Multiple ecosystem services from field margin vegetation for ecological sustainability in agriculture: scientific evidence and knowledge gaps

Prisila A Mkenda; Patrick A Ndakidemi; Ernest Mbega; Philip C Stevenson; Sarah E J Arnold; Geoff M Gurr; Steven R Belmain

doi:10.7717/peerj.8091

Multiple ecosystem services from field margin vegetation for ecological sustainability in agriculture: scientific evidence and knowledge gaps

PeerJ. 2019 Nov 28:7:e8091. doi: 10.7717/peerj.8091. eCollection 2019.

Authors

Prisila A Mkenda^{1

2

3}, Patrick A Ndakidemi¹, Ernest Mbega¹, Philip C Stevenson^{4

5}, Sarah E J Arnold⁴, Geoff M Gurr^{2

6}, Steven R Belmain⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Sustainable Agriculture, Biodiversity and Ecosystems Management, Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology, Arusha, Tanzania.
² School of Agricultural and Wine Sciences, Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga, NSW, Australia.
³ Department of Biosciences, Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro, Tanzania.
⁴ Natural Resources Institute, University of Greenwich, Chatham Maritime, Kent, UK.
⁵ Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, UK.
⁶ Institute of Applied Ecology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China.

Abstract

Background: Field margin and non-crop vegetation in agricultural systems are potential ecosystem services providers because they offer semi-natural habitats for both below and above ground animal groups such as soil organisms, small mammals, birds and arthropods that are service supplying units. They are considered as a target area for enhancing farm biodiversity.

Methodology: To explore the multiple potential benefits of these semi-natural habitats and to identify research trends and knowledge gaps globally, a review was carried out following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. A total of 235 publications from the year 2000 to 2016 in the Scopus and Web of Science databases were reviewed.

Results: The literature showed an increasing trend in the number of published articles over time with European studies leading in the proportion of studies conducted, followed by North America, Asia, South America, Africa and Australia. Several functional groups of organisms were studied from field margin and non-crop vegetation around agricultural lands including natural enemies (37%), insect pests (22%), birds (17%), pollinators (16%), soil macro fauna (4%) and small mammals (4%). Ecosystem services derived from the field margin included natural pest regulation, pollination, nutrient cycling and reduced offsite erosion. Some field margin plants were reported to host detrimental crop pests, a major ecosystem dis-service, potentially leading to increased pest infestation in the field.

Conclusion: The majority of studies revealed the importance of field margin and non-crop vegetation around arable fields in enhancing ecosystem biodiversity. Promotion of field margin plants that selectively enhance the population of beneficial organisms would support sustainable food security rather than simply boosting plant diversity. Our analyses also highlight that agro-ecological studies remain largely overlooked in some regions.

Keywords: Agro-ecological intensification; Biodiversity; Biological control; Insect–plant interactions; Predation; Sustainable agriculture.

Grants and funding

Steven R. Belmain has received research grants from the McKnight Foundation (#13-335 and #17-070). Geoff M. Gurr has received research funding from the McKnight Foundation (#15-111) and Philip C. Stevenson has received research funding from the BBSRC-Global Challenges Research Fund (BB/R020361/1) and Darwin Initiative (#22-012). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.