences between crop types for hoverflies and bumblebees). We showed that these crop type effects were independent of (i.e. no interactions with) the surrounding landscape composition and configuration. However, surrounding landscape context did relate to biodiversity in these farms, negatively for carabid beetles and positively for hoverflies. Although we conclude that the bioenergy crops compared favourably with conventional crops in terms of biodiversity of the taxa studied at the field scale, the effects of large-scale planting in these landscapes could result in very different impacts. Maintaining ecosystem functioning and the delivery of ecosystem services will require a greater understanding of impacts at the landscape scale to ensure the sustainable development of climate change mitigation measures. This research was funded by the SIMBIOSYS Project (http://www.tcd.ie/research/simbiosys/, 2007-B-CD-1-S1) as part of the Science, Technology, Research and Innovation for the Environment (STRIVE) Programme, financed by the Irish Government under the National Development Plan 2007–2013, administered on behalf of the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government by the Irish Environmental Protection Agency. peer-reviewed

In Ireland, Miscanthus A� giganteus has the potential to become a major feedstock for bioenergy production. However, under current climatic conditions, Ireland is situated on the margin of the geographical range where Miscanthus production is economically feasible. It is therefore important to optimize the yield and other ecosystem services such as carbon sequestration delivered by the crop. A survey of commercial Miscanthus fields showed a large number of areas with no Miscanthus crop cover. These patches can potentially lead to reduced crop yields and soil carbon sequestration and have a significant negative impact on the economic viability of the crop. The aim of this research is to assess patchiness on a field scale and to analyse the impacts on crop yield and soil carbon sequestration. Analysis of aerial photography images was carried out on six commercial Miscanthus plantations in south east Ireland. The analysis showed an average of 372.5 patches per hectare, covering an average of 13.7% of the field area. Using net present value models and a financial balance approach it was shown that patchiness has a significant impact on payback time for initial investments and might reduce gross margins by more than 50%. Total and Miscanthus-derived soil organic carbon was measured in open patches and adjacent plots of high crop density showing significantly lower Miscanthus-derived carbon stocks in open patches compared to high crop-density patches (0.47Mg C ha�1 ± 0.42 SD and 0.91Mg C ha�1 ± 0.55 SD). Using geographic information system (GIS) it was shown that on a field scale Miscanthus-derived carbon stocks were reduced by 7.38% ± 7.25 SD. However, total soil organic carbon stocks were not significantly different between open patches and high crop density plots indicating no impact on the overall carbon sequestration on a field scale over 3�4 years since establishment for these Miscanthus sites.

Die Durchwachsene Silphie (Silphium perfoliatum L.) ist eine alternative Bioenergiepflanze, die in wesentlichen Punkten zu einer umweltschonenden Nutzung von Erneuerbaren Energien beitragen konnte. Die Vorzuge der Durchwachsenen Silphie liegen insbesondere in ihren Bluheigenschaften und dem mehrjahrigen Anbau ohne Bodenbearbeitung, wovon Organismengruppen profitieren konnen, die besondere Funktionen im Agrarokosystem wie z.B. Bestaubung oder Bodenfruchtbarkeit steuern. Aktuell stutzt sich die Erzeugung von Biomasse in Deutschland auf Anbausysteme, die aus agrarokologischer Sicht eine Bedrohung fur die Biodiversitat und fur Okosystemfunktionen darstellen. Die Dringlichkeit, dieser Entwicklung entgegenzusteuern, wird insbesondere bei Betrachtung des Flachenbedarfs fur eine substanzielle Energieerzeugung deutlich. Inwiefern der Anbau der Durchwachsenen Silphie die Erwartungen an eine nachhaltige Biomassenutzung erfullt, wurde im Rahmen einer umfangreichen Erhebung von blutenbesuchenden Insekten (Bienen und Schwebfliegen) einschlieslich einer Pollen- und Nektarquantifizierung sowie Bodentier-Gemeinschaften (Regenwurmer, Collembolen und Nematoden) einschlieslich ihrer funktionellen Gruppen in Bestanden praxisnaher Bewirtschaftung untersucht. Es zeigte sich, dass die Durchwachsene Silphie als Biomassepflanze uber das notige agrarokologische Potential verfugt, um die aktuelle negative Entwicklung der Biodiversitat insbesondere in Regionen mit hohem Maisanteil in Monokultur abzufedern. Dieses agrarokologische Potential lasst sich jedoch nur ausschopfen, wenn agronomische Voraussetzungen wie z.B. ein spater Erntetermin und Standzeiten von mindestens funf Jahren erfullt sind. Unter diesen Voraussetzungen ist der Landschaftskontext zu berucksichtigen. So sind semi-naturliche Habitate als Nist- und Larvalhabitate in der Umgebung notig, um den Lebenszyklen wildlebender Bestaubergruppen gerecht zu werden, wahrend eine positive Entwicklung der biologischen Funktionalitat des Bodens an eine ackerbauliche Vornutzung der Flachen gekoppelt ist.

