Multiplexed FBG-based soil hydrological monitoring: Pressure-resistant probe for high-resolution analysis of soil water dynamics in agricultural landscapes

The risk of nest predation differs across habitats and increases with proximity to habitat edges. In agricultural mosaic landscapes, the breeding success of ground-nesting birds can be negatively impacted by the presence of adjacent forest patches, which act as a source of predation. However, we still have limited knowledge on how birds nesting in such habitats cope with variable predation risk. In this study, we investigated predation rates of experimental ground nests and Northern Lapwing nests (Vanellus vanellus), in relation to the nearest patch. Furthermore, we tested the aggressive responses displayed by nesting pairs towards stuffed nest predators of different guilds at different distances from the forest. Predation rate on experimental nests increased with proximity and area of the closest forest patch. In contrast, predation rate on lapwing nests was not affected by the presence of forest, suggesting effective nest defence performed by parents to protect their clutch. Pairs displayed more aggressive behaviours against predators compared with a control wood log. Additionally, responses to specific predators varied with forest distance. Lapwings appeared more aggressive towards a bird when closer to forests, but were more aggressive towards a mammal further from forests. This study highlights the importance of fine-scale differences in anti-predatory behaviours to compensate for local variations in predation risk, in heterogeneous agricultural landscapes.

Sown wildflower patches are key elements of agri-environment schemes, designed to deliver rapid biodiversity and ecosystem service benefits. With longer-term maintenance, they may also be involved in habitat restoration by supporting ecological processes. However, successional trajectories of sown communities remain insufficiently understood, particularly regarding the role of spontaneous colonisation. To assess the succession of sown and spontaneous species, we established native, diverse wildflower patches in an agricultural region of Hungary. Patches were placed in homogeneous or heterogeneous landscapes and arranged as one large or three smaller patches. Plant communities were surveyed in early summer for five years, recording cover, species richness and diversity. Spontaneous colonisation strongly complemented sown assemblages: 240 species emerged from the soil seed bank during the study. The two species groups showed distinct temporal patterns. Spontaneous species dominated cover initially, but sown species surpassed them by the third year. However, spontaneous species’ richness remained higher for five years. Community composition shifted steadily. Sown species formed a more consistent component of the community, whereas spontaneous species showed higher temporal variability. Landscape context and spatial configuration had only weak effects on structural and compositional attributes, indicating that local processes and the soil seed bank primarily shaped early succession. These results demonstrate that, in species-rich novel habitats, spontaneous colonisation and sown species jointly drive early successional dynamics, highlighting the value of integrating natural assembly processes with targeted sowing in agri-environment schemes. • Spontaneous colonisation strongly complemented sown species in wildflower patches. • Spontaneous species remained richer than sown taxa over five years. • Community composition shifted directionally during succession. • Sown plant species formed the structural bone of the established novel community. • Landscape context and spatial configuration had only weak effects.

Palaeochannels as hidden pathways of water flow in agricultural alluvial landscapes: A review of concepts and suggested future directions for modelling

Introduction Micronutrient availability in arid agricultural soils is highly variable and difficult to predict due to the complex interactions among soil physical and chemical properties. This study explored the geochemical associations of iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), manganese (Mn), and copper (Cu) across a large soil dataset from North Africa. Methods The study used a combination of statistical and modeling approaches, including principal component analysis (PCA), machine learning (XGBoost), and structural equation modeling (SEM). Results The soils were predominantly neutral to moderately alkaline (mean pH = 7.68) and showed considerable variation in soil organic carbon (SOC), cation exchange capacity (CEC), and texture. Clear patterns emerged across analyses. Texture played a central role: clay-rich soils were associated with higher SOC and CEC, while sandy soils showed reduced nutrient retention. Micronutrients followed distinct relationships: Fe was moderately associated with Zn, whereas Mn and Cu were strongly coupled and closely linked to CEC and clay content. The machine learning model identified Fe as the strongest predictor of Zn variability, followed by Mn and sand content. Structural equation modeling suggested negative associations of pH with Fe, Mn, and Cu, while SOC showed positive associations with Fe and Zn but negative associations with Mn and Cu. CEC was strongly associated with Mn and Cu, highlighting the importance of soil charge properties. Conclusion The results point to the presence of two contrasting micronutrient systems: one associated with Fe and Zn, and another dominated by Mn and Cu. These findings suggest that micronutrient variability in arid soils is unlikely to reflect a single factor, but instead reflects the combined associations with soil texture, chemical properties, and geochemical interactions. This integrated approach provides a clearer understanding of micronutrient behaviour in dryland systems and offers a useful framework for improving soil fertility management in arid agricultural landscapes.

