Arthropod biodiversity in European crops: Representative taxa for pest control and pollination
Arthropod biodiversity is critical for sustaining essential ecosystem services such as pest control and pollination, which underpin agricultural productivity. In Europe, agricultural intensification has led to significant changes in land use, contributing to the decline of terrestrial arthropods. Th...
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Elsevier
2025-09-01
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| Series: | Ecological Indicators |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470160X2501012X |
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| author | Grzegorz Sowa Steven T.J. Droge José Paulo Sousa Lorraine Maltby |
| author_facet | Grzegorz Sowa Steven T.J. Droge José Paulo Sousa Lorraine Maltby |
| author_sort | Grzegorz Sowa |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Arthropod biodiversity is critical for sustaining essential ecosystem services such as pest control and pollination, which underpin agricultural productivity. In Europe, agricultural intensification has led to significant changes in land use, contributing to the decline of terrestrial arthropods. This study quantifies the contributions of above‐ground, non‐target arthropods to these services across nine major European crops, six annual and three perennial, spanning 27 EU member states and a range of climatic and landscape conditions. Our analysis revealed that pest control assemblages (i.e. predators and parasitoids) were primarily composed of Coleoptera, Araneae, Diptera, and Hymenoptera, whereas pollination was mainly supported by Lepidoptera, Hymenoptera, and Diptera. Perennial crops generally harboured greater arthropod diversity, reflecting the benefits of more stable and structurally complex habitats. In contrast, specific pest control taxa, including ladybirds (Coccinellidae) and hoverflies (Syrphidae), were more abundant in annual crop systems, highlighting dynamic pest–prey interactions. Geographical variations in arthropod assemblages underscore the influence of climatic conditions and landscape features, suggesting that pest control assemblages are more region-specific, while pollinator assemblages exhibit less variation across zones. Key indicator taxa including families Braconidae, Ichneumonidae and Syrphidae, as well as genera Erigone and Coccinella were identified, for their ecosystem service roles across crops and zones providing robust metrics for environmental risk assessments and management of plant protection products. These findings support the integration of biodiversity monitoring with adaptive management strategies, offering a novel methodological framework for the development of ecological indicators that can inform sustainable agricultural practices and regulatory policies in European agroecosystems. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-9fda8306df5e4394bdc2fa7fc365dcf5 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1470-160X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-09-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Ecological Indicators |
| spelling | doaj-art-9fda8306df5e4394bdc2fa7fc365dcf52025-08-23T04:47:46ZengElsevierEcological Indicators1470-160X2025-09-0117811408010.1016/j.ecolind.2025.114080Arthropod biodiversity in European crops: Representative taxa for pest control and pollinationGrzegorz Sowa0Steven T.J. Droge1José Paulo Sousa2Lorraine Maltby3School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK; Corresponding author.Wageningen Environmental Research, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, Droevendaalsesteeg 3a, 6708PB, NetherlandsCentre for Functional Ecology, Associate Laboratory TERRA, Department of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, PortugalSchool of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TN, UKArthropod biodiversity is critical for sustaining essential ecosystem services such as pest control and pollination, which underpin agricultural productivity. In Europe, agricultural intensification has led to significant changes in land use, contributing to the decline of terrestrial arthropods. This study quantifies the contributions of above‐ground, non‐target arthropods to these services across nine major European crops, six annual and three perennial, spanning 27 EU member states and a range of climatic and landscape conditions. Our analysis revealed that pest control assemblages (i.e. predators and parasitoids) were primarily composed of Coleoptera, Araneae, Diptera, and Hymenoptera, whereas pollination was mainly supported by Lepidoptera, Hymenoptera, and Diptera. Perennial crops generally harboured greater arthropod diversity, reflecting the benefits of more stable and structurally complex habitats. In contrast, specific pest control taxa, including ladybirds (Coccinellidae) and hoverflies (Syrphidae), were more abundant in annual crop systems, highlighting dynamic pest–prey interactions. Geographical variations in arthropod assemblages underscore the influence of climatic conditions and landscape features, suggesting that pest control assemblages are more region-specific, while pollinator assemblages exhibit less variation across zones. Key indicator taxa including families Braconidae, Ichneumonidae and Syrphidae, as well as genera Erigone and Coccinella were identified, for their ecosystem service roles across crops and zones providing robust metrics for environmental risk assessments and management of plant protection products. These findings support the integration of biodiversity monitoring with adaptive management strategies, offering a novel methodological framework for the development of ecological indicators that can inform sustainable agricultural practices and regulatory policies in European agroecosystems.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470160X2501012XEcosystem servicesAgroecosystemsEnvironmental risk assessmentBeneficial insects |
| spellingShingle | Grzegorz Sowa Steven T.J. Droge José Paulo Sousa Lorraine Maltby Arthropod biodiversity in European crops: Representative taxa for pest control and pollination Ecological Indicators Ecosystem services Agroecosystems Environmental risk assessment Beneficial insects |
| title | Arthropod biodiversity in European crops: Representative taxa for pest control and pollination |
| title_full | Arthropod biodiversity in European crops: Representative taxa for pest control and pollination |
| title_fullStr | Arthropod biodiversity in European crops: Representative taxa for pest control and pollination |
| title_full_unstemmed | Arthropod biodiversity in European crops: Representative taxa for pest control and pollination |
| title_short | Arthropod biodiversity in European crops: Representative taxa for pest control and pollination |
| title_sort | arthropod biodiversity in european crops representative taxa for pest control and pollination |
| topic | Ecosystem services Agroecosystems Environmental risk assessment Beneficial insects |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470160X2501012X |
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