Bioenergy implications for Biodiversity and Ecosystems, GMO impact monitoring and a tool for the assessment of urban and industrial expansion impacts on riparian habitats are the topics of the present issue of BioRisk three topics from within the field of modern or contemporary land-use developments, representing typical drivers which put biodiversity and ecosystems at risk. When it comes to the question whether we can fuel the world with feedstock from bioenergy crops without losing the ability to feed a still growing world population of humans, an answer often ready at hand is to turn abandoned and marginal land to agricultural use. This either to increase crop yields in general or to cultivate dedicated energy crops on those lands in order to avoid land-use competition. Those concepts of cultivating or re-cultivating of seemingly surplus land are often based on optimistic assessments in the order of millions of hectares being available globally (German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina 2012; Offermann et al. 2011). The question whether those estimates of land potentials would bear up against calculations taking environmental and socio-economic constraints into account systematically was adopted in the opinion paper by Dauber et al. (2012; this issue). It is stated in this paper that confusion in the applicability of concepts suggesting the utilization of surplus land for bioenergy crop cultivation is caused by ambiguity in the definition and characterization of surplus land as well by uncertainties in assessments of land availability and of potential yields of bioenergy crops when grown on surplus land. The authors suggest BioRisk 7: 1–4 (2012)

Land-use changes can alter the spatial population structure of plant species, which may in turn affect the attractiveness of flower aggregations to different groups of pollinators at different spatial scales. To assess how pollinators respond to spatial heterogeneity of plant distributions and whether honeybees affect visitation by other pollinators we used an extensive data set comprising ten plant species and their flower visitors from five European countries. In particular we tested the hypothesis that the composition of the flower visitor community in terms of visitation frequencies by different pollinator groups were affected by the spatial plant population structure, viz. area and density measures, at a within-population (‘patch’) and among-population (‘population’) scale. We found that patch area and population density were the spatial variables that best explained the variation in visitation frequencies within the pollinator community. Honeybees had higher visitation frequencies in larger patches, while bumblebees and hoverflies had higher visitation frequencies in sparser populations. Solitary bees had higher visitation frequencies in sparser populations and smaller patches. We also tested the hypothesis that honeybees affect the composition of the pollinator community by altering the visitation frequencies of other groups of pollinators. There was a positive relationship between visitation frequencies of honeybees and bumblebees, while the relationship with hoverflies and solitary bees varied (positive, negative and no relationship) depending on the plant species under study. The overall conclusion is that the spatial structure of plant populations affects different groups of pollinators in contrasting ways at both the local (‘patch’) and the larger (‘population’) scales and, that honeybees affect the flower visitation by other pollinator groups in various ways, depending on the plant species under study. These contrasting responses emphasize the need to investigate the entire pollinator community when the effects of landscape change on plant–pollinator interactions are studied.

The colonisation of winter barley fields by spring breeding carabids and its temporal modulation by the amount of potential hibernation sites was studied. Species richness of carabids was lower in landscapes with high length of boundaries and a high amount of non-cropped open habitats during early stages of the beetles’ colonisation of arable fields. Species number of beetles with high dispersal potential responded to this landscape features at coarse spatial scales whereas beetles with low dispersal potential responded to intermediate scales. However, the negative impact of potential hibernation sites on colonisation diminished in later sampling phases. The patterns observed may be explained by both overwintering in arable soils in less complex landscapes and delayed colonisation in more complex landscapes. The seasonal patterns of landscape control suggest a need to account for temporal dynamics in interactions between species or functional groups and landscape properties. A high temporal resolution is needed in studies that focus on ecosystem function and services in agricultural landscapes, as direction of effect (positive/negative) of management on animal communities may change across spatial scales and within short time periods.

