Work

Diet breadth and microhabitat mediate predator community resilience to agricultural intensification and extreme weather

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Land-use intensification and climate change have strong filtering effects on arthropod communities. Intensification increases landscape homogeneity and field-scale disturbance while extreme weather events are increasing with climate change. To disentangle their impacts, we analyzed predatory arthropod abundance and diversity across microhabitats (canopy, ground) and diet breadth (specialist, generalist, omnivore) in 58 sorghum fields in Uruguay over two years. Using a trait-based framework and Hierarchical Modelling of Species Communities, we found that double cropping negatively affected predator communities, reducing canopy predator abundance and ground predator species richness, especially ground omnivores. Larger fields decreased the proportion of canopy specialists in the community, and landscape homogeneity increased the proportion of ground omnivores. Extreme weather mainly affected ground predators, with species richness and abundance decreasing with high rainfall variability. The proportion of ground specialists decreased with both variable rainfall and more hot days. Omnivorous and generalist ground predators were more resilient to climatic stress and canopy predator abundance increased under heat extremes. Our findings suggest that land-use intensification exerts stronger negative effects on predator communities than extreme weather, though the latter can further reduce functional diversity. To enhance predator community resilience and support biological control, management strategies should prioritize reducing disturbances, such as double-cropping, and creating refuges within fields to protect against climatic extremes. • Effects of intensification and climate change on beneficials are understudied. • Double cropping reduced predator diversity across microhabitats. • Extreme weather reduced ground predator diversity, with specialists most affected. • Ground omnivores were more resilient to both landscape homogeneity and extreme weather. • Low-intensity practices and habitat refuges may support predator resilience.

Source: Agriculture Ecosystems & Environment

DOI: 10.1016/j.agee.2025.110100

Authors: Sasha Vasconcelos, Nicholas J. Mills, Horacio Silva, Sara E. Emery

Institutions: Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, University of California, Berkeley, Universidad de la República de Uruguay, Cornell University

Language: English

Topic: Insect-Plant Interactions and Control

Subfield: Insect Science

Field: Agricultural and Biological Sciences

Domain: Life Sciences

SDGs: Life on land, Zero hunger

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $4,190