TY - GEN A1 - Bucher, Roman A1 - Batary, Peter A1 - Baudry, Julia A1 - Beaumelle, Lea A1 - Cerevkova, Andrea A1 - Garcia de la Riva, Enrique A1 - Djoudi, El Aziz A1 - Dirilgen, Tara A1 - Galle, Robert A1 - Kesse-Guyot, Emmanuelle A1 - O´Reilly, Alison A1 - Rembialkowska, Ewa A1 - Rusch, Adrien A1 - Smith, Henrik G. A1 - Stanley, Dara A. A1 - Roberts, Stuart P.M. A1 - Ulrich, Werner A1 - Birkhofer, Klaus T1 - Land-use impacts on crop yield : direct and indirect roles of arthropods and associated ecosystem services in European farmland T2 - Landscape ecology N2 - Context Land-use intensification to increase yields is often detrimental to biodiversity undermining the provision of ecosystem services. However, it is questionable if ecosystem service providers contribute to ecological intensification by achieving the same or higher yields than conventional high-intensity agriculture. Objectives In this study, we aimed to disentangle the effects of local and landscape-scale land-use intensification on arthropod communities and their contribution to ecosystem services and crop yield. A set of meta-analytic structural equation models allowed us to assess direct and indirect relationships in the cascade from land use to yield. Methods We selected 37 datasets containing information on land use, community composition, levels of pollination and natural pest control services, and crop yield. We quantified functional diversity of communities by collecting trait information for three exemplary groups of service-providers: bees, ground beetles, and spiders. Results Local land-use intensification reduced the abundance of all arthropod groups. Spiders were the only group whose species richness was negatively related to a higher percentage of arable land in the landscape. High abundance of bees related positively to oilseed rape pollination and crop yields. In the models for the two predator groups, crop yield was strongly determined by land use, independent of the pest control services provided by natural enemies. Conclusions Our results suggest a potential for ecological intensification mediated by land-use change in crops where pollination benefits yield, but suggest more nuanced effects for pest control. Our study also calls for experiments on multiple taxonomic groups and ecosystem services that apply comparable methods at similar scales. Y1 - 2025 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/s10980-025-02117-w SN - 1572-9761 VL - 40 IS - 97 SP - 1 EP - 19 PB - Springer Science + Business Media B.V ER - TY - GEN A1 - Birkhofer, Klaus A1 - Ekroos, Johan A1 - Mader, Viktoria A1 - Tschumi, Matthias A1 - Wu, Ai-ping A1 - Smith, Henrik G. T1 - Taxonomy, habitat and conservation status explain the diet composition of insectivorous birds in Europe T2 - Biological conservation N2 - Populations of European birds and insects are declining, with consequences for trophic interactions. Insectivorous birds are particularly vulnerable to losses of arthropods, yet the factors shaping their diet composition remain insufficiently understood. We conducted a quantitative review of the arthropod diets of 94 European insectivorous bird species and assessed how diet richness and composition relate to taxonomy, developmental stage, climate, conservation status, habitat, migration status, sampling intensity, and methodological approach. Taxonomy, habitat and conservation status (both population trend over time and current status) were the primary predictors of diet richness and composition. Species of population concern in Europe relied more on Coleoptera and Orthoptera prey, while species with declining population trends and species in agricultural, artificial and semi-natural habitats showed strong dependence on Coleoptera prey. Species in forests and of global population concern had a higher percentage of Arachnida prey, while birds in inland water habitats relied on Diptera prey. Anthropogenic activities such as the use of insecticides and changes in land use in agricultural and forest habitats negatively impact the abundance and diversity of arthropods, including Coleoptera and Arachnida. These declines will cascade up the food chain, ultimately diminishing both common and threatened bird species by limiting their prey. Species of global conservation concern may be particularly at risk, as they exhibit the lowest prey taxonomic richness. It is therefore crucial that future legislation and policy interventions consider these indirect impacts on bird diets, as these vulnerable species are at high risk of further losses in arthropod prey. KW - Foraging KW - Arthropod KW - Biodiversity loss KW - Prey KW - Insect Y1 - 2025 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2025.111566 SN - 0006-3207 VL - 313 SP - 1 EP - 11 PB - Elsevier BV CY - Amsterdam ER -