Accurate information on rice planting areas and spatial distribution is critical for agricultural management in China; however, mapping efforts in regions like Sichuan Province are severely constrained by persistent cloud cover and fragmented terrain. Existing phenology-based methods and coarse-resolution products often fail to provide precise paddy localizations or usable training labels in such complex environments. To address these limitations, this study proposes a robust framework integrating optical and Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) imagery. The methodology employs a phenology-driven strategy for rapid candidate area annotation, coupled with an asymmetric feature extraction mechanism that incorporates a Multi-Scale Semantic Enhancement Module (MSEM) and a Category-Balanced Feature Fusion Module (CBFM) to facilitate adaptive and effective cross-modal fusion. Applying this framework to the Tianfu New Area (2019–2023) yielded 10-meter resolution rice distribution maps with a rice Intersection over Union (IoU) of 83.31% and a statistical correlation ( R 2 ) of 0.972. These results demonstrate the framework’s capacity for selective multi-source fusion and cost-effective sampling, facilitating precise rice mapping in challenging agricultural landscapes.

Termites play important ecological roles in soil formation and nutrient cycling, but they also cause significant damage to crops and rural infrastructure in sub-Saharan Africa. Despite their economic importance, information on farmers' perceptions, indigenous knowledge, and local termite management practices remains limited in many termite-prone areas of Ethiopia. Therefore, this study assessed farmers' perceptions of termite infestation, its impacts, and indigenous management practices in Dodota district, Southeast Ethiopia. A household questionnaire survey was conducted using 120 randomly selected households determined through Cochran's sampling formula at a 95% confidence level and 5% margin of error. Field data were collected from April to May 2025 through household interviews and focus group discussions. Descriptive statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 26 software. The study assessed farmers' knowledge of termite biology, perceptions of termite impacts, crop susceptibility, indigenous control practices, and the ecological importance of termites in the agricultural landscape. Most respondents were male (88.3%), married (95.8%), and within the middle-aged category of 34-60 years (65.8%). All farmers were aware of termites, and 91.7% correctly associated mound construction with termite activity. Farmers used three major criteria to identify different termite castes: body size (66.7%), body structure (16.7%), and feeding tunnels (10.0%). The major negative impacts reported by farmers included land consumption due to mound formation (43.3%), crop destruction (36.7%), and damage to homes (13.3%). Farmers also recognized several beneficial effects of termites, including improvement of soil porosity (22.5%), soil moisture retention (15.8%), and soil fertility (5.8%). Indigenous termite control practices included application of wood ash (6.7%), smoking termite mounds (13.3%), addition of organic matter (16.7%), destruction of mounds and removal of queens (6.7%), and promotion of natural predators (9.2%). Farmers possessed substantial indigenous knowledge of termite occurrence, impacts, and management practices. Integrating this knowledge with scientifically validated and environmentally sustainable approaches could improve termite management in smallholder farming systems. Future research should focus on evaluating indigenous practices and developing locally adaptable integrated termite management strategies.

Spatial prediction of pesticide occurrence in riparian buffer zones using machine learning.

Perceived Effects of Agri-Environmental Management Practices on Public Good Delivery.

Early life antioxidants predict first-migration survival in the White Storks (Ciconia ciconia).

The conflict between food production and environmental protection calls for climate-smart agricultural solutions. This study investigated data-driven climate-smart strategies for optimizing cropping systems and nitrogen management to increase crop yield and cut greenhouse gas emissions in China’s Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (BTH) region, which is grappling with pronounced climatic and environmental challenges. The study evaluated three cropping systems: spring maize monoculture (M), winter wheat followed by summer maize double-cropping (WM), and a triple-cropping system encompassing winter wheat, summer maize, and spring maize (WMM). Additionally, four nitrogen fertilization treatments were assessed to understand their impacts. The crop climate resilient index was created to identify the optimal management practices. Leveraging the Agricultural Production Systems sIMulator (APSIM) model, this study simulated the daily dynamics of crop yields, soil organic carbon (SOC) content, and nitrous oxide (N₂O) emissions over a comprehensive 40-year period spanning from 1981 to 2020. The findings revealed intriguing insights into SOC dynamics and nitrogen fertilizer efficiency. Across all cropping systems, the SOC content augmented with increased nitrogen application, with peak levels reaching 294.9 kg·ha ⁻ ¹ under the highest fertilization treatment. The N₂O emissions displayed an upward trend over time, positively correlated with escalating fertilizer use. Regarding crop yields, higher nitrogen inputs generally correlated with enhanced productivity. Overall, the WM system, when coupled with F2 treatment (90 kg·ha ⁻ ¹ for wheat and 60 kg·ha ⁻ ¹ for maize), emerged as the optimal scenario, achieving the highest climate resilient index value of 0.65. These findings underscore the profound importance of integrating cropping systems with judicious nutrient management in developing agricultural systems that are adaptive, productive, and environmentally sustainable. By adopting such practices, farmers in the BTH region and similar climates can achieve agricultural clean production that is robust enough to withstand climate variability and contribute to global efforts towards food security and ecological preservation. As the climate continues to evolve, the precision and holistic application of these strategies will be crucial in maintaining the vitality and productivity of agricultural landscapes.

Multidimensional diversity patterns and community assembly of wintering waterbirds in isolated lakes within an intensively farmed floodplain.

Agricultural landscapes reshape progeny through transcriptomic and physiological changes.

