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Bees are a functionally important and economically valuable group, but are threatened by land‐use conversion and intensification. Such pressures are not expected to affect all species identically; rather, they are likely to be mediated by the species' ecological traits. Understanding which types of species are most vulnerable under which land uses is an important step towards effective conservation planning. We collated occurrence and abundance data for 257 bee species at 1584 European sites from surveys reported in 30 published papers (70 056 records) and combined them with species‐level ecological trait data. We used mixed‐effects models to assess the importance of land use (land‐use class, agricultural use‐intensity and a remotely‐sensed measure of vegetation), traits and trait × land‐use interactions, in explaining species occurrence and abundance. Species' sensitivity to land use was most strongly influenced by flight season duration and foraging range, but also by niche breadth, reproductive strategy and phenology, with effects that differed among cropland, pastoral and urban habitats. Synthesis and applications. Rather than targeting particular species or settings, conservation actions may be more effective if focused on mitigating situations where species' traits strongly and negatively interact with land‐use pressures. We find evidence that low‐intensity agriculture can maintain relatively diverse bee communities; in more intensive settings, added floral resources may be beneficial, but will require careful placement with respect to foraging ranges of smaller bee species. Protection of semi‐natural habitats is essential, however; in particular, conversion to urban environments could have severe effects on bee diversity and pollination services. Our results highlight the importance of exploring how ecological traits mediate species responses to human impacts, but further research is needed to enhance the predictive ability of such analyses.

Fungi are one of the most diverse taxonomic groups on the planet, but much of their diversity and community organization remains unknown, especially at local scales. Indeed, a consensus on how fungal communities change across spatial or temporal gradients—beta diversity—remains nascent. Here, we use a data set of plant-associated fungal communities (leaf, root, and soil) across multiple land uses from a New Zealand–wide study to look at fungal community turnover at small spatial scales (<1 km). Using hierarchical Bayesian beta regressions and Hill-number–based diversity profiles, we show that fungal communities are often markedly dissimilar at even small distances, regardless of land use. Moreover, diversity profile plots indicate that leaf, root, and soil-associated communities show different patterns in the dominance or rarity of dissimilar species. Leaf-associated communities differed from site to site in their low-abundance species, whereas root-associated communities differed between sites in the dominant species; soil-associated communities were intermediate. Land-use differences were largely driven by the lower turnover between high-productivity grassland sites. Further, we discuss the implications and benefits of using diversity profile plots of turnover to draw inferences into the mechanisms of how communities are structured across spatial gradients.

By regulating populations of herbivores, predators can indirectly influence plant production. However, the factors influencing the strength of this type of trophic cascade are still unclear. We hypothesized that changes to plant community structure would affect the number of avian predators, thereby mediating cascade strength. Using a 4-yr, blocked, splitplot experiment, we independently manipulated both predators (birds) and plants in an early seral managed forest system in western Oregon, USA, and measured abundance across three trophic levels. We applied herbicides, as a surrogate for land-use intensification, to recently clear-cut stands to establish an experimental gradient in plant abundance and species richness, and excluded birds using 28, 225 m² exclosures. In total, we counted and identified 94,738 arthropods of 141 families in paired control and bird exclosure plots. On average, insectivorous birds reduced arthropod abundance by 16% and plant damage by 14%, and some well-known pests (e.g., Adelges cooleyi) of crop trees (mostly Pseudotsuga menziesii) in our system were reduced by as much as 30%. However, this effect did not translate into a trophic cascade that increased crop-tree growth in the presence of birds. We experimentally reduced plant abundance and diversity by 67% and 55%, respectively, in the most intensive herbicide treatment in relation to untreated controls, but reduced vegetative resources did not change the strength of the direct effect of birds on arthropods or the indirect effect of birds on plants.

