Abstract
The value of arable plant communities from a natural and environmental perspective was recognized only recently. Human-dependent arable plant assemblages are acknowledged to support biodiversity in agroecosystems and to provide numerous ecosystem services. The conservation of such communities relies on low-input, traditional agriculture, which is vanishing worldwide. Both agricultural intensification and land abandonment negatively affected arable plant biodiversity, with a remarkable loss of species and communities of great conservation and ecological interest. In this paper, we introduce a floristic-ecological monitoring tool aiming at the quantification of the ecological value of arable plant communities, named ArEco. Starting from presence-absence community data, the index returns a numerical value derived from species richness and six features of arable vascular plants: life form, Ellenberg nutrient value, alien status, conservation status in Europe, support to pollinator insects, and support to feeding birds. A program for the calculations was written in Java, with a database of about 400 arable plant species. The effectiveness of the tool was tested on 270 arable vegetation plots of different crop types in Italy, a European hotspot of arable plant diversity. The results show that, in the study area, winter arable vegetation has a higher ecological value than summer arable vegetation. In a similar way, extensively managed arable land hosts communities of higher ecological value than those hosted by intensively managed arable land. In view of the present results, ArEco will be a useful tool for monitoring, conservation, and restoration activities of arable plant communities in Europe.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
Availability of data and material
The unpublished data used in this work are available in the form of species occurrences at https://www.gbif.org/dataset/d1f724bf-8d68-49c8-a87f-5c9e7a7b9deb.
References
Adeux G, Vieren E, Carlesi S, Bàrberi P, Munier-Jolain N, Cordeau S (2019) Mitigating crop yield losses through weed diversity. Nat Sustain 2:1018–1026. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-019-0415-y
Albrecht H (2003) Suitability of arable weeds as indicator organism to evaluate species conservation effects of management in agricultural ecosystems. Agric Ecosyst Environ 98:201–211. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0167-8809(03)00081-1
Albrecht H, Cambecèdes J, Lang M, Wagner M (2016) Management options for the conservation of rare arable plants in Europe. Bot Lett 163(4):389–415. https://doi.org/10.1080/23818107.2016.1237886
Altieri MA, Nicholls CI, Montalba R (2017) Technological approaches to sustainable agriculture at a crossroads: an agroecological perspective. Sustainability 9:349–361. https://doi.org/10.3390/su9030349
Andreasen C, Stryhn H (2008) Increasing weed flora in Danish beet, pea and winter barley fields. Crop Prot 36:11–17. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cropro.2012.01.012
Arsénio P, Rodríguez-González RM, Bernez I, Dias FS, Bugalho MN, Dufour S (2020) Riparian vegetation restoration: does social perception reflect ecological value? River Res Appl 36:907–920. https://doi.org/10.1002/rra.3514
Baldoni MA (1995) Vegetazione infestante le colture erbacee delle Marche e dei piani carsici dell’Appennino umbro-marchigiano (Italia centrale) e serie di vegetazione. Colloques phytosociologiques XXIV:787–812
Baldoni MA, Biondi E, Loiotile A (2001) La vegetazione infestante i vigneti nelle Marche. Fitosociologia 38:63–68
Bartolucci F, Peruzzi L, Galasso G, Albano A, Alessandrini A, Ardenghi NMG, Astuti G, Bacchetta G, Ballelli S, Banfi E, Barberis G, Bernardo L, Bouvet D, Bovio M, Cecchi L, Di Pietro R, Domina G, Fascetti S, Fenu G, Festi F, Foggi B, Gallo L, Gottschlich G, Gubellini L, Iamonico D, Iberite M, Jiménez-Mejías P, Lattanzi E, Marchetti D, Martinetto E, Masin RR, Medagli P, Passalacqua NG, Peccenini S, Pennesi R, Pierini B, Poldini L, Prosser F, Raimondo FM, Roma-Marzio F, Rosati L, Santangelo A, Scoppola A, Scortegagna S, Selvaggi A, Selvi F, Soldano A, Stinca A, Wagensommer RP, Wilhalm T, Conti F (2018) An updated checklist of the vascular flora native to Italy. Plant Biosys 152(2):179–303. https://doi.org/10.1080/11263504.2017.1419996
