Policy news: The EU Directorate-General for Environment is promoting our Nature Sustainability paper with the title "Restoring nature-rich landscapes around villages is a matter of social and environmental justice".
environment.ec.europa.eu/news/restori...
#Defense: @lakatostom.bsky.social has successfully defended his PhD at the Eötvös University with the title "The effects of urbanisation and agricultural intensification on bird communities" under the supervision of Péter. Congratulations!
# link to Eötvös University: www.elte.hu/en
We found that surface sealing reduces species richness and insectivorous birds, while taller buildings increase abundance and favor larger, higher-foraging and nesting species. Urban structure thus filters bird communities.
#Publication: With @lakatostom.bsky.social as first author, we published a paper in Basic and Applied Ecology entitled "Sealed surfaces limit bird diversity, whereas tall structures may support the abundance of some species, while both filter traits in urban landscapes".
doi.org/10.1016/j.ba...
We found that although the GBF's targets can drive action for insect recovery, nearly none of the indicators effectively measure progress for insects.
#Publication: @edinatorok.bsky.social , Riho, Robi, and Péter co-authored a paper in Conservation Letters titled "Global biodiversity framework targets can drive action on insect declines, but lack robust indicators to prove their effectiveness." dx.doi.org/10.1111/con4...
This is a close up image of two tiny female parasitoid wasps depositing their eggs in the larvae of the gall midge hidden in a reed shoot. The tiny gall midge larvae feed within plant tissue creating bumps, known as “plant galls”. The wasp eggs will hatch and their offspring will feast on the baby gall midges. There is green grass in the background. Photo: Tscharntke, T. et al., Basic and Applied Ecology, DOI: 10.1016/j.baae.2
Let the grass grow under your feet!
In every grass shoot, there is a treasure trove of tiny insect biodiversity. It turns out insects need undisturbed refuges: grassland should not be mown for several years: www.uni-goettingen.de/en/3240.html...
#BasicandAppliedEcology: doi.org/10.1016/j.ba...
“A standardised protocol for sampling cavity-nesting Hymenoptera using trap nests”, led by @edinatorok.bsky.social, published in JHR, promoting wider use of trap nests and standardised data collection on cavity-nesting Hymenoptera to support research and conservation. doi.org/10.3897/jhr....
Tscharntke, T., Batáry, P., Vidal, S. (2026). The hidden multitrophic diversity of specialized grass-shoot insects – neglected by grassland management. Basic and Applied Ecology. doi.org/10.1016/j.ba...
@funcagroeco.bsky.social
BSc defense: Congratulations to Teodor Purger for successfully defending his thesis at the University of Pécs! His research, titled "Effects of horizontal and vertical urban structure on bird species distribution, functional traits, and abundance in the city of Pécs," was supervised by Tamás.
Our paper with Teja, Péter, and Stefan, "The hidden multitrophic diversity of specialized grass-shoot insects – neglected by grassland management," is published in @basicapplecol.bsky.social. It emphasizes the need for unmown refuges to support persistent insect populations.
doi.org/10.1016/j.ba...
PhD defense: Kitti has successfully defended her PhD at the Hungarian Agricultural University. Her dissertation, titled "Effect of Leaving Uncut Refuge Strips and Grazing Exclusions as Nature Conservation Measures on Arthropods," was completed under the supervision of Robi. Congratulations!!!
#Publication: @rihomarja.bsky.social published a paper in Ardea: "Night-time movements and roosting habitat selection of Grey Partridges." They found that 45% of partridges changed roosting sites at night, likely due to disturbance.
doi.org/10.5253/arde...
#Seminar: Tomáš attended the seminar Natural diversity and nature conservation in practice in Telč, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. He was invited to give a talk on how canopy opening in lowland woodlands supports spider diversity.
#Newgroupmember: We are pleased to welcome Silva Vilumets as a postdoc researcher, joining our group with her own Estonian fellowship to work on conservation biological pest control. Happy sciencing!
# link to Silva Vilumets: www.emu.ee/en/contacts/...
#Newgroupmember: We are pleased to welcome Sarolta Meinhardt as an assistant researcher, joining our group to work on the social science aspects of urbanisation in the UrbanBEE project.
UrbanBEE project: www.myurbanbee.com
Péter attended the vibrant and productive Annual Meeting of the British Ecological Society in Edinburgh. He presented our recent village study published in Nature Sustainability and participated in the board meeting of the Journal of Applied Ecology.
www.britishecologicalsociety.org/content/bes-...
Multispecies grasslands produce more yield from lower nitrogen inputs across a climatic gradient | Science www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Our new paper, co-authored by Riho and Péter, titled "Pesticides and habitat loss additively reduce wild bees in crop fields", is published in Nature Ecology & Evolution. The study emphasizes the need to reduce pesticide impacts and restore habitats for promoting wild bees. doi.org/10.1038/s415...
Flying changes how metabolism scales with body mass –> NEW META-ANALYSIS of insects and spiders in Ecology Letters with @vojsavagjoni.bsky.social, H. Tan, A. Hirst and D. Atkinson
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
#NewExcellenceGrant: Péter has once again been awarded the prestigious Momentum Excellence Grant from the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, which originally helped establish our group seven years ago. This is crucial for our group's continued success and future achievements. mta.hu/english
Retreat: Our research group had a fantastic retreat in Eger, Hungary! We discussed our ongoing projects and other initiatives, enjoyed traditional food, a local wine tasting, and great company.
Outside the sessions, attendees enjoyed an excellent visit to the Saint-Emilion UNESCO World Heritage Site, explored the charming city, and savored delicious local food and drinks. www.inrae.fr/en/centres/n...
whc.unesco.org/en/list/932/
#Meeting: Kata, Vera, and Péter attended the Kick-off Meeting of the SAFER project at INRAE Bordeaux, France. The three-day event featured engaging scientific presentations and fruitful discussions about project planning. www.agroecologypartnership.eu/safer
Conference: Tamás and Péter attended the 3rd Hungarian Urban Ecology Conference at the University of Pécs. Péter delivered a plenary on hidden village biodiversity, Tamás discussed city park birds, and his MSc student, Teó, won the best speed talk prize on 3D urbanization effects on birds.
It highlights how small-scale farming boosts bird diversity in farmland and villages, crucial for biodiversity conservation.
#Publication: Our new paper, with Dorota as the senior author, is published in Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment under the title "Small-scale farming benefits birds and boosts their diversity in nearby farmland and villages". doi.org/10.1016/j.ag...