Summary Trait‐based approaches represent a promising way to understand how trophic interactions shape animal communities. The approach relies on the identification of the traits that mediate the linkages between adjacent trophic levels, i.e. ‘trait‐matching’. Yet, how trait‐matching explains the abundance and diversity of animal communities has been barely explored. This question may be particularly critical in the context of land‐use intensification, currently threatening biodiversity and associated ecosystem services. We collected a large dataset on plant and grasshopper traits from communities living in 204 grasslands, in an intensively managed agricultural landscape. We used a multi‐trait approach to quantify the relative contributions of trait‐matching and land‐use intensification acting at both local and landscape scales on grasshopper functional diversity. We considered two key independent functional traits: incisor strength and body size of grasshopper species. Incisor strength, a resource‐acquisition trait, strongly matches grasshopper feeding niche. Body size correlates with mobility traits, and may determine grasshopper dispersal abilities. Plant functional diversity positively impacted the diversity of grasshopper resource‐acquisition traits, according to the degree of trait‐matching observed between plants and herbivores. However, this positive effect was significantly higher in old grasslands. In addition, the presence of specific habitats in the landscape (i.e. wood and alfalfa) strongly enhanced grasshopper resource‐acquisition trait diversity in the focal grassland. Finally, grasshopper body size increased with landscape simplification, although the response was modulated by local factors such as soil depth. Trait‐matching between plants and herbivores was an important driver explaining the abundance and diversity of resource‐acquisition traits within grasshopper communities. However, the presence of specific habitats in the surrounding landscape had also a strong influence on herbivore functional diversity in grasslands. Our study suggests that also mass effects are a central mechanism promoting higher functional diversity within animal communities in highly disturbed anthropogenic systems. A lay summary is available for this article. Lay Summary

1. Land-use change is an important component of global environmental change and a major driver of current declines in biodiversity. Although there is increasing evidence that species can evolve rapidly in response to anthropogenic environmental change, comprehensive studies of the evolutionary consequences of land use are still fairly scarce, in particular such that consider multiple species, study many populations, or that discriminate between different aspects of land use. 2. Here, we studied genetic change of key phenotypic traits in response to land use in eight common grassland species across 137 grassland sites covering a broad range of land-use types (mowing and/or grazing, with or without fertilization) and intensities in three regions of Germany. 3. A common garden study revealed significant genetic differentiation in response to land-use intensification within all of the investigated species. Among the studied land-use processes, mowing appeared to have the strongest effect on the differentiation of plant phenotypes, with flowering phenology as the most responsive trait. However, there was substantial variation among species in the magnitude, sometimes also the direction of the observed population differentiation. 4. Synthesis. Our study demonstrates that evolutionary responses of grassland plants to land-use change are a common phenomenon and widespread across a broad range of different species. These evolutionary changes are likely to impact biotic interactions, as well as the structure and functioning of communities and ecosystems.

Grasslands are among the most biodiverse and ecologically important ecosystems, and yet, they are increasingly threatened by land‐use intensification and biodiversity loss. Addressing these challenges requires a holistic approach that integrates knowledge across disciplines and actively engages stakeholders beyond academia. This article explores the role of collaboration, interdisciplinarity, and transdisciplinarity in grassland research, with a focus on two German key projects. The Biodiversity Exploratories are one of the largest long‐term research projects investigating biodiversity and ecosystem function across land‐use gradients. The BioDivKultur project examines the effects of mowing on grassland arthropods by bridging various academic and practical perspectives. Both projects highlight how integrated research approaches can generate scientifically rigorous and socially relevant solutions for biodiversity conservation while also revealing the practical and conceptual challenges of such cooperation. This article emphasizes the need for sustained cooperation, mutual learning, and effective knowledge transfer to bridge science and practice in addressing the complex, multifaceted issues of grassland ecosystems. Levels of holistic research integration for transformative impact in grassland conservation. The diagram illustrates a progression from single‐discipline research to collaborative, interdisciplinary, and transdisciplinary approaches, while knowledge transfer bridges science and society.

Tropical ecosystems are globally important for bird diversity. In many tropical regions, land-use intensification has caused conversion of natural forests into human-modified habitats, such as secondary forests and heterogeneous agricultural landscapes. Despite previous research, the distribution of bird communities in these forest-farmland mosaics is not well understood. To achieve a comprehensive understanding of bird diversity and community turnover in a human-modified Kenyan landscape, we recorded bird communities at 20 sites covering the complete habitat gradient from forest (near natural forest, secondary forest) to farmland (subsistence farmland, sugarcane plantation) using point counts and distance sampling. Bird density and species richness were on average higher in farmland than in forest habitats. Within forest and farmland, bird density and species richness increased with vegetation structural diversity, i.e., were higher in near natural than in secondary forest and in subsistence farmland than in sugarcane plantations. Bird communities in forest and farmland habitats were very distinct and very few forest specialists occurred in farmland habitats. Moreover, insectivorous bird species declined in farmland habitats whereas carnivores and herbivores increased. Our study confirms that tropical farmlands can hardly accommodate forest specialist species. Contrary to most previous studies, our findings show that structurally rich tropical farmlands hold a surprisingly rich and distinct bird community that is threatened by conversion of subsistence farmland into sugarcane plantations. We conclude that conservation strategies in the tropics must go beyond rain forest protection and should integrate structurally heterogeneous agroecosystems into conservation plans that aim at maintaining the diverse bird communities of tropical forest-farmland mosaics.

