Intensive agriculture has major negative impacts on ecosystem diversity and functioning, including that of soils. The associated reduction soil biodiversity essential functions, such as nutrient cycling, can restrict plant growth crop yield. By increasing in agricultural systems, intercropping could be a promising way to foster microbial functioning. However, plant–microbe interactions the extent which they influence yield under field conditions are still poorly understood. In this study, we...

Climate change is driving species' range shifts, which are in turn disrupting species interactions due to species-specific differences their abilities migrate response climate. We evaluated the consequences of asynchronous shifts an alpine plant-pollinator community by transplanting replicated meadow turfs downslope along elevational gradient thereby introducing them warmer climates and novel plant pollinator communities. asked how these affect reproduction. found that communities differed...

Abstract Implementing sustainable weed control strategies is a major challenge in agriculture. Intercropping offers potential solution to pressure by reducing the resources available for weeds; however, research on relationship between crop diversity and its consequences yield not yet fully conclusive. In this study, we performed an extensive intercropping experiment using eight species 40 different mixtures examine how affects communities subsequent changes weeds influence yield. Mesocosm...

Abstract Inspired by grassland biodiversity experiments studying the impact of plant diversity on primary productivity, Crop Diversity Experiment setup in 2018 aimed at testing whether these benefits also hold for annual crop systems and mixtures achieved transgressive overyielding, i.e. yield mixture that was higher than most productive monoculture. The first 3 years experiment demonstrated do not only increase compared with an average monoculture but often highest yielding effects were...

Variety mixtures represent a promising option to sustainably increase the productivity of grain cropping systems, but underlying processes driving potential yield benefits remain poorly understood. Notably, role variety-specific phenotypic changes in - defined here as plasticity and their effects on plant-plant interactions has scarcely been evaluated. Here, we examined trait responses 8 Swiss wheat varieties when grown mixtures, how these plastic contributed overyielding, complementarity...

Intercropping, i.e., the simultaneous cultivation of different crops on same field, has demonstrated yield advantages compared to monoculture cropping. These have often been attributed complementary resource use, but few studies quantified temporal complementarity nutrient acquisition and biomass production. Our understanding how uptake rates nitrogen (N) phosphorous (P) accumulation change throughout growing season between neighbors is limited. We conducted weekly destructive harvests...

Increasing biodiversity generally enhances productivity through selection and complementarity effects not only in natural, but also agricultural, systems. However, the quest to explain why diverse cropping systems are more productive than monocultures remains a central goal agricultural science. In mesocosm experiment, we constructed monocultures, two- four-species mixtures from eight crop species with or without fertilizer both temperate Switzerland dry, Mediterranean Spain. We measured...

By capitalising on positive biodiversity-productivity relationships, intercropping provides opportunities to improve agricultural sustainability. Intercropping is generally implemented using commercial seeds that were bred for maximal productivity in monocultures, thereby ignoring the ability of plants adapt over generations surrounding neighbourhood, notably through increased complementarity, reduced competition or facilitation. This why monoculture-adapted might limit benefits crop...

Abstract Higher plant species diversity decreases variability of community productivity. The stabilizing effect can result from species‐specific responses to environmental fluctuations and shifts in competitive hierarchies. Evolutionary adaptation surrounding could further decrease productivity variability. We used a three‐year dataset crop experiment with seven assess the selection history on temporal yield. found contrasting patterns variability: Yield varied more mixtures than...

Abstract In the face of climate change, improving yield stability is critical for food production systems. Increasing diversity in agricultural systems can be a way to stabilize across time and/or space. This done with mixtures varieties, which represent practical introduce at genotype level fields. However, Switzerland, wheat variety are still rarely used, due lack understanding processes driving benefits and, consequently, no clear rules as varieties combine. this study, we used results...

According to classic niche theory, species can coexist in heterogeneous environments by reducing interspecific competition via partitioning, e.g. trophic or spatial partitioning. However, support for the role of on partitioning remains controversial. Here, we tested and feather mites, a diverse abundant group arthropods. We focused two dominant mite species, Microspalax brevipes Zachvatkinia ovata, inhabiting flight feathers Cory's shearwater, Calonectris borealis. performed counts across...

Feather mites are useful models for studying speciation due to their high diversity and strong degree of host specialization. However, studies date have focused on the evolution higher-level mite taxa while much hidden likely occurs at level genera species. In this study, we examined feather infesting six sympatric seabird species from genera, breeding in Cape Verde archipelago. We report 32 morphospecies categorized into ten three families, which nine correspond new, undescribed Molecular...

Abstract Introduction Intercropping systems can be more productive than their respective monocultures and this positive net biodiversity effect is caused by complementarity selection effects. While the through resource partitioning or facilitation, operates via greater probability that a diverse community contains dominant high‐yielding species which will account for majority of productivity in community. Here, we investigated how light‐use‐related traits contribute to effects these...

Three new species of the feather mite subfamily Ingrassiinae (Acariformes: Astigmata: Xolalgidae) are described from shearwaters and petrels (Procellariiformes: Procellariidae) in North-East Atlantic Ocean: Ingrassia calonectris sp. n. Calonectris borealis (Cory) (type host) edwardsii (Oustalet), micronota Ope-tiopoda bulweriae Bulweria bulwerii (Jardine Selby).

Intercropping, by capitalizing on positive biodiversity–productivity relationships, represents a promising option to increase agricultural sustainability. However, the complexity and context-dependency of plant–plant interactions can make it challenging for farmers find suitable crop combinations. Furthermore, intercropping is usually implemented with standard inter-row spacing plant densities based monoculture practices, which might not be ideal configuration maximize yield. Here we present...

Rhinozachvatkinia calonectris sp. n., a new species of the feather mite genus Mironov, 1989 (Avenzoariidae: Bonnetellinae), is described from two shearwaters in North-East Atlantic Ocean, Calonectris edwardsii (Oustalet) (type host) and borealis (Cory) (Procellariiformes: Procellariidae). We completed morphological description this with sequence data on mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I gene fragment (COI). The full generic status Rhinozachvatkinia, originally established as...

Abstract Resource allocation to reproduction is a critical trait for plant fitness 1,2 . This trait, called harvest index in the agricultural context 3–5 , determines how biomass converted seed yield and consequently financial revenue of numerous major staple crops. While diversity has been demonstrated increase 6–8 effects on crops are ambiguous 9 discrepancy could be explained through changes proportion resources invested into response diversity, namely species interactions...

Cape Verde petrel (Pterodroma feae) is currently considered near threatened, but little known about its population size, breeding biology and on land threats, jeopardizing management conservation. To improve this situation, we captured, marked recaptured (CMR) birds using mist-nets over 10 years; measured sexed them; monitored up to 14 burrows, deployed GPS devices breeders analyzed activity data of geolocators retrieved from in Fogo (Cape Verde). We set cat traps the colony investigated...

Implementing sustainable weed control strategies is a major challenge in agriculture. Intercropping offers potential solution to pressure by reducing the niche space available for weeds; however, research on relationship between crop diversity and pressure, its consequences yield not fully conclusive yet. In this study, we performed an extensive intercropping experiment using eight species 40 different mixtures examine how affects communities subsequent changes weeds influence yield. Field...

Summary Increasing biodiversity generally enhances productivity through selection and complementarity effects not only in natural but also agricultural systems. However, explaining why diversity remains a central goal science. In field experiment, we constructed monocultures, 2- 4-species mixtures from eight crop species with without fertilizer both temperate Switzerland semi-arid Spain. We measured environmental factors plant traits related these structural equation models to explain yield...