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!!!

Nordic Oikos 2026 | Nordic Society Oikos Join us for one of Europe’s leading ecological conferences, where scientists, students, and professionals from across the Nordic countries, Germany, Austria, and Switzerland come together to explore t...

Sep 13 - 17, 2026 - Nordic Oikos 2026 nordicsocietyoikos.glueup.com/event/nordic...

#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.

Silva Vilumets Researcher in applied entomology, studying ecosystem services and integrated pest management

#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 High-yielding forage grasslands frequently comprise low species diversity and receive high inputs of nitrogen fertilizer. To investigate multispecies mixtures as an alternative strategy, the 26-site i...

Multispecies grasslands produce more yield from lower nitrogen inputs across a climatic gradient | Science www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Pesticides and habitat loss additively reduce wild bees in crop fields - Nature Ecology & Evolution The authors synthesize bee assemblage data from 681 crop fields across three continents, finding that local pesticide hazards and decreasing adjacent semi-natural habitats both negatively affected wil...

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...

Locomotion Reveals Contrasting Responses in Body Mass‐Scaling of Metabolic Rates Between Winged and Wingless Arthropods We test how activity and locomotor mode affect metabolic scaling in arthropods. Only winged insects show increased scaling with activity, likely due to flight-related thermal and biomechanical factor...

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....

Small fields, big benefits: But only with semi-natural habitats nearby Pollinators, like bumblebees, are essential for agriculture, yet they’re declining due to landscape simplification and habitat loss. In this blog post, Riho Marja and colleagues tell us more about …

appliedecologistsblog.com/2025/12/10/s...

#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...

Small-scale farming benefits birds and boosts their diversity in nearby farmland and villages Since the post-World War II period, agricultural intensification and land consolidation programs have homogenized and simplified European agricultural…

Small-scale farming benefits birds and boosts their diversity in nearby farmland and villages | www.sciencedirect.co... | Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment | #ornithology 🪶

#Burnt patches support diverse #arthropod species, including xerothermophilic, shade-tolerant, and threatened types.

Prescribed burning and vegetation heterogeneity enhance predatory arthropod diversity in temperate dry grasslands - Fire Ecology Background Temperate dry grasslands host diverse communities of predatory arthropods, yet their biodiversity is increasingly threatened by habitat degradation following the abandonment of traditional ...

#Publication: 'Prescribed burning and vegetation heterogeneity enhance predatory arthropod diversity in temperate dry grasslands,' led by Tomáš and Robi, co-authored by Marci, is out in Fire Ecology. doi.org/10.1186/s424...

The economic, agricultural, and food security repercussions of a wild pollinator collapse in Europe - Nature Communications Wild pollinator loss in Europe could cut crop yields by 8%, reduce exports, and raise food prices. Despite market adjustments, global annual welfare would decline by €34 billion in 2030, with EU consu...

'The economic, ag., & food security repercussions of a wild pollinator collapse

Prices for pollinator-dependent crops would rise globally, w' Europe seeing steepest increases. ...consumers bear the brunt. Global annual welfare losses would reach €34 billion in 2030'

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

#Conference: @edinatorok.bsky.social attended the SCAPE Conference in Priego de Córdoba, Spain, presenting on cavity-nesting bees and wasps in villages, plus a SEPPI project poster on plant-pollinator monitoring methods.

#Native species were most diverse in semi-natural areas, archaeophytes were prevalent in rural #landscapes, and neophytes thrived at edges, regardless of landscape context.

#Publication: Our paper, "Native and alien plant species respond differently to landscape and local factors shaping spontaneous herbaceous vegetation in villages" led by Kata, is now published in Basic and Applied Ecology.
doi.org/10.1016/j.ba...

Out today in PNAS: Mobile species' responses to surrounding land use generate trade-offs and synergies among nature's contributions to people" www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2505401122 by Sophie O'Brien et al.

Great to see the results of our massive biodiversity assessment at Berchtesgaden Natl. Park pour in! Cool insights on patterns & drivers of multidiversity!

#1 Macro- and microclimate interactively shape species diversity of multiple taxa in mountain landscapes by L. Geres. doi.org/10.1002/ecog...