Biodiversity in small-scale tropical agroforests: a review of species richness and abundance shifts and the factors influencing them

This paper reviews 52 published studies that compared species richness and/or abundance between agroforests and primary forest, and 27 studies that compared biodiversity parameters across agroforests. The former covered a broad range of taxa and geographical areas, but few focused on homegardens, while those comparing across agroforestry systems were biased towards studies of plants and homegardens

BEN R. SCALES; STUART J. MARSDEN

2008

Scholarcy highlights

  • This paper reviews 52 published studies that compared species richness and/or abundance between agroforests and primary forest, and 27 studies that compared biodiversity parameters across agroforests. The former covered a broad range of taxa and geographical areas, but few focused on homegardens, while those comparing across agroforestry systems were biased towards studies of plants and homegardens
  • Species richness and abundance generally decrease with increasing prevalence of crop species, more intensive management, decreasing stratum richness and shortening of cultivation cycles
  • Further work is required on the influence of spatial and temporal structure of agricultural holdings on biodiversity retention across agriculture/succession/forest mosaics, how β diversity across individual holdings influences biodiversity across landscapes, and on how agricultural intensification can be best managed to minimize future losses of biodiversity from tropical landscapes
  • (1998) The role of tree sprouts in the restorations of stand-structure and species diversity in tropical moist forest after slash-and-burn agriculture in Eastern Paraguay

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