Abstract Biodiversity plantings are effective methods of enhancing on-farm biodiversity. However, farmers are often hesitant to place them adjacent to crop fields due to concerns that they may harbor problematic weeds and pest arthropods, or that the intentionally planted species may escape into the crop and act as weeds. The objective of this research was to compare weed and arthropod communities in planted versus conventionally managed field margins at two sites in New York State. Planted treatments were seeded with either native wildflowers or grasses and then either mowed infrequently or unmanaged after planting. Conventional field margin management treatments included infrequent and frequent mowing, glyphosate application, and an unmanaged control. Measurements included both seedbank and aboveground plant density and diversity, plant biomass, and the abundance of both beneficial and pest arthropods. Pest arthropod abundance both in the margin and in the crop was not affected by the field margin management strategy. Arthropod abundance and plant richness and diversity, both within fields and field margins, were not strongly affected by the field margin management method. Once the plantings were established, weed density was lower within planted margins than conventionally managed margins (P = 0.0002), with a difference of 92.8% per 0.5 m 2 in 2025. Treatment affected weed biomass (P = 0.002), but treatment means differed significantly at only one site in 2024 according to Tukey’s HSD. Overall, our results indicate that the establishment of field margin plantings is unlikely to exacerbate weed pressure from field margins.

Perennial field margin plantings are known to contribute to both biodiversity and ecosystem services in agricultural landscapes, but the duration of their functionality is not clear, especially in the Northeastern region of the United States. A four-year study was conducted at Cornell University from 2022 through 2025 to investigate the effects of seeding density and seed mix composition on the establishment and development over time of perennial field margin plantings established in 2022 under weedy conditions. In the first two years, we found that while weeds negatively impacted establishment, planted strips eventually enhanced biodiversity despite this initial negative impact. To assess longer-term impacts, aboveground density, diversity, and biomass measurements were collected in 2024 and 2025. Four years after establishment, we found that as in the first two years, the highest densities of seeded species still occurred in flower strips with high seeding rates. Flower strips planted with native grass species at a high seeding rate tended to have less weed biomass than strips planted with a seed mix containing only wildflowers, especially at higher seeding rates. Contrary to expectations, planting native species did not increase alpha biodiversity measurements such as the Shannon diversity index. Although overall species richness did not differ across treatments, margins with native grass and wildflowers contained a greater number of seeded species. Our results suggest that the positive impacts on biodiversity associated with field margin plantings may require management of weeds within plantings, despite the existence of a small suppressive effect on weeds by high-density plantings containing native grass species. However, seeded dicot species were consistently found even under weedy conditions, suggesting that the presence of weeds in flower strips does not prevent them from enhancing the floral resources available to pollinators within field margins.

The whitefly, Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae), is a global pest of cotton crops. The whitefly causes severe damage to plants both directly and indirectly due to its high dispersal ability, small size, and high reproductive potential. Besides all the possible factors regarding the outbreak of whitefly populations, the major one is widespread use of insecticides, which not only cause resistance development in whiteflies but also cause mortality in beneficial insects. This study reports the extraction, purification, and characterization of insecticidal crude proteins through SDS-PAGE and LC-MS/MS that have insecticidal potential against B. tabaci under lab conditions. This study reports that C. colocynthis fruit extract was the most effective (62

Coccinellids (Coccinellidae, commonly referred to as ladybeetles, ladybugs, or ladybirds) are predatory insects that often contribute to the biological control of crop pests. Especially when prey is limited, ladybirds have been reported to consume plant resources such as nectar. However, the importance of nectar consumption to ladybird fitness is not well understood. We performed artificial feeder experiments confirming ladybird consumption of a sugar solution with carbohydrate ratios similar to nectar. Both Harmonia axyridis (harlequin ladybird) and Hippodamia convergens (convergent ladybird) depleted sugar solution in 100

AimThe abundant niche-centre hypothesis has been used to describe patterns of species abundance relative to position in ecological niche space. Such relationships, however, are inconsistently recovered and may be obscured due to non-equilibrium distributions, such as those caused novel interactions with exotic species. Here, we explore patterns of fitness for the nine-spotted lady (Coccinella novemnotata) following the introduction of an exotic competitor, the seven-spotted lady beetle (C. septempunctata). We examine how niche overlap between species may be causing a range reduction for C. novemnotata through a modified abundant niche-centre relationship.LocationNorth America.MethodsWe applied a time-oriented view of the abundant niche-centre relationship for C. novemnotata, both before and after the introduction of C. septempunctata. We tested for both niche overlap and correlation between C. novemnotata body size (i.e. fitness) and the distance from its niche centroid relative to the invasion status of C. septempunctata.ResultsThe current niche space currently occupied by C. novemnotata is equivalent to its historic niche but has shifted to avoid overlap with C. septempunctata. A historic abundant niche-centre relationship with larger individuals closer to the niche centroid was observed for C. novemnotata. However, this pattern changed to have smaller beetles near the niche centroid when the current distribution was considered.Main ConclusionsFitness patterns displayed by C. novemnotata are effectively described by the abundant niche-centre hypothesis. However, this relationship was modified with the introduction of C. septempunctata. Coccinella novemnotata is not excluded from previously suitable areas that correspond to niche space nearest to its niche centroid. Abundant niche-centre relationships may provide strong predictions of species' fitness across a species geographic range; however, these relationships may be obscured by novel pressures resulting in non-equilibrium states.

