Temporal change in vegetation productivity in grain production landscapes: linking landscape complexity with pest and natural enemy communities

Natural enemy interactions constrain pest control in complex agricultural landscapes.

Biological control of pests by natural enemies is a major ecosystem service delivered to agriculture worldwide. Quantifying and predicting its effectiveness at large spatial scales is critical for increased sustainability of agricultural production. Landscape complexity is known to benefit natural enemies, but its effects on interactions between natural enemies and the consequences for crop dam...

Pest control of aphids depends on landscape complexity and natural enemy interactions.

Aphids are a major concern in agricultural crops worldwide, and control by natural enemies is an essential component of the ecological intensification of agriculture. Although the complexity of agricultural landscapes is known to influence natural enemies of pests, few studies have measured the degree of pest control by different enemy guilds across gradients in landscape complexity. Here, we u...

Broad spectrum pesticide application alters natural enemy communities and may facilitate secondary pest outbreaks

Background Pesticide application is the dominant control method for arthropod pests in broad-acre arable systems. In Australia, organophosphate pesticides are often applied either prophylactically, or reactively, including at higher concentrations, to control crop establishment pests such as false wireworms and earth mite species. Organophosphates are reported to be disruptive to beneficial spe...

A Landscape Perspective in Managing Vegetation for Beneficial Plant-PestNatural Enemy Interactions: a Foundation for Areawide Pest Management

Dual Defense: Pest-resistant Turf and Natural Enemy Interactions