Bernués S, Rodríguez-Ortega T, Ripoll-Bosch R, Alfnes F (2014) Socio-cultural and economic valuation of ecosystem services provided by Mediterranean mountain agroecosystems. PLoS ONE 9(7): https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0102479
Blaix C, Moonen AC, Dostatny DF, Izquierdo J, Le Corff J, Morrison J, Von Redwitz C, Schumacher M, Westerman PR (2018) Quantification of regulating ecosystem services provided by weeds in annual cropping systems using a systematic map approach. Weed Res 58:151–164. https://doi.org/10.1111/wre.12303
Bretagnolle V, Gaba S (2015) Weeds for bees? A review. Agron Sustain Dev 35:891–909. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13593-015-0302-5
Brooks DR, Storkey J, Clark SJ, Firbank LG, Petit S, Woiwod IP (2012) Trophic links between functional groups of arable plants and beetles are stable at a national scale. J Anim Ecol 81:4–13. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2656.2011.01897.x
Brullo S, Guarino R (2007) The Mediterranean weedy vegetation and its origin. Ann Bot 7:101–110. https://doi.org/10.4462/annbotrm-9089
Brullo S, Scelsi F, Spampinato G (2001) La vegetazione dell’Aspromonte. Studio fitosociologico. Laruffa Editore, Varese
Bryan AB, Raymond CM, Crossman ND, King D (2010) Comparing spatially explicit ecological and social values for natural areas to identify effective conservation strategies. Conserv Biol 25(1):172–181. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1523-1739.2010.01560.x
Butler SJ, Boccaccio L, Gregory RD, Vorisek P, Norris K (2010) Quantifying the impact of land-use change to European farmland bird populations. Agric Ecosyst Environ 137:348–357. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2010.03.005
Chytrý M (2001) Phytosociological data give biased estimates of species richness. J Veg Sci 12:439–444. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1654-1103.2001.tb00190.x
Chytrý M, Otýpková Z (2003) Plot sizes used for phytosociological sampling of European vegetation. J Veg Sci 14:563–570. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1654-1103.2003.tb02183.x
Costantini EAC, Barbetti R, Fantappiè M, L’Abate G, Lorenzetti R, Magini S (2013) Pedodiversity. In: Dazzi C (ed) The soils of Italy. Springer, Berlin, pp 105–178
Cretini KF, Visser JM, Krauss KW, Steyer GD (2012) Development and use of a floristic quality index for coastal Louisiana marshes. Environ Monit Assess 184:2389–2403. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-011-2125-4
Dainese M, Martin EA, Aizen MA, Albrecht M, Bartomeus I, Bommarco R, Carvalheiro LG, Chaplin-Kramer R, Gagic V, Garibaldi LA, Ghazoul J, Grab H, Jonsson M, Karp DS, Kennedy CM, Kleijn D, Kremen C, Landis DA, Letourneau DK, Marini L, Poveda K, Rader R, Smith HG, Tscharntke T, Andersson JKS, Badenhausser I, Baensch S, Bezerra ADM, Bianchi FJJA, Boreux V, Bretagnolle V, Caballero-Lopez B, Cavigliasso P, Ćetković A, Chacoff NP, Classen A, Cusser S, da Silva e Silva FD, Arjen de Groot G, Dudenhöffer JH, Ekroos J, Fijen T, Franck P, Freitas BM, Garratt MPD, Gratton C, Hipólito J, Holzschuh A, Hunt L, Al Iverson, Jha S, Keasar T, Kim TN, Kishinevsky M, Klatt BK, Klein AM, Krewenka KM, Krishnan S, Larsen AE, Lavigne C, Liere H, Maas B, Mallinger RE, Martinez Pachon E, Martínez-Salinas A, Meehan TD, Mitchell MGE, Molina GAR, Nesper M, Nilsson L, O’Rourke ME, Peters MK, Plećaš M, Potts SG, de Ramos LD, Rosenheim JA, Rundlöf M, Rusch A, Sáez A, Scheper J, Schleuning M, Schmack JM, Sciligo AR, Seymour C, Stanley DA, Stewart R, Stout JC, Sutter L, Takada MB, Taki H, Tamburini G, Tschumi M, Viana BF, Westphal C, Willcox BK, Wratten SD, Yoshioka A, Zaragoza-Trello C, Zhang W, Zou Y, Steffan-Dewenter I (2019) A global synthesis reveals biodiversity-mediated benefits for crop production. Sci Adv 5(10):eaax0121. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aax0121
