Ecosystem services–biodiversity relationships depend on land use type in floodplain agroecosystems. (July 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Felipe-Lucia, María R.; Comín, Francisco A.
• Is Part Of: Land use policy. Volume 46(2015:May)
• Page Start: 201
• Page End: 210
• Publication Date: 2015-07
• Subjects: Ecosystem services -- Plant diversity -- Land management policies -- Riparian habitat -- Floodplain -- Multifunctional; Land use -- Periodicals; Land use -- Government policy -- Periodicals; Sol, Utilisation du -- Périodiques; Sol, Utilisation du -- Politique gouvernementale -- Périodiques; Electronic journals; 333.7305
• DOI: 10.1016/j.landusepol.2015.02.003
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0264-8377

Abstract

Highlights: Natural habitats supplied more services and biodiversity than cultivated land use types. Most ecosystem services strongly correlated to plant diversity indexes. Several measures of biodiversity unravel the type of interactions with ecosystem services. Specific policies are required for each land use type. At floodplain scale a mosaic of land uses helps enhance both targets. Abstract: Managing agricultural floodplains to meet present and future human requirements without jeopardizing biodiversity conservation is a challenge for land use planners and ecologists. This paper aims to disentangle the relationships between ecosystem services and biodiversity in multifunctional landscapes, such as floodplain agroecosystems, by disaggregating their values across land use types. We measured eight ecosystem services (gas regulation, soil formation, nutrient regulation, habitat provision, food provision, raw materials production, education, and recreation) and six plant diversity indexes (richness, abundance, and true diversity for both plant species and growth forms) in seven land use types identified in the floodplain of the River Piedra (Spain). We observed that all land use types provided services to some extent, but each one was better at providing certain services. Natural or semi-natural habitats provided more services and hosted greater diversity than cultivated land use types. In addition, five diversity indexes were strongly correlated to at least three ecosystem services each one. Habitat provision and education were the ecosystem services positively correlating to most diversity indexes, whereas food provision was negatively correlated to all diversity indexes. Moreover, analyzing the interactions between ecosystem services and biodiversity across land use types, we observed that land use type was the controlling factor regarding the sign and significance of the interaction. The results of this study suggest that, in floodplains agroecosystems, a mosaic landscape of different land use types helps support ecosystem services and contributes to maintaining biodiversity while using local resources. Such land use policies might manage agricultural floodplains at the landscape scale while still being able to accommodate specific measures for each land use type. Moreover, riparian forests should be preserved and restored across the floodplain as they are hot spots for biodiversity and ecosystem services provision.