Researching the agroecosystem/environmental interface

This special issue of Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment recognizes the important contribution of Dr. J.W. Sturrock to agroecosystem and environmental research through his long-term role as Editor-in-Chief (1982–2000). An historical overview of agroecosystem and environmental research is provided to illustrate the continued growth of scientific endeavor in this area, and to show its importance for a better understanding of ecological interactions within agroecosystems and especially at the agroecosystem/environmental interface. The papers collected in this special issue are selected to illustrate the breadth and diversity of agroecosystem and environmental research. They can be placed in the following four areas: the environmental impact of farming systems; the management of organic resources, the link between the ecology of farming systems and the environment; and the ecological interactions that occur within or between agricultural systems. Intensification of food production, population growth, technological change, changing land-use patterns, and global change will further impact the structure and functional properties of agroecosystems, and intensify the interaction between agriculture and the environment, and will present a major continuing need for research in the 21st century.