Das I, Dennis JE (1997) A closer look at drawbacks of minimizing weighted sums of objectives for Pareto set generation in multi-criteria optimization problems. Struct Optim 14:63–69. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01197559
Donald PF, Sanderson FJ, Burfield IJ, van Bommel FPJ (2006) Further evidence of continent-wide impacts of agricultural intensification on European farmland birds, 1990–2000. Agric Ecosyst Environ 116:189–196. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2006.02.007
EEA (2004) High nature value farmland—characteristics, trends and policy challenges. European Environment Agency, Copenhagen
Ellenberg H (1974) Zeigerwerte der Gefäbpflanzen Mitteleuropas. Scr Geobot 9:1–97. https://doi.org/10.1002/fedr.19800910408
Fanelli G (2002) Analisi fitosociologica dell’area metropolitana di Roma. Braun-Blanquetia 27:1–269
Fanfarillo E, Latini M, Bonifazi E, Nescatelli S, Abbate G (2017) Evaluating and mapping naturalness of agricultural areas: a case study in central Italy. Plant Biosys 151(5):766–769. https://doi.org/10.1080/11263504.2016.1271055
Fanfarillo E, Kasperski A, Giuliani A, Cicinelli E, Latini M, Abbate G (2018) Assessing naturalness of arable weed communities: a new index applied to a case study in central Italy. Biol Agric Hortic 34(4):232–244. https://doi.org/10.1080/01448765.2018.1434832
Fanfarillo E, Kasperski A, Giuliani A, Abbate G (2019a) Shifts of arable plant communities after agricultural intensification: a floristic and ecological diachronic analysis in maize fields of Latium (central Italy). Bot Lett 166(3):356–365. https://doi.org/10.1080/23818107.2019.1638829
Fanfarillo E, Scoppola A, Lososová Z, Abbate G (2019b) Segetal plant communities of traditional agroecosystems: a phytosociological survey in central Italy. Phytocoenologia 49:165–183. https://doi.org/10.1127/phyto/2019/0282
Fanfarillo E, Latini M, Abbate G (2020a) Patterns of co-occurrence of rare and threatened species in winter arable plant communities of Italy. Diversity 12:195. https://doi.org/10.3390/d12050195
Fanfarillo E, Latini M, Iberite M, Abbate G (2020b) The segetal flora of Italy: an occurrence dataset from relevés in winter cereals and allied crop types. PhytoKeys 161:107–118. https://doi.org/10.3897/phytokeys.161.53915
Fanfarillo E, Petit S, Dessaint F, Rosati L, Abbate G (2020c) Species composition, richness, and diversity of weed communities of winter arable land in relation to geo-environmental factors: a gradient analysis in mainland Italy. Botany 98(7):381–392. https://doi.org/10.1139/cjb-2019-0178
Fanfarillo E, Latini M, Iberite M, Bonari G, Nicolella G, Rosati L, Salerno G, Abbate G (2020d) The segetal flora of winter cereals and allied crops in Italy: species inventory with chorological, structural and ecological features. Plant Biosyst 154(6):935–946. https://doi.org/10.1080/11263504.2020.1739164
Ferrari C, Pezzi G, Diani L, Corazza M (2008) Evaluating landscape quality with vegetation naturalness maps: an index and some inferences. Appl Veg Sci 11:243–250. https://doi.org/10.3170/2008-7-18400
Ferrero A, Vidotto F, Costa E, Zanin G, Catizone P (2010) Storia della lotta alle malerbe. SIRFI, Perugia
Follak S, Essl F (2013) Spread dynamics and agricultural impact of Sorghum halepense, an emerging invasive species in Central Europe. Weed Res 53:53–60. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-3180.2012.00952.x
Follak S, Schleicher C, Schwarz M, Essl F (2017) Major emerging alien plants in Austrian crop fields. Weed Res 57:406–416. https://doi.org/10.1111/wre.12272
