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Ecological agriculture, also known as organic farming, is a holistic and sustainable approach that places a strong emphasis on environmental health, biodiversity, and the overall well-being of ecosystems and people. This methodology is gaining increasing recognition and support as a response to the ecological challenges posed by conventional agriculture.

In recent decades, the adoption of ecological management practices in Mediterranean vineyards has gained significant momentum. This can be attributed to its proven ability to deliver satisfactory crop yields while simultaneously preserving environmental quality, maintaining biodiversity and the provision of ecosystem services and functions¹. However, it is important to note that despite these notable advantages, conventional farming practices still dominate the viticulture landscape.

One of the components of agricultural ecosystems is the spontaneous plant species, often known as "weeds." These plants are essential ecological indicators of agroecosystem resilience, as they exhibit remarkable sensitivity to environmental conditions and management practices while offering a multitude of ecological functions and services^2,3. Therefore, it is essential to understand how spontaneous plant communities in vineyards with differing agricultural management are assembled, considering the competitive response capacity of the plants and their contribution to ecosystem functions.

With this objective in mind, it was carried out a comprehensive study evaluating the contrasting effects of conventional and organic management, as well as soil conditions, in six different Penedès vineyards. The assessment focused on the diversity and composition of spontaneous plant communities, as well as the functional diversity of the competitive response capacity of species and the functional diversity of the provisioning of services related to pollination.

The results revealed that spontaneous plant communities and their functions are more responsive to management conditions than to soil conditions. Vineyards under organic management exhibited a greater richness of plant species with diverse competitive response strategies to adapt to various environmental conditions and agricultural practices. Additionally, organic vineyards hosted richer, more extensive, and more resilient spontaneous plant communities that enhanced the provisioning of pollination services. In other words, ecological systems hold plant communities with more diverse floral characteristics and related to specific pollinators, contributing to a more diverse pollinator community⁴. Conversely, conventional farming systems tended to favor spontaneous plants that are wind-pollinated or have floral attributes appealing to a less diverse range of pollinators.

This study underscores the importance of organic farming in maintaining local plant diversity in Mediterranean vineyards and improving the provision of ecosystem functions and services in these agricultural landscapes. In conclusion, the research advocates for ecological agriculture as a promising alternative to conventional methods in vineyards, offering a path towards a more sustainable and harmonious coexistence with nature⁵.