The use of biomass for energy production is considered a promising way to reduce net carbon emissions and mitigate climate change. However, land-use change to bioenergy crops can result in carbon emissions from soil and vegetation in amounts that could take decades to compensate. Perennial grasses such as Miscanthus offer a possible solution to this problem as measurements on experimental plots planted with Miscanthus have shown significant carbon sequestration in the soil. It can, however, be expected that sequestration potentials in commercial use might differ from those measured in experimental plots due to different farming practices and soil characteristics. For this study, Miscanthus plantations on 16 farms in SE Ireland as well as on-farm controls representing the former land-use (grassland and tillage) have been examined. The Miscanthus plantations were 2–3 years old. Soil organic carbon (SOC) content and a number of soil properties were measured and the amount of Miscanthus-derived carbon was determined using the 13C natural abundance method. On both former tillage fields and grasslands, although there were no significant differences in SOC contents between Miscanthus and control sites, it was shown that 2–3 years after Miscanthus establishment, 1.82 ± 1.69 and 2.17 ± 1.73 Mg ha−1 of the SOC under former-tilled and former grassland respectively were Miscanthus-derived. Mixed-effects models were used to link the total SOC concentrations and Miscanthus-derived carbon to the land-use parameters as well as to soil properties. It was shown that on control sites, pH had an effect on total SOC. In the case of Miscanthus-derived carbon, the initial SOC content, pH, former land-use and crop age had significant effects.

Power generation from bioenergy, which amongst other includes solid biomass, biogas and liquid biofuels is expected to grow further within the coming years (IEA, 2012). Developing with the expansion of the bioenergy sector is a growing demand for land for the production of bioenergy feedstock (Fritsche et al., 2010; Beringer et al., 2011). Either additional land would have to be converted to agricultural use and/or improvement of productivity on existing farmland would be required, resulting in major direct and/or indirect land-use change (Marland & Obersteiner, 2008; IEA Bioenergy, 2010). As land-use change is regarded as one of the major drivers of the ongoing loss of biodiversity (Sala et al., 2005), there is a major concern that extensive commercial production of bioenergy feedstock could further aggravate biodiversity loss (Immerzeel et al., in this issue; Pedroli et al., 2013).

Aim We tested whether the distribution and cover of alien plant species in Europe was related to human disturbance and microclimate. Location Surveys were conducted at 13 sites across Europe, each containing a pair of landscapes with different land-use intensities. Methods Sampling locations were chosen based on land use and microclimate at two scales: land use was characterized at the patch and landscape scale; climate was expressed as regional and local temperature. The slope of each sample location was derived from a digital elevation model. Cover of plant species was measured using point counts and analysed using mixed effect models. Species were classified as native, archaeophytes and neophytes (pre- versus post-ad 1500 immigrants). Due to the zero inflation observed in the alien groups, their cover was analysed conditional on their presence. Results Anthropogenic disturbance was a significant explanatory variable, increasing the presence and cover of alien species and decreasing the cover of native species. Alien presence was increased in sites under agricultural management, while their cover responded to land use at both local and landscape scales (and to their interaction), such that only natural habitats in semi-natural landscapes had low alien cover. Microclimate was important for neophytes, with presence concentrated around mesic conditions. Slope was relevant for archaeophytes and native species, suppressing the former group and promoting the latter one. Main conclusions We found that, at the European scale, the distribution of alien plants is related to anthropogenic disturbance more than to microclimatic differences. The presence of neophytes, however, was influenced by climate at local and regional scales, with the highest incidence under mesic conditions. The different patterns observed for the presence and cover of alien species suggest different mechanisms acting during their establishment and spread. They also suggest that to counteract the expansion of alien species natural habitats may need to be maintained at landscape scales.

