In a multiyear experimental field study on the effects of prairie strips, which integrate native prairie plants into farmland, in corn and soybean fields, researchers found that prairie strips were associated with an increase in insect and bird biodiversity as well as with reduced water runoff and increased nutrient and soil retention; fields with prairie strips experienced minimal loss in crop production, compared with fields lacking prairie strips, findings with potential implications for natural resource management on agricultural lands.
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Article #16-20229: "Prairie strips improve biodiversity and the delivery of multiple ecosystem services from corn-soybean croplands," by Lisa A. Schulte et al.
MEDIA CONTACT: Lisa A. Schulte, Iowa State University, Ames, IA; tel: 515-294-7339, 515-520-7491; e-mail: < lschulte@iastate.edu >
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences