Predation pressure in maize across Europe and in Argentina: an intercontinental comparison
作者机构:Department of Agroecology Aarhus University Flakkebjerg Research Centre Forgssvej 1 DK4200 Slagelse Denmark Dipartimento di Scienze Agrarie Area Entomologia Universita di Bologna Bologna Italy Department of Plant Protection Faculty of Agrobiology and Food Resources Slovak Agricultural University Tr. A. Hlinku 2 SK-949 76 Nitra Slovakia ANIRDBS/"Stejarul" Research Centre for Biological Sciences 6 Alexandru cel Bun St. Piatra Neamt 610004 Romania
出 版 物:《Insect Science》 (昆虫科学(英文版))
年 卷 期:2019年第26卷第3期
页 面:545-554页
核心收录:
学科分类:0710[理学-生物学] 0830[工学-环境科学与工程(可授工学、理学、农学学位)] 07[理学] 09[农学] 0904[农学-植物保护] 0901[农学-作物学] 0713[理学-生态学]
基 金:output no. 21 of the AMIGA Project, supported by the EC the Romanian Executive Unit for Financing Higher Education, Research, Development and Innovation under PNCDI II/Capacities Program/Module III (contract no. 199EU) the Slovak Scientific Agency VEGA
主 题:artificial caterpillars ecosystem services mortality sentinel prey transgenic plants
摘 要:Humankind draws important benefits from large-scale ecological processes termed ecosystem services, yet the status of several of them is declining. Reliable monitoring methods are essential for tracking the status of ecosystem services. Predation is the mainstay of natural pest control, a key ecosystem service. We used green plasticine caterpillars to monitor predation pressure, and to obtain baseline data on predator activity in transgenic Bt versus non-Bt maize fields in Old and New World countries. Predation pressure was measured at ground and canopy levels using an identical, small-plot experimental design in four European countries (Denmark, Slovakia, Romania and Italy) and Argentina. Total predation rate in maize was l l.7%d^-1 (min. 7.2%d^-1 in Argentina, max. 29.0%d^-1 in Romania). Artificial caterpillars were attacked both by invertebrates (mostly chewing insects with 42.0% of the attack marks, and ants with 7.1%, but also predatory and parasitoid wasps, spiders and slugs), and vertebrates (small mammals 25.5%, and birds 20.2%). Total predation at ground level (15.7%d^-1) was significantly higher than in maize canopies (6.0%d^-1) in all countries, except Argentina. We found no significant differences between predator pressure in Bt versus non-Bt maize plots. The artificial caterpillar method provided comparable, quantitative data on predation intensity, and proved to be suitable for monitoring natural pest control. This method usefully expands the existing toolkit by directly measuring ecological function rather than structure.