The urgency for mitigation actions in response to climate change has stimulated policy makers to encourage the rapid expansion of bioenergy, resulting in major land-use changes over short timescales. Despite the potential impacts on biodiversity and the environment, scientific concerns about large-scale bioenergy production have only recently been given adequate attention. Environmental standards or legislative provisions in the majority of countries are still lagging behind the rapid development of energy crops. Ranging from the field to the regional scale, this review (i) summarizes the current knowledge about the impact of biomass crops on biodiversity in temperate regions, (ii) identifies knowledge gaps and (iii) drafts guidelines for a sustainable biomass crop production with respect to biodiversity conservation. The majority of studies report positive effects on biodiversity at the field scale but impacts strongly depend on the management, age, size and heterogeneity of the biomass plantations. At the regional scale, significant uncertainties exist and there is a major concern that extensive commercial production could have negative effects on biodiversity, in particular in areas of high nature-conservation value. However, integration of biomass crops into agricultural landscapes could stimulate rural economy, thus counteracting negative impacts of farm abandonment or supporting restoration of degraded land, resulting in improved biodiversity values. Given the extent of landconversion necessary to reach the bioenergy targets, the spatial layout and distribution of biomass plantations will determine impacts. To ensure sustainable biomass crop production, biodiversity would therefore have to become an essential part of risk assessment measures in all those countries which have not yet committed to making it an obligatory part of strategic landscape planning. Integrated environmental and economic research is necessary to formulate standards that help support long-term economic and ecological sustainability of biomass production and avoid costly mistakes in our attempts to mitigate climate change.

1. Isolation of natural and semi-natural habitats, a consequence of increasing management intensification, has been identified as a major threat to the diversity of many taxa in agricultural landscapes. Yet, it is increasingly apparent that the effects of habitat isolation vary not only among distantly but also closely related taxa, depending on their respective ecological traits. 2. We studied the effects of habitat isolation on carabid beetles with different dispersal potential in common perennial grasslands. The grasslands belonged to three isolation classes: (i) situated in a continuous belt of grasslands, (ii) in an arable matrix but connected to the continuous belt via corridors or (iii) completely isolated in the arable matrix. 3. Neither total carabid species richness nor richness of carabids with high dispersal potential was affected by habitat isolation. In contrast, richness of carabid species with low dispersal potential was more than two times lower in isolated than in continuous grasslands. Communities of isolated sites were characterised by species with high dispersal potential whereas species with low dispersal potential were associated with continuous or well connected grasslands. 4. Our results revealed trait-specific responses of carabids to habitat isolation and highlight the need for considering these differences when predicting effects of landscape structure on carabid diversity. Grassy corridors seemed to assist the dispersal of carabids with low dispersal potential, thereby allowing these species to persist also in non-continuous but connected habitats. Thus, corridors represent a suitable measure to maintain the diversity of carabids in spatially structured grasslands in agricultural landscapes.

in Undetermined Increasing demand for food, fuel and fibre promotes the intensification of land-use, particularly in areas favourable for agricultural production. In less-favourable areas, more wildlife-friendly farming systems are often either abandoned or under pressure of conversion, e.g. for bioenergy production. This raises the question, to which extent areas of different agronomicpotential contribute to regional biodiversity. To approach this question on a regional scale, we established our study within a region where sites of high and lowagronomicpotential (AP) alternate on a small spatial scale. We selected 13 high-AP and 13 low-AP grasslands to quantify the contribution of these classes to the regional diversity of four epigeicarthropod taxa (ants, springtails, functional groups of ground beetles, and spiders). The regional diversity (γ) was partitioned into species richness per site (α-diversity), diversity among sites within one class (βwithin-diversity), and diversity between the two classes (βbetween-diversity). The β-diversity generally accounted for the largest share of the γ-diversity, with patterns of diversity components being highly taxon- and class-specific. Carnivorous carabids had a higherα-diversity at high-AP sites. Ants, springtails, and cursorial spiders had a higherβwithin-diversity in low-AP grasslands. Low-AP sites also harboured many more species that occurred exclusively in one grassland class. We conclude that grasslands that may be unfavourable for agricultural production contributed more to regional diversity of epigeicarthropods than favourable grasslands. We therefore suggest that future agricultural schemes should promote arthropod biodiversity by specifically targeting agri-environment schemes or other wildlife-friendly farming approaches to areas of lowagronomicpotential, since this bears the greatest potential to preserve a comparatively high species turnover (β-diversity) and in consequence high regional diversity.

