The role of landscape in insect ecology and its implications for agriculture.
2008
Hunter, M. D.
Landscape ecology is the study of spatial context and can greatly inform the management of insects within agricultural systems. During the last 5 years, considerable progress has been made in understanding the role of landscape structure in the population ecology of pests, the efficacy of natural enemies, the performance of pollinators and the biological diversity of agricultural communities. Processes are now commonly examined at multiple hierarchical spatial scales, and the behaviour of organisms is considered key to understanding species distributions. An increasing number of studies demonstrate that patch size and isolation are only two of the many interacting factors that determine the distribution of predators and prey on agricultural landscapes. The roles of contingency and system complexity are being considered in much more detail and are bringing increasing maturity to the field. Managing the quality of the matrix that lies between patches of habitat is receiving overdue attention, stemming from the recognition that habitat fragmentation is here to stay. Facilitating persistence within, and movement across, matrix habitat by a diversity of organisms is seen as key to agroecosystem health. Pollinator abundance and diversity remain causes for concern in many parts of the world. Habitat quality appears to be at least as important as patch size and isolation for many pollinators, and may be amenable to management within agricultural systems. Yet, there remain clear gaps in our understanding of the effects of landscape structure on insect abundance and diversity. The potential for evolutionary change in fragmented landscapes, the rates of recovery of arthropod communities after release from intensive land use and the contribution of landscape structure to disease dynamics are just a few of the areas that would benefit from significant research investment.
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