Prey removal in cotton crops next to woodland reveals periodic diurnal and nocturnal invertebrate predation gradients from the crop edge by birds and bats

AbstractFactors influencing the efficacy of insectivorous vertebrates in providing natural pest control services inside crops at increasing distances from the crop edge are poorly understood. We investigated the identity of vertebrate predators (birds and bats) and removal of sentinel prey (mealworms and beetles) from experimental feeding trays in cotton crops using prey removal trials, camera traps and observations. More prey was removed during the day than at night, but prey removal was variable at the crop edge and dependent on the month (reflecting crop growth and cover) and time of day. Overall, the predation of mealworms and beetles was 1-times and 13-times greater during the day than night, respectively, with predation on mealworms 3–5 times greater during the day than night at the crop edge compared to 95 m inside the crop. Camera traps identified many insectivorous birds and bats over crops near the feeding trays, but there was no evidence of bats or small passerines removing experimental prey. A predation gradient from the crop edge was evident, but only in some months. This corresponded to the foraging preferences of open-space generalist predators (magpies) in low crop cover versus the shrubby habitat preferred by small passerines, likely facilitating foraging away from the crop edge later in the season. Our results are in line with Optimal Foraging Theory and suggest that predators trade-off foraging behaviour with predation risk at different distances from the crop edge and levels of crop cover. Understanding the optimal farm configuration to support insectivorous bird and bat populations can assist farmers to make informed decisions regarding in-crop natural pest control and maximise the predation services provided by farm biodiversity.

Download Full-text

Effects of Temporal Crop β Diversification of a Cereal-Based Cropping System on Generalist Predators and Their Biocontrol Potential

Frontiers in Agronomy ◽

10.3389/fagro.2021.704979 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 3 ◽

Author(s):

Giovanni Antonio Puliga ◽

Jan Thiele ◽

Hauke Ahnemann ◽

Jens Dauber

Keyword(s):

Crop Rotation ◽

Pest Control ◽

Cover Crops ◽

Cropping Systems ◽

Cropping System ◽

Generalist Predators ◽

Activity Density ◽

Biocontrol Potential ◽

Natural Pest Control ◽

Predation Rates

In agroecosystems, crop diversification plays a fundamental role in maintaining and regenerating biodiversity and ecosystem services, such as natural pest control. Temporal diversification of cropping systems can affect the presence and activity of natural enemies by providing alternative hosts and prey, food, and refuges for overwintering. However, we still lack studies on the effects of temporal diversification on generalist predators and their biocontrol potential conducted at field scale in commercial agricultural settings. Here, we measured proxies of ecosystem functions related with biological pest control in 29 commercial agricultural fields characterized by cereal-based cropping system in Lower-Saxony, northern Germany. The fields differed in the number of crops and cover crops cultivated during the previous 12 years. Using the Rapid Ecosystem Function Assessment approach, we measured invertebrate predation, seed predation and activity density of generalist predators. We aimed at testing whether the differences in the crop rotations from the previous years would affect activity of predators and their predation rates in the current growing season. We found that the length of the crop rotation had neutral effects on the proxies measured. Furthermore, predation rates were generally lower if the rotation comprised a higher number of cover crops compared to rotation with less cover crops. The activity density of respective taxa of predatory arthropods responded differently to the number of cover crops in the crop rotation. Our results suggest that temporal crop diversity may not benefit the activity and efficiency of generalist predators when diversification strategies involve crops of very similar functional traits. Adding different resources and traits to the agroecosystems through a wider range of cultivated crops and the integration of semi-natural habitats are aspects that need to be considered when developing more diverse cropping systems aiming to provide a more efficient natural pest control.

Download Full-text

Taking the elephant out of the room and into the corridor: can urban corridors work?

Oryx ◽

10.1017/s0030605315001246 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 51 (2) ◽

pp. 347-353 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Tempe S. F. Adams ◽

Michael J. Chase ◽

Tracey L. Rogers ◽

Keith E. A. Leggett

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Open Space ◽

Movement Patterns ◽

Time Of Day ◽

Urban Wildlife ◽

Camera Traps ◽

Wildlife Corridors ◽

Mobile Species ◽

The Impact

AbstractTransfrontier wildlife corridors can be successful conservation tools, connecting protected areas and reducing the impact of habitat fragmentation on mobile species. Urban wildlife corridors have been proposed as a potential mitigation tool to facilitate the passage of elephants through towns without causing conflict with urban communities. However, because such corridors are typically narrow and close to human development, wildlife (particularly large mammals) may be less likely to use them. We used remote-sensor camera traps and global positioning system collars to identify the movement patterns of African elephants Loxondonta africana through narrow, urban corridors in Botswana. The corridors were in three types of human-dominated land-use designations with varying levels of human activity: agricultural, industrial and open-space recreational land. We found that elephants used the corridors within all three land-use designations and we identified, using a model selection approach, that season, time of day and rainfall were important factors in determining the presence of elephants in the corridors. Elephants moved more slowly through the narrow corridors compared with their movement patterns through broader, wide-ranging corridors. Our results indicate that urban wildlife corridors are useful for facilitating elephants to pass through urban areas.