Sustainable agriculture in tropical regions relies on precise understanding of soil water dynamics under varying topographic, textural, and climatic conditions. This study integrates Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT) and Electromagnetic Induction (EMI) to characterize soil moisture distribution and subsurface textural heterogeneity across three contrasting agricultural landscapes in West Java, Indonesia—Subang (coastal lowlands), Bandung (uplands), and Sumedang (terraced highlands). ERT provided high-resolution vertical profiles to 5 m depth, revealing resistivity ranges that correspond to lithological and hydrological properties. In Subang, low resistivity (1.7–30 Ω·m) showed high-salinity clay loam with a shallow water table. Conversely, high resistivity in Bandung (70–300 Ω·m) reflected well-drained sandy layers with limited retention. Intermediate values in Sumedang suggested deep moisture storage within clay-rich layers beneath drier topsoil, influenced by terrace morphology. EMI mapping complemented ERT by capturing lateral resistivity variations at fixed depths, offering spatial continuity across the surveyed areas. The combined approach revealed that slope gradient, soil texture, and drainage conditions jointly govern water retention and availability. The integration of ERT and EMI provides complementary information on vertical and lateral variability of soil moisture distribution. Field observations and soil profile analysis confirm the reliability of the geophysical interpretation. These findings demonstrate that integrated geophysical imaging provides an effective non-invasive tool for mapping soil moisture variability and supporting precision agriculture strategies in tropical agricultural environments.

Contrasting patterns of plastic ingestion and transport by an opportunistic gull across urban and agricultural landscapes.

Sustainable reuse of dredged streambed sediments in agricultural fields: Soil solarization as an effective pre-treatment for weed management.

Beavers (Castor canadensis) as biomonitors of trace elements in the environment: examples from industrial, urban, rural and remote areas in western and eastern Canada.

Protected areas (PAs) are critical to mitigation of drastic biodiversity decline and habitat loss. Despite considerable global progress in PAs, future efforts need to overcome persistent challenges related to coverage and effectiveness. With limited capacity for expansion of PAs, achieving the targets of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KM-GBF) will depend on other effective area-based conservation measures (OECMs). Such measures deliver effective and sustained biodiversity conservation outside of PAs. Globally important agricultural heritage systems (GIAHS) are institutionally conserved traditional agricultural landscapes (TAL) that support local livelihoods while conserving agrobiodiversity and resident wild biodiversity. Thus, GIAHS represent a promising yet underutilized model for advancing OECMs agenda. To explore this potential, drawing on a synthesis of peer‑reviewed literature, policy documents, and case studies, we examined the foundations of OECMs, considered the distinctive advantages of GIAHS for achieving global conservation targets, and devised policy and practical strategies for leveraging GIAHS as potential OECMs. First, we found that OECMs can enhance ecological representation and connectivity across broader landscapes and that their inclusive and flexible nature creates opportunities for diverse landscapes to contribute to conservation, including TAL, which are inherently sustainable and multifunctional. Second, the conservation contributions of GIAHS, spanning biodiversity maintenance, ecosystem service provision, and landscape connectivity, provide practical criteria for prioritizing future conserved areas. The synergistic management and biocultural approaches inherent to GIAHS offer models for effective conservation strategies. Finally, conservation outcomes of GIAHS closely align with the outcome-based framework of OECMs. To translate this alignment into action, priorities must include strengthening policy and legal strategies and enhancing the evidence base.

Temperate agricultural landscapes are experiencing unprecedented biodiversity declines. Landscape simplification is commonly identified as a driver of species loss across taxonomic groups, but the contribution of crop and non-crop habitats to farmland biodiversity conservation is surprisingly poorly known. Using 86 paired permanent grasslands and oilseed rape fields in five European countries, we assess how habitat type shaped plant, butterfly, wild bee, and carabid assemblages and whether increasing grassland amount in surrounding landscapes fosters the spillover of grassland-associated biodiversity to oilseed rape fields. We find habitat type rather than landscape-level grassland amount determines diversity and shapes species assemblages: plants and butterflies are more diverse in grasslands, while wild bees and carabids are equally or more diverse in oilseed rape fields. Increasing landscape-level grassland amount affects species assemblage composition but only reduces turnover between habitats in wild bees. Overall, both grasslands and oilseed rape fields harbour distinct sets of species, together contributing complementarily to regional diversity. Safeguarding biodiversity in agricultural landscapes therefore requires not only the conservation of permanent semi-natural habitats but also biodiversity-friendly management of disturbed habitats such as crop fields that can contribute valuable species.

ABSTRACT This paper examines the Ruta del Bakalao (1978–1995) as a case of rural and peri-urban place-making driven by a music ecosystem in the periphery of Valencia, Spain. While research on music, tourism and place has focused on urban centres and planned destinations, this study explores how informal cultural production transformed agricultural landscapes and secondary roads into a significant node of European electronic music culture. Drawing on historical-documentary analysis, oral histories, press archives and spatial reconstruction, it analyses how cultural actors, mobility practices and regulatory ambiguity produced territorial imaginaries of modernity and nightlife. The findings show the “Ruta” functioned as a dispersed cultural system generating tourism-like effects and later heritage-making. The paper contributes to debates on place-based tourism and rural cultural geographies.