Ghosts of land use past haunt current biodiversity in farmland ecosystems, according to a new study led by a researcher from the German Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre. The study on farmlands in southwestern France shows that changes from grassland to cropland that happened as long as 20 years ago result in the animal community on-site today exhibiting a lower diversity of mobility and feeding-related traits, which are related to the functioning of agricultural ecosystems.. The study published this week in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences emphasizes the need to protect permanent grasslands in farmland ecosystems as a refuge for species and the functional roles they perform, which would otherwise be lost.
Click here for original story, When the past catches up on you: Land use impacts biodiversity in the long term
Source: Phys.org