Download Full-text

Inventory of refugia plants potentially medicinal in the agricultural area of Plandaan Subdistrict, Jombang Regency, East Java Province

Jurnal Ilmiah Pertanian ◽

10.31849/jip.v18i1.7158 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (1) ◽

pp. 12-19

Author(s):

Anggun Wulandari ◽

Fadhilatus Syarifah

Keyword(s):

Pest Control ◽

Open Space ◽

Skin Diseases ◽

Agricultural Area ◽

Crop Pest ◽

Plot Size ◽

Synthetic Chemicals ◽

The Subject ◽

Natural Pest Control ◽

Field Plots

Agricultural and plantation areas dominate the Plandaan subdistrict, so the majority of the livelihoods of its residents are engaged in agriculture. In practice, in addition to using pesticides, crop pest control in the Plandaan subdistrict is to make use of refugia plants. The refugia technique is economical and environmentally friendly because it does not use synthetic chemicals that damage the environment. In addition to acting as natural pest control, refugia plants are also known to have potential as medicines. This study aimed to inventory or collect medicinal plants refugia in the agricultural area of the Plandaan subdistrict. This study used descriptive explorative methods. Data collection techniques were carried out through observation and directly documenting species of refugia plants with potential drugs found in the area of observation plots. In this study, the subject was a potentially medicinal refugia plant found on an observational plot with a plot size of 10 × 10 meters. The observations were three plots of agriculture fields and three plots of telajakan (open space). The frequency of refugia plants found from the study on the plot of agriculture fields as many as 1035 plants, while in the plot of telajakan as many as 1007 plants consisting of 37 types of species that each has different medicinal potentials, such as heat and fever lowering, treating cough, flu, skin diseases, and wounds. Agriculture field plots had more frequency of potentially medicinal refugia plants than telajakan plots.

Download Full-text

Organic Farming and Cover-Crop Management Reduce Pest Predation in Austrian Vineyards

Insects ◽

10.3390/insects12030220 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (3) ◽

pp. 220

Author(s):

Jo Marie Reiff ◽

Sebastian Kolb ◽

Martin H. Entling ◽

Thomas Herndl ◽

Stefan Möth ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Organic Farming ◽

Pest Control ◽

Cover Crops ◽

Cover Crop ◽

Management Practices ◽

Integrated Management ◽

Lobesia Botrana ◽

Management Options ◽

Natural Pest Control ◽

Predation Rates

Habitat simplification and intensive use of pesticides are main drivers of global arthropod declines and are, thus, decreasing natural pest control. Organic farming, complex landscapes, and local vineyard management practices such as implementation of flower-rich cover-crop mixtures may be a promising approach to enhance predator abundance and, therefore, natural pest control. We examined the effect of organic versus integrated management, cover-crop diversity in the vineyard inter-rows, and landscape composition on the natural pest control of Lobesia botrana eggs and pupae. Predation of L. botrana pupae was reduced by organic farming and species-poor cover-crops by about 10%. Predation rates of L. botrana eggs did not differ significantly in any of the studied management options. Dominant predators were earwigs (Forficulidae), bush crickets (Tettigoniidae), and ants (Formicidae). Negative effects of organic viticulture are most likely related to the negative nontarget effects on arthropods related to the frequent sulfur and copper applications in combination with the avoidance of strongly damaging insecticides by integrated winegrowers. While a 10% difference in predation rates on a single pest stage is unlikely to have strong practical implications, our results show that the assumed effectiveness of environmentally friendly agriculture needs to be evaluated for specific crops and regions.

Download Full-text

Economic valuation of natural pest control of the summer grain aphid in wheat in South East England

Ecosystem Services ◽

10.1016/j.ecoser.2018.02.019 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 30 ◽

pp. 149-157 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Han Zhang ◽

Michael P.D. Garratt ◽

Alison Bailey ◽

Simon G. Potts ◽

Tom Breeze

Keyword(s):

Pest Control ◽

Economic Valuation ◽

Grain Aphid ◽

South East England ◽

Natural Pest Control

Download Full-text

Acetamiprid Affects Destruxins Production but Its Accumulation in Metarhizium sp. Spores Increases Infection Ability of Fungi

Toxins ◽

10.3390/toxins12090587 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (9) ◽

pp. 587

Author(s):

Monika Nowak ◽

Przemysław Bernat ◽

Julia Mrozińska ◽

Sylwia Różalska

Keyword(s):

Secondary Metabolism ◽

Pest Control ◽

Entomopathogenic Fungi ◽

Negative Impact ◽

Fungal Growth ◽

Growth Environment ◽

Anthropogenic Pollutants ◽

Control Factors ◽

Natural Pest Control ◽

First Time

Metarhizium sp. are entomopathogenic fungi that inhabit the soil environment. Together, they act as natural pest control factors. In the natural environment, they come into contact with various anthropogenic pollutants, and sometimes, they are used together and interchangeably with chemical insecticides (e.g., neonicotinoids) for pest control. In most cases, the compatibility of entomopathogens with insecticides has been determined; however, the influence of these compounds on the metabolism of entomopathogenic fungi has not yet been studied. Secondary metabolites are very important factors that influence the fitness of the producers, playing important roles in the ability of these pathogens to successfully parasitize insects. In this study, for the first time, we focus on whether the insecticide present in the fungal growth environment affects secondary metabolism in fungi. The research revealed that acetamiprid at concentrations from 5 to 50 mg L−1 did not inhibit the growth of all tested Metarhizium sp.; however, it reduced the level of 19 produced destruxins in direct proportion to the dosage used. Furthermore, it was shown that acetamiprid accumulates not only in plant or animal tissues, but also in fungal cells. Despite the negative impact of acetamiprid on secondary metabolism, it was proofed to accumulate in Metarhizium spores, which appeared to have a stronger infectious potential against mealworm Tenebrio molitor, in comparison to the insecticide or the biological agent alone.

Download Full-text