Summary 1. Habitat fragmentation can affect pollinator and plant population structure in terms of species composition, abundance, area covered and density of flowering plants. This, in turn, may affect pollinator visitation frequency, pollen deposition, seed set and plant fitness. 2. A reduction in the quantity of flower visits can be coupled with a reduction in the quality of pollination service and hence the plants’ overall reproductive success and long-term survival. Understanding the relationship between plant population size and ⁄ or isolation and pollination limitation is of fundamental importance for plant conservation. 3. We examined flower visitation and seed set of 10 different plant species from five European countries to investigate the general effects of plant populations size and density, both within (patch level) and between populations (population level), on seed set and pollination limitation. 4. We found evidence that the effects of area and density of flowering plant assemblages were generally more pronounced at the patch level than at the population level. We also found that patch and population level together influenced flower visitation and seed set, and the latter increased with increasing patch area and density, but this effect was only apparent in small populations. 5. Synthesis. By using an extensive pan-European data set on flower visitation and seed set we have identified a general pattern in the interplay between the attractiveness of flowering plant patches for pollinators and density dependence of flower visitation, and also a strong plant species-specific response to habitat fragmentation effects. This can guide efforts to conserve plant–pollinator interactions, ecosystem functioning and plant fitness in fragmented habitats.

The number of species-rich seminatural grasslands in Northern Europe has decreased significantly due to the abandonment of traditional land use practices. To preserve these habitats, an increasing number of abandoned and overgrown grasslands have been restored by cutting down trees and shrubs and reintroducing grazing. These practices are considered a useful tool to recover the species richness of vascular plants, but their impact on other taxa is hardly known. Here we studied ants as one important group of grassland insects. We investigated (1) the effects of restoration of nongrazed and afforested seminatural grasslands, compared to continuously managed reference sites; and (2) the modulating impacts of habitat characteristics and time elapsed since restoration. We found a total of 27 ant species, 11 of these were characteristic of open habitats and seven characteristic of forests. Neither species richness per site nor the number of open-habitat species, nor the number of forest species differed between restored and reference sites. Yet, within the restored sites, the total species richness and the number of open-habitat species was positively related to the time since restoration and the percentage of bare rock. High frequencies of most open-habitat species were associated with low vegetation, older restored sites, and reference sites. Most forest species showed their highest frequencies in tree- and shrub-dominated habitat. We conclude that restoration efforts have been successful in terms of retrieving species richness. A regular and moderate grazing regime subsequent to the restoration is suggested in order to support a high abundance of open-habitat species.

The role of edaphic factors in driving the relationship between plant community structure and ecosystem processes is a key issue of the current debate on functional implications of biodiversity. In this study, we draw a direct link between aboveground/belowground relationships, vegetation structure, and aboveground management. We used ground nesting ants and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) as an example for quantifying the role of biotic interactions in soil. Although both groups are known to have a major impact on grasslands, the interactive effect of these taxa on vegetation structure and its sensitivity to grassland management is poorly understood. We show that the ant Lasius flavus increases the root arbuscular mycorrhizal colonization (AMC) of grasses by modifying biotic and abiotic soil properties. As a possible consequence, the shoot length of grass growing on ant mounds was shorter and shoot N and P concentrations were higher than in grass growing off of the mounds. In addition, management affected ant nest architecture and soil and, in turn, AMC. These results emphasize the need to consider the interactions between plants, soil microorganisms, soil fauna, and aboveground management to increase the understanding of the drivers of biodiversity and ecosystem functioning in grasslands both aboveground and belowground.

The influence of the availability of surrounding boundaries and grasslands on the recolonisation of lycosid and linyphiid spiders was studied in early spring in 12 winter barley fields situated in differently structured landscapes. It was found that the more cursorial lycosid spiders foremost showed a dependence on time when recolonising arable fields, and increased in numbers during the critical time of pest establishment, although lycosid species richness also was related to the surrounding landscape. Linyphiid spiders, which are more likely to disperse by air than lycosids, did not show an increase in numbers over time, but were more affected by the surrounding landscape. However, these spiders also showed a dependence on time, because the positive effect of surrounding boundaries was significant in the beginning but not at the end of the study period. Thus, most spiders showed a difference in migration patterns over time and both spider families were positively influenced by the surrounding boundaries and grasslands during recolonisation of crop fields after winter. In order to enhance pest suppression by spiders, overwintering structures should be provided in crop-dominated landscapes to facilitate spider migration into crop fields during early spring.

