High plant diversity improves grassland ecosystem services

Venderbos, Rob (2020) High plant diversity improves grassland ecosystem services. Bachelor's Thesis, Biology.

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Abstract

Agricultural intensification aimed to increase yields has caused fast declines in biodiversity at temperate European dairy farmland. The cost of decreased ecosystem service provisioning caused by this is usually not considered. Changes in especially the lower trophic levels have a strong influence on ecosystem functioning. I conducted a literature review to provide an overview of potential benefits from increased plant diversity in temperate European grasslands. Extensive evidence shows plant diversity improves grassland yields and yield stability, mediating, or at very high plant diversity potentially eliminating, the yield reduction common in agri-environmental schemes. Grassland plant diversity increases pollinator diversity, improving pollination in nearby crops, improving yield. In a positive feedback loop, improved pollination could potentially play a role in maintaining or even further increasing plant diversity. Grassland plant diversity decreases vulnerability to diseases and increases biocontrol of pests by increasing predator diversity, increasing the relative abundance of predators and maintaining higher predator numbers by providing alternative prey. Grassland plant diversity increases belowground carbon storage, an effect that grows stronger with increased plant species richness increases and with time. Limited evidence suggests grassland plant diversity increases drought resistance, though here uncertainty remains. The strength of the diversity effect increases

Item Type:	Thesis (Bachelor's Thesis)
Supervisor name:	Piersma, T.
Degree programme:	Biology
Thesis type:	Bachelor's Thesis
Language:	English
Date Deposited:	13 May 2020 10:49
Last Modified:	13 May 2020 10:49
URI:	https://fse.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/21871

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