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Archetype models upscale understanding of natural pest control response to land-use change

Alexandridis, Nikolaos LU ; Marion, Glenn ; Chaplin-Kramer, Rebecca ; Dainese, Matteo ; Ekroos, Johan LU ; Grab, Heather ; Jonsson, Mattias ; Karp, Daniel S ; Meyer, Carsten and O'Rourke, Megan E , et al. (2022) In Ecological Applications 32(8).
Abstract

Control of crop pests by shifting host plant availability and natural enemy activity at landscape scales has great potential to enhance the sustainability of agriculture. However, mainstreaming natural pest control requires improved understanding of how its benefits can be realized across a variety of agroecological contexts. Empirical studies suggest significant but highly variable responses of natural pest control to land-use change. Current ecological models are either too specific to provide insight across agroecosystems, or too generic to guide management with actionable predictions. We suggest getting the full benefit of available empirical, theoretical and methodological knowledge, by combining trait-mediated understanding from... (More)

Control of crop pests by shifting host plant availability and natural enemy activity at landscape scales has great potential to enhance the sustainability of agriculture. However, mainstreaming natural pest control requires improved understanding of how its benefits can be realized across a variety of agroecological contexts. Empirical studies suggest significant but highly variable responses of natural pest control to land-use change. Current ecological models are either too specific to provide insight across agroecosystems, or too generic to guide management with actionable predictions. We suggest getting the full benefit of available empirical, theoretical and methodological knowledge, by combining trait-mediated understanding from correlative studies with the explicit representation of causal relationships achieved by mechanistic modeling. To link these frameworks, we adapt the concept of archetypes, or context-specific generalizations, from sustainability science. Similar responses of natural pest control to land-use gradients across cases that share key attributes, such as functional traits of focal organisms, indicate general processes that drive system behavior in a context-sensitive manner. Based on such observations of natural pest control, a systematic definition of archetypes can provide the basis for mechanistic models of intermediate generality that cover all major agroecosystems worldwide. Example applications demonstrate the potential for upscaling understanding and improving prediction of natural pest control, based on knowledge transfer and scientific synthesis. A broader application of this mechanistic archetype approach promises to enhance ecology's contribution to natural resource management across diverse regions and social-ecological contexts.

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organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
archetype, conservation biological control, crop, ecological model, land use, landscape, natural enemy, natural pest control, pest, upscale
in
Ecological Applications
volume
32
issue
8
article number
e2696
publisher
Ecological Society of America
external identifiers
  • pmid:35735258
  • scopus:85136608899
ISSN
1051-0761
DOI
10.1002/eap.2696
project
Enhancing biodiversity-based ecosystem services to crops though optimized densities of green infrastructure in agricultural landscapes
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
15c76397-e13b-4765-9486-ee49a121504b
date added to LUP
2022-06-27 16:11:47
date last changed
2024-06-13 13:56:31
@article{15c76397-e13b-4765-9486-ee49a121504b,
  abstract     = {{<p>Control of crop pests by shifting host plant availability and natural enemy activity at landscape scales has great potential to enhance the sustainability of agriculture. However, mainstreaming natural pest control requires improved understanding of how its benefits can be realized across a variety of agroecological contexts. Empirical studies suggest significant but highly variable responses of natural pest control to land-use change. Current ecological models are either too specific to provide insight across agroecosystems, or too generic to guide management with actionable predictions. We suggest getting the full benefit of available empirical, theoretical and methodological knowledge, by combining trait-mediated understanding from correlative studies with the explicit representation of causal relationships achieved by mechanistic modeling. To link these frameworks, we adapt the concept of archetypes, or context-specific generalizations, from sustainability science. Similar responses of natural pest control to land-use gradients across cases that share key attributes, such as functional traits of focal organisms, indicate general processes that drive system behavior in a context-sensitive manner. Based on such observations of natural pest control, a systematic definition of archetypes can provide the basis for mechanistic models of intermediate generality that cover all major agroecosystems worldwide. Example applications demonstrate the potential for upscaling understanding and improving prediction of natural pest control, based on knowledge transfer and scientific synthesis. A broader application of this mechanistic archetype approach promises to enhance ecology's contribution to natural resource management across diverse regions and social-ecological contexts.</p>}},
  author       = {{Alexandridis, Nikolaos and Marion, Glenn and Chaplin-Kramer, Rebecca and Dainese, Matteo and Ekroos, Johan and Grab, Heather and Jonsson, Mattias and Karp, Daniel S and Meyer, Carsten and O'Rourke, Megan E and Pontarp, Mikael and Poveda, Katja and Seppelt, Ralf and Smith, Henrik G and Walters, Richard J and Clough, Yann and Martin, Emily A}},
  issn         = {{1051-0761}},
  keywords     = {{archetype; conservation biological control; crop; ecological model; land use; landscape; natural enemy; natural pest control; pest; upscale}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{8}},
  publisher    = {{Ecological Society of America}},
  series       = {{Ecological Applications}},
  title        = {{Archetype models upscale understanding of natural pest control response to land-use change}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/eap.2696}},
  doi          = {{10.1002/eap.2696}},
  volume       = {{32}},
  year         = {{2022}},
}