This study focuses on the long-term changes of collembolan communities occurring after the conversion of arable land to managed grassland. We analysed collembolan communities at grassland sites of different age that had been gradually converted over a period of 50 yr. Abundance and biomass responded rapidly and very positively to the conversion of arable land to grassland, while species richness was not affected. Collembolan assemblages changed only little during grassland maturation. The impact of land-use change on community structure was more obvious at the functional level because the colonization processes observed in our study mostly relied on hemiedaphic species. Vegetation and soil parameters were good predictors of collembolan community structure during development of managed grassland. The present study demonstrated that past landscape patterns and processes like land-use conversion and subsequent succession had a considerable impact on the present day pattern of species richness and community composition of Collembola within a landscape. Our results strongly differ from those obtained for other invertebrate groups, highlighting on the one hand the very diverse reactions of invertebrates to a common factor, and on the other hand the need to survey more than one taxa in order to draw conclusions on effects of land-use change on faunistic communities.

Agricultural management is a major factor driving the change of faunal richness in anthropogenic landscapes. Thus, there is an urgent need to develop tools that allow decision-makers to understand better intended and unintended effects of agricultural policy measures on biodiversity. Here we demonstrate the potential of such a tool by combining a socio-economic model with the biodiversity model GEPARD to forecast the response of bird and carabid species richness to two scenarios of agricultural subsidies: (1) subsidies based on production levels and prices and (2) direct income support that is independent of production levels. We focussed on farmland of the Lahn-Dill area, Germany, as an example of European regions with low intensity farming. GEPARD predicts faunal richness and is based on multi-scaled resource-selection functions. Under both scenarios the area of predicted losses in species richness of birds and carabids was larger than the area of predicted gains in species richness. However, the area with predicted losses of avian richness was smaller under the direct income support scenario than under the production-based subsidy scenario, whereas the area with predicted losses of carabid species richness was smaller under the production-based subsidy scenario than under the direct income support. Yet locally, richness gains of up to four species were predicted for carabids under both scenarios. We conclude that the sometimes contrasting and heterogeneous responses of birds and carabids at different localities suggest the need for spatially targeted subsidy schemes. With the help of the GIS-based approach presented in this study, prediction maps on potential changes in local and regional species richness can be easily generated.

Whilst life cycle assessment (LCA) boundaries are expanded to account for negative indirect consequences of bioenergy such as indirect land use change (ILUC), ecosystem services such as water purification sometimes delivered by perennial bioenergy crops are typically neglected in LCA studies. Consequential LCA was applied to evaluate the significance of nutrient interception and retention on the environmental balance of unfertilised energy willow planted on 50-m riparian buffer strips and drainage filtration zones in the Skåne region of Sweden. Excluding possible ILUC effects and considering oil heat substitution, strategically planted filter willow can achieve net global warming potential (GWP) and eutrophication potential (EP) savings of up to 11.9 Mg CO2e and 47 kg PO4e ha−1 year−1, respectively, compared with a GWP saving of 14.8 Mg CO2e ha−1 year−1 and an EP increase of 7 kg PO4e ha−1 year−1 for fertilised willow. Planting willow on appropriate buffer and filter zones throughout Skåne could avoid 626 Mg year−1 PO4e nutrient loading to waters.

The paper deals with the long-term development (55 years) of oribatid communities (Acari) during grassland succession following the conversion of arable fields. The study was carried out on a chronosequence of temperate grassland sites in the Lahn-Dill-Bergland (Central Hesse, Germany). The “space-for-time” substitution method was applied. Increasing abundance at early stages of the conversion process (until the age of 13–28 years) points to release from the stress exerted by arable management. Saturation of abundance and richness indicates strong limiting forces acting upon the oribatid community at intermediate and late stages of succession. The continuous increase in the dominance of surface-dwelling and non-specialized species suggests a considerable change in the nature of these limiting forces during the successional process. General Regression Model (GRM) analysis revealed an increasing impact of external factors on the oribatid community during grassland succession, and a shift in the major driving forces determining oribatid abundance from soil conditions to vegetation conditions and then to a combined effect of both soil and vegetation conditions.

