Mapping complex relationships in agroecosystems: biological diversity and interactions from a transdisciplinary perspective.

• Grant number: 24/17945-2
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: November 01, 2024
• End date: October 31, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Interdisciplinary Subjects
• Principal Investigator: Debora Cristina Rother
• Grantee: Elenir Aparecida Queiroz
• Host Institution: Centro de Ciências da Natureza (CCN). Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCAR). Campus de Lagoa do Sino. Buri , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 23/12033-2 - Nature-based solutions for multifunctional landscapes management, AP.BTA.R

Abstract

The biological diversity plays an essential role in the ability of ecosystems to adapt and recover after disturbances. The presence of a variety of species, including plants, parasitoids, and natural predators, contributes to the provision of ecosystem services, such as the natural regulation of agricultural pest populations. Monoculture and the excessive use of agrochemicals can reduce biological diversity in agroecosystems, compromising interactions and the ability to control pests. The overall objective of this project is to assess biological diversity, investigate interactions between different species, and understand the factors and mechanisms responsible for the maintenance and/or loss of species in agroecosystems. Working together with farmers, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), and undergraduate and postdoctoral students, the project will assess biological diversity and interactions in agricultural landscapes that encompass a range of environmental situations and that are representative of the Southwest of São Paulo. These data will enable us to explore which species are most important in agroecosystems and in which scenarios. In this project, in the context of the sampled communities, the "most important species" are "keystone species" for maintaining efficient control of agricultural pests. Based on the results, conservation strategies will be outlined together with non-academic professionals from NGOs, city governments and landowners in order to guarantee ecological processes at different scales in the Atlantic Forest biome, aiming to maintain or restore ecosystem interactions and services.