Bats and birds control tortricid pest moths in South African macadamia orchards

Bouarakia, Oussama; Linden, Valerie M.G.; Joubert, Elsje; Weier, Sina M.; Graß, Ingo; Tscharntke, Teja; Foord, Stefan H.; Taylor, Peter J.

doi:10.1016/j.agee.2023.108527

Cited by 9 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 54 publications

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“…Previous research has generally emphasised the significant impact of insectivorous birds on arthropod communities (Bael et al, 2008; Mooney et al, 2010). However, it is important to note that most of these studies did not solely assess the effect of bird exclusion but rather considered the impact of both bird and bat exclusions combined (Greenberg et al, 2000; Holmes et al, 1979; Sam et al, 2023; Singer et al, 2017; Van Bael et al, 2003), with a few exceptions (Bouarakia et al, 2023; Cassano et al, 2016; Kalka & Kalko, 2006; Williams-Guillén et al, 2008). The classical approach of covering foliage with a net successfully excludes both predator groups but does not allow the predatory effects of each group to be assessed separately.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Insectivorous birds and bats outperform ants in the top-down regulation of arthropods across strata of a Japanese temperate forest

Sivault,

Kollross,

Jorge

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Birds, bats, and ants are recognized as significant arthropod predators. However, empirical studies reveal inconsistent trends in their relative roles in top-down control across strata. Here, we describe the differences between forest strata in the separate effects of birds, bats, and ants on arthropod communities and their cascading effects on plant damage.We implemented a factorial design to exclude vertebrates and ants in both the canopy and understory. Additionally, we separately excluded birds and bats from the understory using diurnal and nocturnal exclosures. At the end of the experiments, we collected all arthropods and assessed herbivory damage.Arthropods responded similarly to predator exclusion across forest strata, with a density increase of 81% on trees without vertebrates and 53% without both vertebrates and ants. Additionally, bird exclusion alone led to an 89% increase in arthropod density, while bat exclusion resulted in a 63% increase. Herbivory increased by 42% when vertebrates were excluded and by 35% when both vertebrates and ants were excluded. Bird exclusion alone increased herbivory damage by 28%, while the exclusion of bats showed a detectable but non-significant increase (by 22%). In contrast, ant exclusion had no significant effect on arthropod density or herbivory damage across strata.Our results reveal that the effects of birds and bats on arthropod density and herbivory damage are similar between the forest canopy and understory in this temperate forest. In addition, ants were not found to be significant predators in our system. Furthermore, birds, bats, and ants appeared to exhibit antagonistic relationships in influencing arthropod density. These findings highlight, unprecedentedly, the equal importance of birds and bats in maintaining ecological balance across different strata of a temperate forest.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Insectivorous birds and bats outperform ants in the top-down regulation of arthropods across strata of a Japanese temperate forest

Sivault,

Kollross,

Jorge

et al. 2023

Preprint

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“…Fungal plant disease, Colletotrichum, Macademia Macadamia (Macadamia tetraphylla, Protaceae) is classified amongst the most lucrative crops in the world. Globally, the macadamia industry is growing exponentially and the market size was US$1.37 billion in 2020 (Bouarakia et al, 2023). In Mauritius, macadamia cultivation has been encouraged by the government, both to expand the agricultural sector and to compensate for contraction in the sugarcane industry .…”

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confidence: 99%

First report of Colletotrichum fructicola causing leaf spot on macadamia in Mauritius

Romjon,

Gungoosingh‐Bunwaree,

Ranghoo‐Sanmukhiya

2024

New Disease Reports

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RETRACTED ARTICLE: Investing energy transition future: a comprehensive assessment of financial and non-financial factors that affect access to capital

Dong,

2024

Econ Change Restruct

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Bats and birds control tortricid pest moths in South African macadamia orchards

Cited by 9 publications

References 54 publications

Insectivorous birds and bats outperform ants in the top-down regulation of arthropods across strata of a Japanese temperate forest

Insectivorous birds and bats outperform ants in the top-down regulation of arthropods across strata of a Japanese temperate forest

First report of Colletotrichum fructicola causing leaf spot on macadamia in Mauritius

RETRACTED ARTICLE: Investing energy transition future: a comprehensive assessment of financial and non-financial factors that affect access to capital

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