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Trade‐offs in the provisioning and stability of ecosystem services in agroecosystems
Author(s) -
Montoya Daniel,
Haegeman Bart,
Gaba Sabrina,
Mazancourt Claire,
Bretagnolle Vincent,
Loreau Michel
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
ecological applications
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.864
H-Index - 213
eISSN - 1939-5582
pISSN - 1051-0761
DOI - 10.1002/eap.1853
Subject(s) - ecosystem services , pollination , biodiversity , agroecosystem , provisioning , agriculture , agroforestry , ecosystem , ecological stability , ecology , pollinator , business , environmental resource management , environmental science , biology , engineering , pollen , telecommunications
Changes in land use generate trade‐offs in the delivery of ecosystem services in agricultural landscapes. However, we know little about how the stability of ecosystem services responds to landscape composition, and what ecological mechanisms underlie these trade‐offs. Here, we develop a model to investigate the dynamics of three ecosystem services in intensively managed agroecosystems, i.e., pollination‐independent crop yield, crop pollination, and biodiversity. Our model reveals trade‐offs and synergies imposed by landscape composition that affect not only the magnitude but also the stability of ecosystem service delivery. Trade‐offs involving crop pollination are strongly affected by the degree to which crops depend on pollination and by their relative requirement for pollinator densities. We show conditions for crop production to increase with biodiversity and decreasing crop area, reconciling farmers’ profitability and biodiversity conservation. Our results further suggest that, for pollination‐dependent crops, management strategies that focus on maximizing yield will often overlook its stability. Given that agriculture has become more pollination‐dependent over time, it is essential to understand the mechanisms driving these trade‐offs to ensure food security.