Intensive agricultural crop production is typically associated with low biodiversity. Low biodiversity is associated with a deficit of ecosystem services, which may limit crop yield (e.g., low pollination of insect-pollinated crops) at the individual field level or exacerbate the landscape-level impacts of intensive agriculture. To increase biodiversity and enhance ecosystem services with minimal loss of crop production area, farmers can plant desirable non-crop species near crop fields. Adoption of this practice is limited by inefficiencies in existing establishment methods. We have developed a novel seed-molding method allowing non-crop species to be planted with a conventional corn (Zea mays L.) planter, reducing labor and capital costs associated with native species establishment. Common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca L.) was selected as a model native species, because Asclepias plants are the sole food source for monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus L.) larvae. Stratified A. syriaca seeds were added to a mixture of binder (maltodextrin) and filler (diatomaceous earth and wood flour) materials in a 3D-printed mold with the dimensions of a corn seed. The resulting Multi-Seed Zea Pellets (MSZP), shaped like corn seeds, were tested against non-pelleted A. syriaca seeds in several indoor and outdoor pot experiments. Molding into MSZP did not affect percent emergence or time to emergence from a 2-cm planting depth. Intraspecific competition among seedlings that emerged from an MSZP did not differ from competition among seedlings that emerged from a cluster of non-pelleted seeds. These findings demonstrate the potential of MSZP technology as a precise and efficient method for increasing agroecosystem biodiversity.

COPYRIGHT © 2022 Haelewaters, Losey and Soares. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms. TYPE Editorial PUBLISHED 05 October 2022 DOI 10.3389/fcosc.2022.1038307

The combination of crop planting and animal rearing in the same area is popular. However, if the methods of planting and rearing are not appropriate, it will result in losses and the disruption of pest management. The toxicities of 17 insecticides to Plutella xylostella, Eriocheir sinensis, and Procambarus clarkii were tested. The recommended maximum field doses were used in 2 d and 4 d bioassays, and the levels of resistance of P. xylostella to insecticides were determined. Of five insecticides that had relatively low toxicity to E. sinensis and P. clarkii, spinetoram and MbNPV showed the best control efficacy of P. xylostella, followed by tetrachlorantraniliprole, chlorantraniliprole, and avermectin. P. xylostella had relatively little resistance to spinetoram, MbNPV, chlorantraniliprole, and avermectin. Therefore, we concluded that the best insecticides suitable for combination planting and rearing fields (cauliflower-crab or cauliflower-crayfish) were spinetoram and MbNPV, followed by chlorantraniliprole and avermectin. Other insecticides, such as emamectin benzoate, indoxacarb, and chlorfenapyr were effective at controlling P. xylostella, but they were not suitable for use in combination planting and rearing fields because of their high toxicity to crabs and crayfish.

Ladybirds (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) provide services that are critical to food production, and they fulfill an ecological role as a food source for predators. The richness, abundance, and distribution of ladybirds, however, are compromised by many anthropogenic threats. Meanwhile, a lack of knowledge of the conservation status of most species and the factors driving their population dynamics hinders the development and implementation of conservation strategies for ladybirds. We conducted a review of the literature on the ecology, diversity, and conservation of ladybirds to identify their key ecological threats. Ladybird populations are most affected by climate factors, landscape composition, and biological invasions. We suggest mitigating actions for ladybird conservation and recovery. Short-term actions include citizen science programs and education, protective measures for habitat recovery and threatened species, prevention of the introduction of non-native species, and the maintenance and restoration of natural areas and landscape heterogeneity. Mid-term actions involve the analysis of data from monitoring programs and insect collections to disentangle the effect of different threats to ladybird populations, understand habitat use by taxa on which there is limited knowledge, and quantify temporal trends of abundance, diversity, and biomass along a management-intensity gradient. Long-term actions include the development of a worldwide monitoring program based on standardized sampling to fill data gaps, increase explanatory power, streamline analyses, and facilitate global collaborations.