Fried G, Norton RL, Reboud X (2008) Environmental and management factors determining weed species composition and diversity in France. Agric Ecosyst Environ 128:68–76. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2008.05.003
Fried G, Chauvel B, Reboud X (2009) A functional analysis of large-scale temporal shifts from 1970 to 2000 in weed assemblages of sunflower crops in France. J Veg Sci 20:49–58. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1654-1103.2009.05284.x
Fried G, Petit S, Reboud X (2010) A specialist-generalist classification of the arable flora and its response to changes in agricultural practices. BMC Ecol 10:20. https://doi.org/10.1186/1472-6785-10-20
Fried G, Dessaint F, Reboud X (2016) Local and regional changes in taxonomic and functional diversity of arable weed communities in Burgundy (France) between the 1970s and the 2000s. Bot Lett 163(4):359–371. https://doi.org/10.1080/23818107.2016.1234410
Galasso G, Bartolucci F, Peruzzi L, Ardenghi NMG, Albano A, Alessandrini A, Bacchetta G, Ballelli S, Bandini Mazzanti M, Barberis G, Bernardo L, Blasi C, Bouvet D, Bovio M, Cecchi L, Del Guacchio E, Domina G, Fascetti S, Gallo L, Gubellini L, Guiggi A, Iamonico D, Iberite M, Jiménez-Mejías P, Lattanzi E, Marchetti D, Martinetto E, Masin RR, Medagli P, Passalacqua NG, Peccenini S, Pennesi R, Pierini B, Podda L, Poldini L, Prosser F, Raimondo FM, Roma-Marzio F, Rosati L, Santangelo A, Scoppola A, Scortegagna S, Selvaggi A, Selvi F, Soldano A, Stinca A, Wagensommer RP, Wilhalm T, Bartolucci F (2018) An updated checklist of the vascular flora alien to Italy. Plant Biosyst 152(3):556–592. https://doi.org/10.1080/11263504.2018.1441197
Gaston KJ (1994) Rarity. Chapman and Hall, London
Hawes C, Squire GR, Hallett PD, Watson CA, Young M (2010) Arable plant communities as indicators of farming practice. Agric Ecosyst Environ 138:17–26. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2010.03.010
Hennekens SM, Schaminée JHJ (2001) Turboveg, a comprehensive database management system for vegetation data. J Veg Sci 12:589–591. https://doi.org/10.2307/3237010
Holland JM, Hutchison MAS, Smith B, Aebischer NJ (2006) A review of invertebrates and seed-bearing plants as food for farmland birds in Europe. Ann Appl Biol 148:49–71. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-7348.2006.00039.x
Holzner W (1978) Weed species and weed communities. Vegetatio 38(1):13–20. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00141295
Holzner W (1982) Concepts, categories and characteristics of weeds. In: Holzner W, Numata M (eds) Biology and ecology of weeds. Dr W. Junk Publishers, The Hague, pp 3–20
Hüppe J, Hofmeister H (1990) Syntaxonomische Fassung und Übersicht über die Ackerunkrautgesellschaften der Bundesrepublik Deutschland. Berichte der Reinhold Tüxen-Gesellschaft 2:61–81
Hyvonen T, Huusela-Veistola E (2008) Arable weeds as indicators of agricultural intensity—a case study from Finland. Biol Conserv 141:2857–2864. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2008.08.022
Isbell F, Reich PB, Tilman D, Hobbie SE, Polasky S, Binder S (2013) Nutrient enrichment, biodiversity loss, and consequent declines in ecosystem productivity. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 110:11911–11916. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1310880110
Keenleyside C, Beaufoy G, Tucker G, Jones G (2014) High Nature Value farming throughout EU-27 and its financial support under the CAP. Institute for European Environmental Policy, London. https://ieep.eu/publications/high-nature-value-farming-throughout-eu-27-and-its-financial-support-under-the-cap. Accessed 25 Nov 2020
Koch AM, Meyer N, Engelhardt M, Thiv M, Bernhardt KG, Michling F (2016) Morphologic and genetic variation of highly endangered Bromus species and the status of these Neolithic weeds in Central Europe. Plant Syst Evol 302(5):515–525. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00606-016-1279-5
