scholarly journals Mixed effects of ecological intensification on natural pest control providers: a short-term study for biotic homogenization in winter wheat fields

PeerJ ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. e8746
Author(s):  
Zoltán Elek ◽  
Jana Růžičková ◽  
Réka Ádám ◽  
Krisztina Bereczki ◽  
Gergely Boros ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Winter Wheat ◽  
Pest Control ◽  
Natural Enemies ◽  
Landscape Scale ◽  
Biotic Homogenization ◽  
Natural Habitats ◽  
Ecological Intensification ◽  
Field Management ◽  
Invertebrate Assemblages ◽  
Aphid Abundance

Agricultural intensification is one of the major drivers of biotic homogenization and has multiple levels ranging from within-field management intensity to landscape-scale simplification. The enhancement of invertebrate assemblages by establishing new, semi-natural habitats, such as set-aside fields can improve biological pest control in adjacent crops, and mitigate the adverse effect of biotic homogenization. In this study we aimed to examine the effects of ecological intensification in winter wheat fields in Hungary. We tested how pests and their natural enemies were affected at different spatial scales by landscape composition (proportion of semi-natural habitats in the surrounding matrix), configuration (presence of adjacent set-aside fields), and local field management practices, such as fertilizer (NPK) applications without applying insecticides. We demonstrated that at the local scale, decreased fertilizer usage had no direct effect either on pests or their natural enemies. Higher landscape complexity and adjacent semi-natural habitats seem to be the major drivers of decreasing aphid abundance, suggesting that these enhanced the predatory insect assemblages. Additionally, the high yield in plots with no adjacent set-aside fields suggests that intensive management can compensate for the lower yields on the extensive plots. Our results demonstrated that although complexity at the landscape scale was crucial for maintaining invertebrate assemblages, divergence in their response to pests and pathogens could also be explained by different dispersal abilities. Although the landscape attributes acted as dispersal filters in the organization of pest and pathogen assemblages in croplands, the presence of set-aside fields negatively influenced aphid abundance due to their between-field isolation effect.

scholarly journals Scale-dependent environmental filtering of ground-dwelling predators in winter wheat and adjacent set-aside areas in Hungary

2020 ◽  
Vol 24 (5) ◽  
pp. 751-763
Author(s):  
Jana Růžičková ◽  
Ferenc Kádár ◽  
Ottó Szalkovszki ◽  
Anikó Kovács-Hostyánszki ◽  
András Báldi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Winter Wheat ◽  
Natural Enemies ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Habitat Type ◽  
Environmental Filtering ◽  
Landscape Scale ◽  
Dispersal Ability ◽  
Field Scale ◽  
Wheat Field ◽  
Activity Density

Abstract Agricultural intensification may act as an environmental filter shaping invertebrate assemblages at multiple spatial scales. However, it is not fully understood which scale is the most influential. Therefore, we utilized a hierarchical approach to examine the effect of local management (inorganic fertilization and soil properties; within-field scale), habitat type (winter wheat field and set-aside field; between-field scale) and landscape complexity (landscape scale) on assemblage structure and functional diversity of two important groups of natural enemies, carabids and spiders, in a cultivated lowland landscape in Hungary. Environmental filtering affected natural enemies at different spatial scales; likely as a result of enemies’ different dispersal ability and sensitivity to fertilizer use. Carabids were strongly affected at the within-field scale: positively by soil pH, negatively by soil organic matter and fertilization. At the between-field scale, carabids had higher activity density in the set-aside fields than in the winter wheat fields and simple landscapes enhanced carabids diversity, species richness and activity density at the landscape scale. Spiders were more abundant and species-rich in the set-aside fields than in the winter wheat fields. Although highly mobile (macropterous) carabids might disperse to arable crops from greater distances, while spiders possibly depended more on the proximity of set-aside fields, the winter wheat fields (where pest control should be delivered) were utilized mostly by common agrobiont species. Increasing crop heterogeneity within arable fields could be a potential option to increase the diversity of carabids and spiders in the studied region.

scholarly journals Governance of Ecosystem Services in Agroecology: When Coordination is Needed but Difficult to Achieve

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 1158 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicolas Salliou ◽  
Roldan Muradian ◽  
Cécile Barnaud
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Pest Control ◽  
Insect Pests ◽  
Farming Systems ◽  
Landscape Scale ◽  
Pesticide Use ◽  
Natural Habitats ◽  
Biological Pest Control ◽  
Coordination Strategies