Exploitation of insects and spiders through commercialization represents a serious threat to rare species and to common species that provide valuable ecological services. The speed, scope, and anonymity, of online commerce places full monitoring and managing of exploitation beyond the resources available to regulatory agencies. To assess the level of online commerce of insect and spider species and services and to test the feasibility of focused searches by student-specialists to generate "leads" for regulatory agencies to pursue, a group of entomology students lead by entomologists and wildlife biologists performed a directed search for sales of insect and spider species listed on CITES Appendices, the IUCN Red List, and the U.S. Endangered Species List, and species that provide services. Focused searches by student-specialists proved effective, locating sales of 79 listed species across all lists. The proportion of listed species discovered for sale varied from 2% to 55% across protected lists and the sale prices of species varied from 2 to 3850 USD. The number of listed species for sale also varied across platforms with less than 6 found on either Amazon or Alibaba and more than 30 found on Etsy and Ebay. In contrast to the listed species, numbers of insects and spiders sold to provide services can range in the billions of individuals and total sales can range in the millions USD. While all species for this purpose do provide a service, they each present unique risks to other species in their genera, guild, and to the larger ecological community, in some cases threatening ecological functions. To effectively monitor the impact of invertebrate service species, we propose incorporating these "livestock" into the existing regulatory framework used for vertebrates.

Lady beetles are key predators in agricultural systems and their impact can be enhanced by plant resources. Facilitation of lady beetles is a potentially effective pest management strategy but a lack of data on which plant species attract and nurture them limits implementation. Here we investigate which plant species might optimize lady beetle impact by developing a profile of plant characteristics most likely to attract lady beetles and testing if the subset of “potentially preferred” plant families exhibiting those characteristics are significantly more attractive to lady beetles than other families. This testing encompassed a combination of observations submitted to a citizen science program, the Lost Ladybug Project, and two repeated site surveys. Traits reported to be most attractive to lady beetles included the presence of trichomes that provide protection from predation, nutritional resources such as nectar or prey, and visual or chemical cues associated with those traits. Significantly more lady beetles were observed on the three plant families which most often exhibit these traits, Apiaceae, Asteraceae, and Rosaceae, than on other families. Strategies for incorporating plants from these families into production systems to attract lady beetles and limit pest damage are discussed.

Animals, including herbivores and predators, use diet-mixing to balance their macro- and micronutrient intake. Recent work demonstrated that lady beetles fed only pea aphids from fava beans had reduced fitness caused by a deficiency of dietary sterols. However, beetles redressed this deficit by eating fava bean leaves. In the current study we used Coccinella septempunctata as a model to test the hypotheses that pea aphids are a poor sterol resource independent of their host plant, and that fava beans produce low quality prey regardless of aphid species. Additionally, we tested the reproductive rescue capacity of alfalfa and barley foliage compared to fava, and profiled the sterols of phloem exudates, foliage, and aphids reared on these different hosts. Beetle fecundity and egg viability was significantly better when provided pea aphids reared on alfalfa (compared to fava beans) and green peach aphids reared on fava plants. Alfalfa and barley leaves were not consumed by beetles and did not support beetle reproduction. The sterol profile of aphids largely reflected their host plant phloem. However, green peach aphids from fava acquired 125-times more sterol than pea aphids from fava. Our findings show how the sterol content of different host-plants can affect the third trophic level. Our results suggest that 1) prey quality varies depending on prey species, even when they occur on the same plant, 2) plant species can mediate prey quality, 3) host plant-mediated effects on prey quality partially drive omnivory, and 4) diet-mixing benefits growth and reproduction by redressing micronutrient deficits.

In order to study the co-existing environment of pests and economic animals, the toxicity of 15 insecticides to Plutella xylostella, Monopterus albus, and Paramisgurnus dabryanus was tested. Combined with the recommended maximum doses in the field and bioassay, the results showed that for the three insecticides that were of relatively low toxicity to M. albus and P. dabryanus, spinetoram showed the best control effect on P. xylostella, followed by chlorfenapyr and chlorantraniliprole. However, P. xylostella showed a relatively high resistance to chlorfenapyr. Therefore, the best insecticide suitable for the fields with the cauliflower-finless eel or cauliflower-loach planting and rearing combination was spinetoram, followed by chlorantraniliprole and chlorfenapyr. Other insecticides such as emamectin benzoate, Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), matrine, and so on were effective against the diamondback moth, but they were not suitable for use because of their high toxicity to the finless eel and loach.

