Advances in Agro-Ecology

Arthropods provide valuable pollination and pest control services which are vital for agricultural production, but there is growing concern about the deterioration of these services. This notion has resulted in an increasing interest in management strategies aimed at the conservation of pollinators and natural enemies that provide these services. While there is general consensus that the populations of these service providers can be influenced by the landscape context at different spatial scales, practical guidelines on spatial planning for arthropod-mediated ecosystem services (AMES) are often lacking. Moreover, little is known about the possible trade-offs or synergies between interventions to stimulate AMES and other land use functions.

This PhD course we will provide an overview of concepts and tools that can contribute to the design of multifunctional landscapes that are better suited to capitalize on ecosystem services in conjunction with other land-use functions. The focus of the course will be on consumer-resource interactions underlying pollination and biocontrol services, the spatial ecology of pollinators and natural enemies, the impact of pest management practices on arthropod-mediated ecosystem services, and the design of multifunctional landscapes that support arthropod-mediated ecosystem services as well as other land-use functions.

Former course title

Bugs at your service – Fundamentals and application of arthropod-mediated ecosystem services

Former occurrences of this course

31 Aug – 5 Sept 2014