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Effects of position within wheat field and adjacent habitats on the density and diversity of cereal aphids and their natural enemies

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Abstract

The spatial structure of agricultural landscapes can have a strong impact on the distribution and diversity of insects. Here we studied the effects of within-field position (edge or center) as well as adjacent habitats on the community structure of the natural enemies of cereal aphids. Twelve agricultural sites were included in the study, with two spring wheat fields selected for each site (one adjacent to an alfalfa field, the other adjacent to a corn field). We sampled two rows per field (1 and 20 m from the edge) using pitfall trapping for ground-dwelling predators, sweep netting for leaf-dwelling predators and hand collecting of aphid mummies for parasitoids. Adjacent alfalfa areas, as opposed to corn fields, can significantly increase the abundance and diversity of leaf-dwelling predators and parasitoids near the field edges. Abundance and diversity were found significantly higher near the edges than in the centers of fields adjacent to alfalfa areas. In contrast, no significant differences were found between edges and centers of fields adjacent to corn fields. Of the fifteen most abundant species, Aphidius avenae (Haliday), A. gifuensis (Ashmead), Hippodamia variegata (Goeze) and Chrysopa sinica (Tjeder) were significantly more abundant near the edge than in the center. Being adjacent to alfalfa habitats could enhance parasitism and predator/prey ratios of leaf-dwelling predators at the edges, but has no effects on ground-dwelling predators. In conclusion, the effect of within-field position and adjacent habitats on natural enemies of agricultural pests was species specific. This should be considered for designing efficient plans of biological control.

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Acknowledgments

We are grateful to Eric Wajnberg, Arne Janssen, Abisheka Murugesan, and two anonymous reviewers for constructive comments and thoughtful advice on an earlier draft, to Beverley Laniewski for English editing, and to many farmers for their facilitation during the field work. This work is partly supported by the National Natural Science Foundations of China (31260429; 31030012) and National Key Technology R & D Program (2012BAD19B05). CH also receives supports from the National Research Foundation and the Elsevier Young Scientist Award.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1 Beichen West Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing, 100101, People’s Republic of China

    Zi-Hua Zhao & Feng Ge

  2. Department of Botany and Zoology, Centre for Invasion Biology, Stellenbosch University, Matieland, 7602, South Africa

    Cang Hui

  3. Agricultural Schools, Ningxia University, Yinchuan, 750021, People’s Republic of China

    Da-Han He

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  1. Zi-Hua Zhao
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  2. Cang Hui
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  3. Da-Han He
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  4. Feng Ge
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Correspondence to Feng Ge.

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Handling Editor: Arne Janssen.

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Zhao, ZH., Hui, C., He, DH. et al. Effects of position within wheat field and adjacent habitats on the density and diversity of cereal aphids and their natural enemies. BioControl 58, 765–776 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10526-013-9536-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10526-013-9536-9

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