Transitioning towards agroecology involves the integration of biodiversity based ecosystem services into farming systems: for example, relying on biological pest control rather than pesticides. One promising approach for pest control relies on the conservation of semi-natural habitats at the landscape scale to encourage natural enemies of insect pests. However, this approach may require coordination between farmers to manage the interdependencies between the providers and beneficiaries of this ecosystem service. The main objective of this study was to identify hindrances to landscape-scale coordination strategies to control pests. To this end, we used a theoretical framework specifically designed to explore social interdependencies linked to ecosystem services. We applied this framework to a participatory research case study on pest control in apple orchards in southwest France to identify and describe key obstacles. We found four main impediments: (1) The perception of most stakeholders that the landscape does not deliver significant pest control services, (2) the challenge of coping with agroecological uncertainties, (3) an integrated vertical supply chain focused on pesticide use, (4) the existence of independent, non-collective alternatives. We discuss the potential of overcoming these obstacles or turning them into opportunities that promote a transition to agroecology and the integration of ecosystem services in farms and their supply chains.

scholarly journals High effectiveness of tailored flower strips in reducing pests and crop plant damage

2015 ◽  
Vol 282 (1814) ◽  
pp. 20151369 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthias Tschumi ◽  
Matthias Albrecht ◽  
Martin H. Entling ◽  
Katja Jacot
Keyword(s):  
Winter Wheat ◽  
Pest Control ◽  
Natural Enemies ◽  
Leaf Beetle ◽  
Crop Damage ◽  
Landscape Complexity ◽  
High Effectiveness ◽  
Plant Damage ◽  
Crop Area ◽  
Natural Pest Control

Providing key resources to animals may enhance both their biodiversity and the ecosystem services they provide. We examined the performance of annual flower strips targeted at the promotion of natural pest control in winter wheat. Flower strips were experimentally sown along 10 winter wheat fields across a gradient of landscape complexity (i.e. proportion non-crop area within 750 m around focal fields) and compared with 15 fields with wheat control strips. We found strong reductions in cereal leaf beetle (CLB) density (larvae: 40%; adults of the second generation: 53%) and plant damage caused by CLB (61%) in fields with flower strips compared with control fields. Natural enemies of CLB were strongly increased in flower strips and in part also in adjacent wheat fields. Flower strip effects on natural enemies, pests and crop damage were largely independent of landscape complexity (8–75% non-crop area). Our study demonstrates a high effectiveness of annual flower strips in promoting pest control, reducing CLB pest levels below the economic threshold. Hence, the studied flower strip offers a viable alternative to insecticides. This highlights the high potential of tailored agri-environment schemes to contribute to ecological intensification and may encourage more farmers to adopt such schemes.

scholarly journals Organic farming expansion drives natural enemy abundance not diversity in agricultural landscapes

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucile Muneret ◽  
Arthur Auriol ◽  
Olivier Bonnard ◽  
Sylvie Richart-Cervera ◽  
Denis Thiéry ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Biodiversity Conservation ◽  
Organic Farming ◽  
Natural Enemies ◽  
Natural Enemy ◽  
Farming Systems ◽  
Crop Productivity ◽  
Agricultural Landscapes ◽  
List Type ◽  
Natural Habitats ◽  
Ecological Intensification

AbstractOrganic farming is seen as a prototype of ecological intensification able to conciliate crop productivity and biodiversity conservation in agricultural landscapes. However, how natural enemies, an important functional group supporting pest control services, respond to organic farming at different scales and in different landscape contexts remain unclear.Using a hierarchical design within a vineyard-dominated region located in southwestern France, we examine the independent effects of organic farming and semi-natural habitats at the local and landscape scales on natural enemies.We show that the proportion of organic farming is a stronger driver of species abundance than the proportion of semi-natural habitats and is an important facet of landscape heterogeneity shaping natural enemy assemblages. Although our study highlight a strong taxonomic group-dependency about the effect of organic farming, organic farming benefits to dominant species while rare species occur at the same frequency in the two farming systems.Independently of farming systems, enhancing field age, reducing crop productivity, soil tillage intensity and pesticide use are key management options to increase natural enemy biodiversity.Synthesis and Applications. Our study indicates that policies promoting the expansion of organic farming will benefit more to ecological intensification strategies seeking to enhance ecosystem services than to biodiversity conservation.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document