Multi-function agricultural biodiversity: pest management and other benefits

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Abstract

This paper reviews two aspects of agricultural biodiversity. 1. The ways in which agricultural biodiversity may be increased to favour pest management are examined. At the simplest level, the structure within a monoculture may be altered by changing management practices to benefit natural enemies. At the other extreme, annual and perennial non-crop vegetation may be integrated with cropping, and biodiversity increased at the landscape level. 2. The existence of a hierarchy for the types of benefits of increased biodiversity is discussed. Vegetational diversity can lead to suppression of pests via ‘top-down’ enhancement of natural enemy populations and by resource concentration and other ‘bottom-up’ effects acting directly on pests. Whilst such low-input pest management mechanisms are attractive in their own right, other (non-pest management related) benefits may simultaneously apply. These range from short-term benefits in crop yield or quality, longer term benefits for sustainability of the farming system and, ultimately, broad societal benefits including aesthetics, recreation and the conservation of flora and fauna. Examples are given of such multi-function agricultural biodiversity.

Diese Arbeit betrachtet zwei Aspekte landwirtschaftlicher Biodiversität. 1. Die Möglichkeiten, landwirtschaftliche Biodiversität zur Unterstützung eines Schädlingsmanagements zu erhöhen, werden untersucht. Im einfachsten Fall kann die Struktur innerhalb einer Monokultur durch veränderte Managementpraktiken geändert werden, so dass natürliche Gegenspieler davon profitieren. Im anderen Extrem können einjährige und mehrjährige Nichtnutzpflanzen in die Kultur integriert werden und die Biodiversität steigt auf Landschaftsebene an. 2. Das Vorhandensein einer Hierarchie der verschiedenen Typen von Vorteilen einer erhöhten Biodiversität wird diskutiert. Pflanzliche Diversität kann durch top-down Förderung von Populationen natürlicher Gegenspieler, durch Ressourcenkonzentration und durch andere bottom-up Effekte, die direkt auf Schädlinge einwirken, zu einer Unterdrückung von Schädlingen führen. Während solche low-input Mechanismen des Schädlingsmanagements durch sich selbst attraktiv sind, ergeben sich gleichzeitig auch andere Vorteile, die nicht mit dem Schädlingsmanagement zusammenhängen. Diese reichen von kurzfristigen Vorteilen bei Ertrag oder Qualität der Nutzpflanzen über mittelfristige Vorteile bei der Nachhaltigkeit des Bewirtschaftungssystems bis hin zu breiten, gesellschaftlichen Vorteilen, welche ästhetische Aspekte, Erholung und Schutz von Flora und Fauna einbeziehen. Beispiele für solche multifunktionelle landwirtschaftliche Biodiversität werden vorgestellt.

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