Precision Agriculture

Precision Management for Ecosystem Services

Ecosystem Services

Goods

Nutrient removal

Agrochemical attenuation

Clean water

Stabilising vegetation

Regulation of water flow

Grazing of algae

Clear water

Crops Food

Wild species diversity

Wildlife

Game birds & Coarse fish

Game & fish

Critical biodiversity

Diversity of invertebrates, bacteria & algae in soil & water

Plant communities on river banks

Plant, pest, natural enemy & pollinator diversity

Preferred groups of plants, birds, butterflies

Specific species of birds & fish

Interventions & gradients

Increased precision of nutrient & pesticide inputs

Gradients in soil nutrient concentrations

Gradients in land use intensity

Reduced tillage

Management of buffer strips

Critical biodiversity

Diversity of invertebrates, bacteria & algae in soil & water

Plant communities on river banks

Plant, pest, natural enemy & pollinator diversity

Preferred groups of plants, birds, butterflies

Specific species of birds & fish

Interventions & gradients

Increased precision of nutrient & pesticide inputs

Gradients in soil nutrient concentrations

Gradients in land use intensity

Reduced tillage

Management of buffer strips

Framework

Ecosystem Services

Goods

Nutrient removal

Agrochemical attenuation

Clean water

Stabilising vegetation

Regulation of water flow

Grazing of algae

Clear water

Crops Food

Wild species diversity

Wildlife

Game birds & Coarse fish

Game & fish

Goods Ecosystem Services

Critical biodiversity

Interventions & gradients

Servicedelivery

Biodiversity

2Bi

odiv

ersi

ty1

Driver / gradient

• Univariate comparisons: species richness, indices encompassing evenness & dominance,all at multiple spatial scales: α, β, γ diversity

• Multivariate comparisons: Community composition – Identify indicative taxa, pairwise comparisons of community similarities

• Extend both to assessments of functional traits and/or phylogenetic diversity (proxy)

Land use intensity and diversity

Diversity and process

Value of diversity

Clear water (reduced sediment load)

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

Conventional tillage

Low/Min/No tillage

Grassland / Margin

Eart

hwor

m sp

ecie

s ric

hnes

s(n

umbe

r / m

2 )

Species Richness0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

1400

1200

1000

800

600

400

200

0Hyd

raul

ic c

ondu

ctivi

ty k

s/m

m/h

Regulate water flow (reduce overland flow)

1

2

Soil

Hyd

raul

ic

Cond

uctiv

ity (k

s/m

m/h

)

Worm species richness

Eart

hwor

m s

peci

es

richn

ess

(No.

/ m

2 )

Bradbury et al 2010 Journal of Applied Ecology, 47, 986-993

Cultivated margin (EF11)

Pollen and nectar mix (EF4)

6m grass buffer strip (EE3)

Water quality - - + + +Pest control + + + Pollination + + + - Arable flora + + - - - - Farmland birds + + - +

Examples of trade-offs and synergies between Ecosystem Services delivered by field margins under different ELS options.