With Ali Ben Mustapha, University of Nottingham, and Grant Vernham, University of Nottingham.
All seminars online. Please contact sue.davis@nottingham.ac.uk for the link. Subject to change.
Part of the Geosciences Seminar Series.
Drylands, agricultural system, climate change: a field survey to investigate agricultural system specificities, risks and sustainability (Ali Ben Mustapha)
Abstract
The farming system in dry land is generally related to regions where soils are lacking to moisture which can decrease crop production and rangeland biomass developing at least for an important period of the year. Dryland farming systems are very diverse, including a variety of annual croplands and mixed agriculture– livestock systems. Small holders’ farmers with Small-scale and poor resources in arid area, usually subsistence-based farmers, operate and survive in these varied, changeable and hazardous environments by being able to manage the multiple risks through diversification, flexibility and adaptability. The important part of these risks is the consequences of the adverse impacts of climate change and global warming are mainly threatening water and food security in developing countries, also expected to change farming systems and to put more pressure on the rural community ability to cope with these changes and build up their adaptive capacities.
In our study are Q'a Shubyqa (North-eastern Jordan), we aim to improve our understanding of the main characteristics of the agricultural system in this area and investigate the impact of the climate change on agricultural practices and crop production. A field survey was conducted with local farmers to illustrate this farming system characteristic and investigating how far the climate change has effected their farming productivity in the near past and the present.
Towards a nuanced understanding of environmental heterogeneity-biodiversity relationships: The contribution of the geosciences (Grant Vernham)
Environmental heterogeneity has long been shown to be an important factor driving spatial patterns of biodiversity. Mechanistically, these patterns likely exist due to environmental heterogeneity mediating niche space, refuge and competitive outcomes between species. However, research exploring this relationship continues to be hampered by approaches that fail to appropriately characterise the environment and the biodiversity it supports.
In this talk I will elaborate on these issues and discuss potential research avenues to advance our understanding of environmental heterogeneity-biodiversity patterns. Additionally, I will discuss findings from two projects spanning distinct spatial scales; 1) a Pan-European analysis of environmental heterogeneity-biodiversity relationships using environmental layers constructed from established geospatial data, 2) a localised analysis connecting species traits with key environmental indicators using data collected from the Cairngorms National Park, Scotland.