Recent advances in conservation biological control of arthropods by arthropods

doi:10.1016/j.biocontrol.2008.01.006

Biological Control

Volume 45, Issue 2, May 2008, Pages 172-175

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocontrol.2008.01.006 Get rights and content

Abstract

Conservation biological control (CBC) aims at improving the efficacy of natural enemies and can contribute to safer and more effective biological control practices. Considerable progress in this field has been made during recent years, and it is therefore justified to review key findings in a special issue of Biological Control. The following topics, with primary emphasis on CBC of arthropods by arthropods are covered in this issue: (1) honeydew as a food source for natural enemies, (2) artificial food sprays, (3) shelter habitats, (4) chemical ecology and CBC, (5) natural enemy diversity and CBC, (6) CBC at a landscape scale, (7) CBC as provider of multiple ecosystem services, and (8) economics and adoption of CBC. These reviews present substantial evidence that CBC can attract and/or improve the fitness of natural enemies. However, studies showing that this translates into decreased pest damage, increased crop yield or quality and improved economic profit for growers are still rare. We conclude that future researchers should investigate the effect of CBC at these levels, but also that we need a better understanding of which conditions CBC will reduce pest populations in the field. CBC has the potential to increase ecosystem services other than biological control and consideration of the economic benefits of this will increase the likelihood of adoption of CBC.

Introduction

Conservation biological control (CBC) is the practice of enhancing natural enemy efficacy through modification of the environment or of existing pesticide practices (Eilenberg et al., 2001). CBC has long been a rather neglected form of biological control, but research in this field has increased markedly during the last decade (Gurr and Wratten, 2000, Gurr et al., 2004, Wilkinson and Landis, 2005, Zehnder et al., 2007, Gardiner et al., in press, Wade et al., 2008a). CBC can contribute to safer and more effective biological control practices but it requires in-depth knowledge of the ecology of natural enemies and the ecological communities of which they are part. CBC also has several other tangible advantages which include the following. (1) It is based on concepts which are easy for growers to understand: ‘the value of diversity’, ‘natural enemies need more than their prey/host’, ‘inter-cropping’, ‘companion planting’ etc. (2) It is a practice which individual growers can adopt, in contrast with classical biological control schemes which are usually coordinated at the regional, national or continental scale. (3) It usually involves a conspicuous change to the farm landscape (e.g., ‘beetle banks’ or flower strips) so it can readily be used to support ‘green’ marketing strategies, including, but not exclusively organic ones.

Recent scientific reviews have considered CBC as a component of habitat manipulation (Landis et al., 2000, Gurr et al., 2004) or have focused on a part of CBC, e.g., plant-provided food for natural enemies (Wäckers et al., 2005). However, the most recent review focusing only on CBC was the book edited by Barbosa in 1998. As considerable progress has been made in this research area since then, it is now time to review some of the discipline’s most important findings. This special issue carries out that timely review, using an international team of CBC researchers. The following topics, with emphasis on CBC of arthropods by arthropods are covered: (1) honeydew as a food source for natural enemies, (2) artificial food sprays, (3) shelter habitats, (4) chemical ecology and CBC, (5) natural enemy diversity and CBC, (6) CBC on a landscape scale, (7) CBC as provider of multiple ecosystem services, and (8) adoption and economics of CBC.

Section snippets

Concepts covered in this issue

Many predators and parasitoids depend on non-prey food at least during parts of their life cycle (Coll and Guershon, 2002, Wäckers et al., 2005) and increasing the availability of such food sources is one of the key aims of CBC. Strips of flowering plants can be sown adjacent to or within crops to provide nectar and pollen for natural enemies to feed on. The effect of flowering plants on natural enemies, especially parasitoids, has been relatively well studied recently and several reviews on

CBC research in the future

This special issue reviews a range of techniques and approaches to CBC and presents substantial evidence that their application can attract and/or improve the fitness of natural enemies. However, studies showing that this translates into decreased pest damage, increased crop yield or quality and improved economic profit for growers are still rare. We therefore suggest that future researchers should investigate the effect of CBC at these levels. There is also a need for a better understanding of

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Recent advances in conservation biological control of arthropods by arthropods

Abstract

Introduction

Section snippets

Concepts covered in this issue

CBC research in the future

Biological Control

Environmental Science and Policy

Biological Control

Biological Control

Biological Control

Basic and Applied Ecology

Biological Control

Basic and Applied Ecology

Biological Control

Biological Control

Biological Control

Biological Control

Floral nectar affects longevity of the parasitoid Aphidius ervi and its hyperparasitoid Dendrocerus aphidum

New Zealand Plant Protection

Flowers in tritrophic systems: mechanisms allowing selective exploitation by insect natural enemies for conservation biological control

Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata

Effects of biodiversity on the functioning of trophic groups and ecosystems

Nature

Omnivory in terrestrial arthropods: mixing plant and prey diets

Annual Review of Entomology

The use of ‘push-pull’ strategies in integrated pest management

Annual Review of Entomology