To enhance the number of beneficial insect species in agricultural land, preserving semi-natural habitats and promoting crop diversity are both needed, according to new research published in the British Ecological Society’s Journal of Applied of Ecology.
To enhance the number of beneficial insect species in agricultural land, preserving semi-natural habitats and promoting crop diversity are both needed, according to new research published in the British Ecological Society’s Journal of Applied of Ecology.
The study, by researchers in Sweden, the UK, Italy, Germany, Spain and France, found that increasing the diversity of crops in agricultural landscapes increased the diversity of beneficial insects such as pollinators. However, this benefit was only seen in landscapes with high proportions of semi-natural habitats such as forests and grassland.
In landscapes with both high crop diversity and semi-natural habitat cover, the researchers observed an increased diversity of ground beetle species as well as pollinators like bees and hoverflies. These insects have the potential to benefit crops through predating pests or pollinating flowering crop plants, both important for crop yields.
The same effects were not found for spiders, which surprised the researchers. “We expected pollinators to benefit because they are a highly mobile species, but the difference between ground beetles and spiders is harder to explain since both share similar adaptations to inhabit local crops.” said Guillermo Aguilera of the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences and lead author of the study.
Read more at British Ecological Society
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