Question: Plant functional traits have the potential to characterize species ecological strategies and predict ecosystem responses to environmental changes. (1) Do trait responses to land-use intensification alter trait-based species rankings, and (2) does land-use intensification alter relationships among interrelated leaf traits? Location: Solling Mountains, Central Germany (Grassland management experiment, GrassMan). Methods: Over the course of 2 yr with differing weather conditions, we analysed the specific leaf area (SLA) of eight grassland species and related it to leaf nitrogen per mass (N mass ) or area (N area ) in an old-growth grassland with two fertilization levels (none vs NPK fertilization, 180-30-100 kg·ha⁻¹·yr⁻¹) and two cutting frequencies (one vs three cuts per season). Results: NPK fertilization led to an expected increase in SLA, N mass and N area , while the effect of altered cutting frequency on leaf traits was more species-specific. Species-specific responses to management significantly altered trait-based species rankings. A significant SLA—N mass relationship occurred in unfertilized plots, whereas the SLA—N area relationship was stronger in fertilized plots. This was mostly caused by a decrease in the among-species variation in N mass upon fertilization. Conclusions: Although our results reflect only short-term community responses, they indicate that trait-based species ranking and the relationships between plant functional traits are not always consistent across different management regimes. Hence, trait values used to characterize species and communities should never be discussed without consideration of the set of environmental conditions under which they were measured.

1. Research addressing the effects of habitat fragmentation on species, assemblages or eco-systems has been fraught with difficulties, from its conceptual foundation to statistical analyses and interpretation. Yet, it is critical to address such challenges as ecosystems are rapidly being altered across the world. 2. Many studies have concluded that effects of habitat loss exceed those of fragmentation per se, that is, the degree to which a given amount of habitat is broken apart. There is also evidence from different biomes and taxa that habitat configuration, that is, the spatial arrangement of habitat at a given time, may influence several landscape processes such as functional connectivity, edge and matrix effects, and thus population viability. 3. Instead of focusing attention on the relative influence of either habitat loss or fragmentation, we must identify portions of the gradient in habitat amount where configuration effects are most likely to be observed. Here, we suggest that all species are, to a certain degree, sensitive to landscape change and that, assuming a homogeneous matrix, habitat configuration will have a higher influence on species at intermediate values of habitat amount, where configuration has potentially the greatest variability. 4. On the basis of empirical studies and simulations, we expect that species that are relatively tolerant to fragmentation of their habitat will exhibit a wider band where amount and configuration interact compared to species less tolerant to fragmentation. 5. Synthesis and applications. Reducing habitat loss should be a top priority for conservation planners. However, researchers should also investigate the indirect impacts of habitat loss on biodiversity through fragmentation effects. This research aims to identify windows of opportunity where habitat configuration can mitigate to some extent the effects of habitat loss, particularly through the maintenance of functional connectivity.

Honey bees (Apis mellifera L.) show a large variation in foraging distances and use a broad range of plant species as pollen resources, even in regions with intensive agriculture. However, it is unknown how increasing areas of mass-flowering crops like oilseed rape (Brassica napus; OSR) or a decrease of seminatural habitats (SNH) change the temporal and spatial availability of pollen resources for honey bee colonies, and thus foraging distances and frequency in different habitat types. We studied pollen foraging of honey bee colonies in 16 agricultural landscapes with independent gradients of OSR and SNH area within 2 km and used waggle dances and digital geographic maps with major land cover types to reveal the distance and visited habitat type on a landscape level. Mean pollen foraging distance of 1347 decoded bee dances was 1015 m (± 26 m; SEM). In spring, increasing area of flowering OSR within 2 km reduced mean pollen foraging distances from 1324 m to only 435 m. In summer, increasing cover of SNH areas close to the colonies (within 200 m radius) reduced mean pollen foraging distances from 846 to 469 m. Frequency of pollen foragers per habitat type, measured as the number of dances per hour and hectare, was equally high for SNH, grassland, and OSR fields, but lower for other crops and forests. In landscapes with a small proportion of SNH a significantly higher density of pollen foragers on SNH was observed, indicating that pollen resources in such simple agricultural landscapes are more limited. Overall, we conclude that SNH and mass-flowering crops can reduce foraging distances of honey bee colonies at different scales and seasons with possible benefits for the performance of honey bee colonies. Further, mixed agricultural landscapes with a high proportion of SNH reduce foraging densities of honey bees in SNH and thus possible competition for pollen resources.