Kubota H, Quideau S, Hucl P, Spaner D (2015) The effect of weeds on soil arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and agronomic traits in spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) under organic management in Canada. Can J Plant Sci 95:615–627. https://doi.org/10.4141/cjps-2014-284
Landolt E (1977) Okologische Ziegerwerte zur Schweizer Flora. Veroffentlichungen des Geobotanischen Institutes der EHT. Stiftung Rubel, Zurich
Loos J, Turtureanu TD, von Wehrden H, Hanspac J, Dorresteijn I, Frink JP, Fischer J (2005) Plant diversity in a changing agricultural landscape mosaic in Southern Transylvania (Romania). Agric Ecosyst Environ 199:350–357. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2014.10.013
Lososová Z, Chytrý M, Cimalová S, Kropáč Z, Otýpková Z, Pyšek P, Tichý L (2004) Weed vegetation of arable land in central Europe: gradients of diversity and species composition. J Veg Sci 15:415–422. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1654-1103.2004.tb02279.x
Lyons GK, Schwartz MW (2001) Rare species loss alters ecosystem function—invasion resistance. Ecol Lett 4:358–365. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1461-0248.2001.00235.x
Machado A (2004) An index of naturalness. J Nat Conserv 12(2):95–110
MacLaren C, Storkey J, Menegat A, Metcalfe H, Dehnen-Schmutz K (2020) An ecological future for weed science to sustain crop production and the environment. A review. Agron Sustain Dev 40:24. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13593-020-00631-6
Marler RT, Arora JS (2010) The weighted sum method for multi-objective optimization: new insights. Struct Multidisc Optim 41(6):853–862. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00158-009-0460-7
Marshall EJP, Brown VK, Boatman ND, Lutman PJW, Squire GR, Ward LK (2003) The role of weeds in supporting biological diversity within crop fields. Weed Res 43:77–89. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-3180.2003.00326.x
McKyes E (1985) Soil cutting and tillage. Elsevier, Amsterdam
Metcalfe H, Hassall KL, Boinot S, Storkey J (2019) The contribution of spatial mass effects to plant diversity in arable fields. J Appl Ecol 56:1560–1574
Miller SJ, Wardrop DH (2006) Adapting the floristic quality assessment index to indicate anthropogenic disturbance in central Pennsylvania wetlands. Ecol Indic 6:313–326. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2005.03.012
Mirazadi Z, Pilehvar B, Abrari Vajari K (2017) Diversity indices or floristic quality index: which one is more appropriate for comparison of forest integrity in different land uses? Biodivers Conserv 26:1087–1101. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-016-1287-3
Moreau D, Pointurier O, Nicolardot B, Villerd J, Colbach N (2020) In which cropping systems can residual weeds reduce nitrate leaching andsoil erosion? Eur J Agron 119: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eja.2020.126015
Mouillot D, Bellwood DR, Baraloto C, Chave G, Galzin R, Harmelin-Vivien M, Kulbicki M, Lavergne S, Lavorel S, Mouquet N, Paine CET, Renaud J, Thuiller W (2013) Rare species support vulnerable functions in high diversity ecosystems. PLoS Biol 11(5): https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.1001569
Oppermann R, Beaufoy G, Jones G (eds) (2012) High nature value farming in Europe. 35 European countries—experiences and perspectives. Verlag Regionalkultur, Ubstadt-Weiher
Pál R, Pinke G, Botta-Dukát Z, Campetella G, Bartha S, Kalocsai R, Lengyel A (2013) Can management intensity be more important than environmental factors? A case study along an extreme elevation gradient from central Italian cereal fields. Plant Biosyst 147:343–353. https://doi.org/10.1080/11263504.2012.753485
Pesaresi S, Biondi E, Casavecchia S (2017) Bioclimates of Italy. J Maps 13(2):955–960. https://doi.org/10.1080/17445647.2017.1413017
Petchey OL, Gaston KJ (2006) Functional diversity: back to basics and looking forward. Ecol Lett 9:741–758. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1461-0248.2006.00924.x
