Potential ecosystem services aquatic insects provide in irrigated rice fields under different cultivation regimes

Abstract The provision of ecosystem services in agriculture depends on the use of conservation practices and the biodiversity of each agroecosystem. In Brazil, however, knowledge and tools for evaluating the impact of different cultivation systems on the provision of ecosystem services remain deficient in several agroecosystems. We assessed whether the availability of support and regulation services provided by aquatic insects differs between rice fields irrigated under conventional and organic systems. A framework was implemented based on functional traits and the ecological functions performed by each taxon. Insect traits related to pollination capacity, soil fertilization and pest control were selected for analysis. Greater availability of soil fertilization services in conventional rice fields and pest control services in organic rice fields was detected. This study demonstrates the efficiency of the framework based on functional traits for the integrated assessment of ecosystem services in rice fields, being useful to support sustainable strategies in agriculture.