Natural enemies often originate from the (semi)natural habitats surrounding agricultural fields. In many cases, the biological control service is limited to the field borders, where the natural enemies can move easily from the surrounding habitats. This work uses movement rules and individual-based models to explore how the habitat quality of the field and its surroundings may be modified to help natural enemies move inside the field and therefore improve biological control.

In the quest to understand how biotic interactions respond to climate change, one area that remains poorly explored is how interactions involving organisms other than vascular plants will respond. This study assessed how changes in water availability altered the biotic effects of biological soil crusts and pioneer shrubs in the early life-history stage of tree seedling growth. We found that water availability changed the magnitude of shrub effect and the magnitude and type of crust effect.

Can organisms other than vascular plants establish and develop on road slopes? Yes, biological soil crusts (or biocrusts) can. Here, we found that lichen biocrusts are common and relatively abundant in road slopes after ~20 years of construction with no assistance needed. These findings are of critical importance for dryland restoration because biocrusts can speed up ecosystem recovery by stabilizing soil surface, improving soil fertility and facilitating vascular plant establishment.