Petit S, Fried G (2012) Patterns of weed co-occurrence at the field and landscape level. J Veg Sci 23:1137–1147. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1654-1103.2012.01421.x
Petit S, Boursault A, Le Guilloux M, Munier-Jolain N, Reboud J (2011) Weeds in agricultural landscapes. A review. Agron Sustain Dev 31:309–317. https://doi.org/10.1051/agro/2010020
Pignatti S, Menegoni P, Pietrosanti S (2005) Valori di bioindicazione delle piante vascolari della flora d’Italia. Braun-Blanquetia 39:1–97
Pignatti S, Guarino R, La Rosa M (2017–2019). Flora d’Italia, 2nd edn. Edagricole di New Business Media, Milan
Pinke G, Pál R (2008) Phytosociological and conservational study of the arable weed communities in western Hungary. Plant Biosyst 142(3):491–508. https://doi.org/10.1080/11263500802410843
Pinke G, Pál R, Király G, Mesterházy A (2008) Conservational importance of the arable weed vegetation on extensively managed fields in western Hungary. J Plant Dis Prot Spec Issue XXI:447–452
Pinke G, Pál R, Botta-Dukát Z, Chytrý M (2009) Weed vegetation and its conservation value in three management systems of Hungarian winter cereals on base-rich soils. Weed Res 49:544–551. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-3180.2009.00730.x
Richner N, Holderegger R, Linder HP, Walter T (2015) Reviewing change in the arable flora of Europe: a meta-analysis. Weed Res 55:1–13. https://doi.org/10.1111/wre.12123
Rooney TP, Rogers DA (2002) The modified floristic quality index. Nat Area J 22:340–344
Rossi P, Pecci A, Amadio V, Rossi O, Soliani L (2008) Coupling indicators of ecological value and ecological sensitivity with indicators of demographic pressure in the demarcation of new areas to be protected: the case of the Oltrepò Pavese and the Ligurian-Emilian Apennine area (Italy). Landsc Urban Plan 85:12–26. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2007.09.002
Salonen J, Hyvönen T, Kaseva J, Jalli H (2013) Impact of changed cropping practices on weed occurrence in spring cereals in Finland—a comparison of surveys in 1997–1999 and 2007–2009. Weed Res 53:110–120. https://doi.org/10.1111/wre.12004
Scholz H (2007) Questions about indigenous plants and anecophytes. Taxon 56(4):1255–1260. https://doi.org/10.2307/25065917
Seitz RD, Wennhage H, Bergström Lipcius RN, Ysebaert T (2014) Ecological value of coastal habitats for commercially and ecologically important species. J Mar Sci 71(3):648–665. https://doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/fst152
Shaner DL (2014) Lessons learned from the history of herbicide resistance. Weed Sci 62(2):427–431. https://doi.org/10.1614/WS-D-13-00109.1
Šilc U, Vrbničanin S, Božić D, Čarni A, Dazić Stevanović Z (2009) Weed vegetation in the north-western Balkans: diversity and species composition. Weed Res 49:602–612. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-3180.2009.00726.x
Šilc U, Lososová Z, Vrbničanin S (2014) Weeds shift from generalist to specialist: narrowing of ecological niches along a north-south gradient. Preslia 86(1):35–46
Smith BM, Aebischer NJ, Ewald J, Moreby S, Potter C, Holland JM (2020) The potential of arable weeds to reverse invertebrate declines and associated ecosystem services in cereal crops. Front Sustain Food Syst 3:118. https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2019.00118
Storkey J (2006) A functional group approach to the management of UK arable weeds to support biological diversity. Weed Res 46:513–522. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-3180.2006.00528.x
Storkey J, Neve P (2018) What good is weed diversity? Weed Res 58:239–243. https://doi.org/10.1111/wre.12310
Storkey J, Moss SR, Cussans JW (2010) Using assembly theory to explain changes in a weed flora in response to agricultural intensification. Weed Sci 58:39–46. https://doi.org/10.1614/WS-09-096.1
Storkey J, Meyer S, Still KS, Leuschner C (2012) The impact of agricultural intensification and land-use change on the European arable flora. Proc R Soc B 279:1421–1429. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2011.1686