The creation of small-scale vegetation mosaics by mound building is an important aspect of ant activity in grasslands. The consequences of this process for the composition of the viable soil seed bank are poorly understood. In this study we quantified the impact of the yellow ant Lasius flavus on both aboveground vegetation and seed bank of a low-intensity pasture located in the Vogelsberg area (Hesse, Germany). A few species of the mound vegetation (mainly therophytes) were restricted to the mounds, but most species also occurred in the surrounding area. The seed bank of ant mounds differed from that of the pasture soil between the mounds, with the abundance of germinating seeds being twice as high in the mounds. This was mainly due to the very large number of seeds originating from winter annuals and Thymus pulegioides. Seed abundance of most other species was lower in the mounds. Our results showed that this is partly due to dispersule weight limiting dispersal of seeds from the surrounding vegetation onto the mounds.

Summary The brachypterous carabid beetle Carabus auratus was chosen as an indicator organism for analysing the relationship between landscape composition and population genetic structure (AFLP) in an agricultural region. We selected eight landscape sections with different landscape composition. The landscapes were analysed in 7 radii ranging from 500 to 2000 m (step size: 250 m). It is shown that the population as a whole exhibits a moderate genetic differentiation with geographically restricted genetic exchange. Genetic diversity of local populations is high. It is positively associated with increasing numbers of migrants estimated from the molecular data. This indicates that even widespread species with a presumed low dispersal capacity may exhibit high levels of genetic exchange at larger spatial scales. The availability of grassland within the landscape sections enhanced genetic diversity of local populations at larger spatial scales and explained over 50% of the observed genetic diversity. Thus, the unexpectedly high genetic exchange of C. auratus critically depends on the availability of suitable landscape features. Our results emphasise the need to take into account the adverse effects of ongoing changes in landscape composition on the genetic diversity even of widespread species when aiming at conserving genetic and functional diversity in agricultural landscapes.

This study investigates the impact of past and present landscape structure on the current genetic structure of the bush-cricket Metrioptera roeseli (Orthoptera, Tettigoniidae) in a rural landscape in Germany. Assuming that land-use types, such as grassland, arable land and forest, as well as linear structures, mainly roads, differentially affect the connectivity of the bush-cricket's habitat and therefore migration and gene flow, we correlated landscape parameters between sampling locations as derived from GIS-maps with genetic similarities between individual bush-crickets as estimated by RAPD-PCR. Fifty bush-crickets were sampled with distances between sampling locations varying between 15 m and 2 km. Corresponding landscape configurations were recorded in 8 years between 1945 and 1998. Landscape configuration 50 years ago appeared to have influenced the present genetic structure of the bush-cricket (R 2 = 0.18). Crossing roads and land use other than grassland along the transect between sampling locations tended to decrease genetic similarity, whereas grassland and parallel roads tended to increase genetic similarity between bush-crickets. Following shifts in land use during 1953–1973 the correlation between landscape and present genetic structure decreased gradually. Our study suggests that it needs time for the landscape to build a visible effect on the genetic structure of the bush-cricket population, and that this effect cannot be detected if the landscape changes faster than the genetic structure responds to it.

Seminatural grasslands in Europe are susceptible to habitat destruction and fragmentation that result in negative effects on biodiversity because of increased isolation and area effects on extinction rate. However, even small habitat patches of seminatural grasslands might be of value for conservation and restoration of species richness in a landscape with a long history of management, which has been argued to lead to high species richness. We tested whether ant communities have been negatively affected by habitat loss and increased isolation of seminatural grasslands during the twentieth century. We examined species richness and community composition in seminatural grasslands of different size in a mosaic landscape in Central Sweden. Grasslands managed continuously over centuries harbored species-rich and ecologically diverse ant communities. Grassland remnant size had no effect on ant species richness. Small grassland remnants did not harbor a nested subset of the ant species of larger habitats. Community composition of ants was mainly affected by habitat conditions. Our results suggest that the abandonment of traditional land use and the encroachment of trees, rather than the effects of fragmentation, are important for species composition in seminatural grasslands. Our results highlight the importance of considering land-use continuity and dispersal ability of the focal organisms when examining the effects of habitat loss and fragmentation on biodiversity. Landscape history should be considered in conservation programs focusing on effects of land-use change.