Dariusz Jaskulski

Plant Diversity in Agroecosystems and Agricultural Landscapes

Agricultural landscapes represent a cultural landscape group. Their origin, structure and ecological relations differ from natural landscapes considerably. By (Kizos and Koulouri 2005) they are defined as the visual result of land uses. They are nature systems developed with a great participation of the man, used by the man and maintained in the state of internal equilibrium. At present the role of rural areas does not mean only foodstuffs production. The sustainable rural areas development should involve maintaining the equilibrium between the productive, economic and social function of agricultural landscape and its ecological function, including maintaining the biodiversity. Those are the areas of numerous plant and animal organisms not connected directly with agricultural production, however, playing important environmental functions. The human activity performed in them should thus also consider the need of environmental protection [Millennium Ekosystem Assessment 2005, Fisher and Lindenmayer 2007].

Diversity and dominance of crop plantations in the agroecosystems of the Kujawy and Pomorze region in Poland

Abstract The Kujawy and Pomorze Province with 127 rural and municipal-and-rural communes in 19 districts is a typical agricultural region, with the highest plant farming intensity in Poland. The diversity and dominance of crop plantations in the agroecosystems in communes were calculated based on percentage share of 21 kinds of crops in the cropland structure. The algorithms applied in ecological research of biodiversity were used: the Shannon–Weaver diversity index (H’) and Simpsons dominance index (λ). The diversity (H’) of crops in arable land in the Kujawy and Pomorze Province ranges from 1.68 to 2.54. The diversity of crop plantations in the region was bigger in the communes in which there are: better soil, a higher share of arable land in the agricultural acreage and cropland in the arable land as well as with a higher share of barley, corn for grain and sugar beet in the cropland structure. The highest dominance index (λ) for crops in the whole province is 0.291. The index of dominance of agricultural crops in this region increases with an increase in the share of: woodland in the total area, meadows and pasture in the agricultural acreage and rye in the cropland structure.