Diamide insecticides, such as chlorantraniliprole, cyantraniliprole, and tetrachlorantraniliprole, are a new class of insecticides that selectively target insects by affecting calcium homeostasis. While this class of insecticides are effective on a wide range of insect pests, the toxicities of diamide insecticides vary among species and life stages. In this study, we addressed the mechanism underlying the different responses of Plutella xylostella and Pieris rapae to diamide insecticides. The susceptibility to insecticides of P. xylostella and P. rapae larvae was assessed 2 and 4 days after exposure to chlorantraniliprole, cyantraniliprole, and tetrachlorantraniliprole. P. xylostella larvae treated with distilled water (Group A), chlorantraniliprole (Group B), cyantraniliprole (Group C), and tetrachlorantraniliprole (Group D) and P. rapae larvae treated with distilled water (Group E), chlorantraniliprole (Group F), cyantraniliprole (Group G) and tetrachlorantraniliprole (Group H) were subjected to metabolomics analysis. The differential metabolites in the B vs. F, C vs. G, and D vs. H groups were analyzed, followed by pathway enrichment analysis. Chlorantraniliprole, cyantraniliprole, and tetrachlorantraniliprole all showed high toxicities for P. xylostella and P. rapae larvae. P. rapae larvae were more sensitive to the diamide insecticides than P. xylostella larvae. There were 65 overlapped differential metabolites between P. xylostella and P. rapae larvae treated with these three diamide insecticides. Pathway analysis showed that the differential metabolites were closely related with fatty acid biosynthesis and metabolism-related pathways. The differential regulation of fatty acid biosynthesis and metabolism may contribute to the different response to diamide insecticides in P. xylostella and P. rapae.

Pollinator declines coupled with increasing demand for insect pollinated crops have the potential to cause future pollinator shortages for our most nutritious and valuable crops. Ensuring adequate crop pollination may necessitate a shift in pollination management, from one that primarily relies on the managed European honeybee (Apis melliferaL.) to one that integrates alternative pollinators. While a growing body of scientific evidence supports significant contributions made by naturally occurring, native bees for crop pollination, translating research to practice requires buy-in from growers. The intention of agricultural extension is to address grower needs and concerns; however, few studies have assessed grower knowledge, perceptions and attitudes about native pollinators. Here we present findings from questionnaire-based surveys of over 600 apple growers in New York State and Pennsylvania, coupled with ecological data from bee surveys. This hybrid sociological and biological survey allows us to compare grower knowledge and perceptions to an actual pollinator census. While up to 93% of respondents highly valued importance of native bees, 20% growersdid not knowhow much native bees actually contribute to their orchard pollination. Despite the uncertainty, a majority of growers were open to relying on native bees (up to 60% in NY and 67% in PA) and to making low-cost changes to their farm's management that would benefit native pollinators (up to 68 in NY and 85% in PA). Growers consistently underestimated bee diversity, but their estimates corresponded to major bee groups identifiable by lay persons, indicating accurate local knowledge about native bees. Grower reliance on honeybees increased with farm size; because native bee abundance did not measurably decrease with farm size, renting honeybees may be motivated by risk avoidance rather than grower perception of lower native bee activity. Demonstrated effectiveness of native pollinators and clear guidelines for their management were the most important factors influencing grower decision to actively manage orchards for native bees. Our results highlight a pressing need for an active and research-based extension program to support diversification of pollination strategies in the region.

AbstractInvertebrate seed predators (ISPs) are an important component of agroecosystems that help regulate weed populations. Previous research has shown that ISPs' seed preference depends on the plant and ISP species. Although numerous studies have quantified weed seed losses from ISPs, limited research has been conducted on the potential for ISPs to consume cover crop seeds. Cover crops are sometimes broadcast seeded, and because seeds are left on the soil surface, they are susceptible to ISPs. We hypothesized that (1) ISPs will consume cover crop seeds to the same extent as weed seeds, (2) seed preference will vary by plant and ISP species, and (3) seed consumption will be influenced by seed morphology and nutritional characteristics. We conducted seed preference trials with four common ISPs [Pennsylvania dingy ground beetle (Harpalus pensylvanicus), common black ground beetle (Pterostichus melanarius), Allard's ground cricket (Allonemobius allardi) and fall field cricket (Gryllus pennsylvanicus)] in laboratory no choice and choice feeding assays. We compared seed predation of ten commonly used cover crop species [barley (Hordeum vulgare), annual ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum), pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum), forage radish (Raphanus sativus), cereal rye (Secale cereale), white mustard (Sinapis alba), crimson clover (Trifolium incarnatum), red clover (Trifolium pratense), triticale (×Triticosecale) and hairy vetch (Vicia villosa)] and three weed species [velvetleaf (Abutilon theophrasti), common ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia) and giant foxtail (Setaria faberi)]. All four ISPs readily consumed cover crop seeds (P < 0.05), but cover crops with hard seed coats and seed hulls such as hairy vetch and barley were less preferred. Our results suggest that farmers should select cover crop species that are avoided by ISPs if they plan on broadcasting the seed, such as with aerial interseeding.