Field Borders Provide Winter Refuge for Beneficial Predators and Parasitoids: A Case Study on Organic Farms.

ABSTRACT: Semi-natural field borders are frequently used in midwestern U.S. sustainable agriculture. These habitats are meant to help diversify otherwise monocultural landscapes and provision them with ecosystem services, including biological control. Predatory and parasitic arthropods (i.e., potential natural enemies) often flourish in these habitats and may move into crops to help control pests. However, detailed information on the capacity of semi-natural field borders for providing overwintering refuge for these arthropods is poorly understood. In this study, we used soil emergence tents to characterize potential natural enemy communities (i.e., predacious beetles, wasps, spiders, and other arthropods) overwintering in cultivated organic crop fields and adjacent field borders. We found a greater

SUBMITTER: Clem CS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8106474 | biostudies-literature | 2021 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature