A Systematic Review of the Benefits and Costs of Bird and Insect Activity in Agroecosystems

Peisley, Rebecca K.; Saunders, Manu E.; Luck, Gary W.

doi:10.1007/s40362-015-0035-5

Cited by 32 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 55 publications

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“…The net effect of birds on farms: trade-offs between services and disservices Any discussion of pest reduction services by birds in agriculture would be remiss without the inclusion of potential avian disservices conferred to growers (Luck 2013, Peisley et al 2015, Pejchar et al 2018. Birds can be pests of agriculture, depending on crop maturity, with birds feeding on crop seedlings or harvested products (Gebhardt et al 2011).…”

Section: The Intermediate Landscape-complexity Hypothesismentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Northern flickers and Nuttall's woodpeckers have also been identified as consumers of almonds, but neither their abundances nor attack rates gave researchers reason to identify them as major pests compared to corvids (Corvidae; Emlen 1937). To evaluate the net benefits or costs of avian occupants of orchards, the benefits of avian predators need to be evaluated along with the costs of controlling avian pests (Luck 2013, Peisley et al 2015, Pejchar et al 2018). On-farm pest control strategies need to be implemented to encourage bird predation of pests when needed, and to discourage birds when they are causing significant crop damage.…”

Section: The Intermediate Landscape-complexity Hypothesismentioning

confidence: 99%

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Multiscale habitat mediates pest reduction by birds in an intensive agricultural region

Heath

Long²

2019

Ecosphere

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Habitat augmentation on farms is predicted to conserve biological diversity and support beneficial animals that reduce crop pests. Effectiveness of local habitat enhancement and subsequent pest reduction services can be mediated by the amount of habitat at larger scales. We tested whether the presence and increase of local and landscape scale bird habitat increased avian predator abundance and pest reduction by birds. We surveyed birds and performed a sentinel prey exclosure experiment in walnut orchards in the Sacramento Valley, California, USA—comparing predation probability between orchards with (n = 10) and without (n = 10) woody habitat in uncultivated orchard margins. We digitized seminatural habitat cover in landscapes around orchards to test the effectiveness of avian predators in reducing sentinel prey along a seminatural cover gradient of 0–38%. Experimental prey were diapausing larvae of Cydia pomonella (L.) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae; codling moth), a significant pest of walnuts, which overwinter in cocoons in orchards, emerge as adults, and produce larvae that feed on the nuts the following spring. Permitting bird access to cocoons increased larval predation from 11% (caged) to 46% (no cage), and predation increased with increasing proportions of seminatural habitat within 500‐m of orchard transects. Predation also increased as the size and bark furrow depth of walnut trees increased, likely because these characteristics were associated with increasing abundance of avian predators with functional traits specific to consuming tree‐dwelling cocoons (e.g., woodpeckers). The presence and increasing complexity of local margin habitat increased the species richness and abundance of avian predators but was not predictive of cocoon predation. Consistent with intermediate landscape‐complexity hypothesis predictions, the effect size of woodpecker abundance on predation was large in simple landscapes (1–20% seminatural cover) and low in complex landscapes (>20% cover). Contrary to predictions, effect size was large in cleared landscapes (<1% cover), suggesting that orchards supported predators in cleared landscapes, with positive effects on pest reduction. We provide evidence that increasing the abundance of avian predators with traits specific for consuming target pests—by retaining old trees and seminatural cover—can increase orchard pest reduction services in an intensive agricultural region.

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Section: The Intermediate Landscape-complexity Hypothesismentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: The Intermediate Landscape-complexity Hypothesismentioning

confidence: 99%

Multiscale habitat mediates pest reduction by birds in an intensive agricultural region

Heath

Long²

2019

Ecosphere

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“…Examining the complexities of animal activity within agroecosystems can highlight these trade-offs and allow for calculation of the net outcome (benefits minus costs) of animal activities on production. This has been considerably overlooked in the literature, with very few studies looking at both costs and benefits of animal activity in the same context (Luck 2013, Peisley et al 2015, Saunders et al 2016. Birds are commonly found in almost all agroecosystems and their foraging activity often results in significant beneficial or detrimental effects on crop yields, making them an excellent case study of cost-benefit trade-offs of animal activity in crops.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Peer Review #2 of "Cost-benefit trade-offs of bird activity in apple orchards (v0.1)"

2016

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Birds active in apple orchards in southeastern Australia can contribute positively (e.g. control crop pests) or negatively (e.g. crop damage) to crop yields. Our study is the first to identify net outcomes of these activities, using six apple orchards, varying in management intensity, in southeastern Australia as a study system. We also conducted a predation experiment using real and artificial codling moth (Cydia pomonella) larvae (a major pest in apple crops). We found that: 1) excluding birds from branches of apple trees resulted in an average of 12.8% more apples damaged by insects; 2) bird damage to apples was low (1.9% of apples); and 3) when trading off the potential benefits (biological control) with costs (bird damage to apples), birds provided an overall net benefit to orchard growers. We found that predation of real codling moth larvae was higher than for plasticine larvae, suggesting that plasticine prey models are not useful for inferring actual predation levels. Our study shows how complex ecological interactions between birds and invertebrates affect crop yield in apples, and provides practical strategies for improving the sustainability of orchard systems.

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“…Unfortunately, knowledge development in these disciplines has traditionally been 31 isolated. In a recent review of studies quantifying the costs and benefits of bird and insect activity in 32 agroecosystems, we found a clear disciplinary divide (Peisley et al, 2015). Studies of wild animals 33 producing costs for growers were more common overall, and were mostly found in the agricultural 34 science literature.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…More recently, studies of bird activity in agroecosystems have focused on costs (Peisley et al, 2015) influences production, is an important avenue for inquiry. For example, Luck (2013) used this 91 approach to identify a net benefit to growers from the activity of granivorous bird species in 92 Australian almond plantations.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

A Systematic Review of the Benefits and Costs of Bird and Insect Activity in Agroecosystems

Cited by 32 publications

References 55 publications

Multiscale habitat mediates pest reduction by birds in an intensive agricultural region

Multiscale habitat mediates pest reduction by birds in an intensive agricultural region

Peer Review #2 of "Cost-benefit trade-offs of bird activity in apple orchards (v0.1)"

Ecosystem services in agriculture: understanding the multifunctional role of invertebrates

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