Effects of agriculture expansion and intensification on the vertebrate and invertebrate diversity in the Pampas of Argentina
By D. Medan, J. P. Torretta, K. Hodara, E. B. Fuente, Norberto H. Montaldo. Biodiversity and Conservation, 2011
173 citations recorded by the source corpus.
In this paper we summarize for the first time the effects of agriculture expansion and intensification on animal diversity in the Pampas of Argentina and discuss research needs for biodiversity conservation in the area. The Pampas experienced little human intervention until the last decades of the 19th century. Agriculture expanded quickly during the 20th century, transforming grasslands into cropland and pasture lands and converting the landscape into a mosaic of natural fragments, agricultural fields, and linear habitats. In the 1980s, agriculture intensification and replacement of cattle grazing-cropping systems by continuous cropping promoted a renewed homogenisation of the most productive areas. Birds and carnivores were more strongly affected than rodents and insects, but responses varied within groups: (a) the geographic ranges and/or abundances of many native species were reduced, including those of carnivores, herbivores, and specialist species (grassland-adapted birds and rodents, and probably specialized pollinators), sometimes leading to regional extinction (birds and large carnivores), (b) other native species were unaffected (birds) or benefited (bird, rodent and possibly generalist pollinator and crop-associated insect species), (c) novel species were introduced, thus increasing species richness of most groups (26% of non-rodent mammals, 11.1% of rodents, 6.2% of birds, 0.8% of pollinators). Much taxonomic and ecological work is still needed to understand Pampean animal biodiversity, to understand how agriculturization is affecting it, and to identify appropriate conservation actions. Networks of Important Bird Areas and Valuable Grassland Areas harbor a balanced representation of Pampean biodiversity and, if adequately protected, may provide valuable research sites, but complementary work should be carried out on agriculturized areas.
Subfields: Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics, Nature and Landscape Conservation, Plant Science
View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/20c35b46372312888251ff1dbf8bb6cecaeae81c
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In Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
In Nature and Landscape Conservation
- V. Devictor
- Frédéric Jiguet
- A. Mimet
- F. Chiron
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- A. Jeliazkov
- Romain Julliard
- Denis Couvet
In Plant Science
Citations in the corpus
- Impacts of agricultural intensification on bird communities: New insights from a multi-level and multi-facet approach of biodiversity (2016, background): “Landscape homogenisation is usually described based on two features: land use intensification (Flynn et al., 2009) and agriculture expansion (Medan et al., 2011).”
- Land use change and ecosystem service provision in Pampas and Campos grasslands of southern South America (2016, background): “…risora), EskimoCurlew (Numenius borealis) and Austral Rail (Rallus antarcticus)) and three carnivore species (Puma (Puma concolor), Jaguar (Panthera onca) and Maned wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus)) were considered regionally extinct due to hunting and agricultural expansion (Medan et al 2011).”