Strohbach MW, Kohler ML, Dauber J, Klimek S (2015) High nature value farming: from indication to conservation. Ecol Indic 57:557–563. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2015.05.021
Swink F, Wilhelm GS (1979) Plants of the Chicago region, 3rd edn. The Morton Arboretum, Lisle
Taffetani F, Rismondo M (2009) Bioindicator system for the evaluation of the environmental quality of agro-ecosystems. Fitosociologia 46(2):3–22
Taft JB, Wilhelm GS, Ladd DM, Masters LA (1997) Floristic quality assessment for vegetation in Illinois: a method for assessing vegetation integrity. Erigenia 15:3–95
ten Brink B (2000) Biodiversity indicators for the OECD Environmental Outlook and strategy—a feasibility study. RIVM Report 402001014. Globio Report Series No. 25. https://www.pbl.nl/en/publications/Biodiversity_indicators_for_the_OECD_Environmental_Outlook_and_Strategy
Thellung A (1911–1912) La flore adventice de Montpellier. M Soc natl sci nat math Cherb 38:57–728
Tscharntke T, Klein AM, Kruess A, Steffan-Dewenter I, Thies C (2005) Landscape perspectives on agricultural intensification and biodiversity–ecosystem service management. Ecol Lett 8:857–874. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1461-0248.2005.00782.x
Twerski A, Fischer C, Albrecht H (2021) Effects of rare arable plants on plant diversity, productivity and soil fertility in agricultural fields. Agric Ecosyst Environ 307: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2020.107237
Uchida K, Ushimaru A (2014) Biodiversity declines due to abandonment and intensification of agricultural lands: patterns and mechanisms. Ecol Monogr 84:637–658. https://doi.org/10.1890/13-2170.1
Wilson J, Morris A, Arroyo B, Clark S, Bradbury R (1999) A review of the abundance and diversity of invertebrate and plant foods of granivorous birds in northern Europe in relation to agricultural change. Agric Ecosyst Environ 75:13–30. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0167-8809(99)00064-X
Zicari R, Rashid A, Chaudhri AB (eds) (2003) XML data management: native XML and XML-enabled database systems. Addison-Wesley Professional, Boston
Zohary M (1962) Plant life of Palestine, Israel and Jordan. Ronald, New York
Funding
No funding was received for conducting this study.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Contributions
E.F. collected the unpublished and published data, selected species features, built the species features database, took care of all the botanical and ecological aspects of the work, and wrote the manuscript. A.K. defined species weights and the index, wrote the ArEco program, took care of all the mathematical aspects of the work, contributed to the writing of the manuscript, and critically revised the manuscript. Both the authors conceived the work.
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflicts of interest
The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Consent to participate
This research did not involve human subjects.
Consent to publish
All the data used in this research are of property of the authors or available in the scientific publications that were cited in the article.
Ethical approval
All procedures followed were in accordance with the ethical standards of the responsible committee on human experimentation (institutional and national) and with the Helsinki Declaration of 1975, as revised in 2000. Informed consent was obtained from all patients for being included in the study.”
Additional information
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Supplementary Information
Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Fanfarillo, E., Kasperski, A. An index of ecological value for European arable plant communities. Biodivers Conserv 30, 2145–2164 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-021-02191-x
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-021-02191-x