How to translate text using browser tools
1 December 2003 The Effect of the Area and Configuration of Hibernation Sites on the Control of Aphids by Coccinella septempunctata (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) in Agricultural Landscapes: A Simulation Study
Felix J. J A. Bianchi, Wopke Van der Werf
Author Affiliations +
Abstract

The lady beetle Coccinella septempunctata L. is an important predator of aphids in arable crops, but depends on noncrop landscape elements, such as hedgerows, for hibernation. We studied the effect of the shape, area, and fragmentation of noncrop landscape elements on the control of aphids by C. septempunctata using a spatially explicit simulation model. The model is based on a description of the phenology and population dynamics of aphids and C. septempunctata, as well as the predation dynamics and dispersal characteristics of C. septempunctata. The study compares biocontrol in 12 landscapes consisting of field crops and hedgerows that differ in the shape, proportion (1, 4, 9, and 16%), and fragmentation of the hedgerow elements (hedgerow area divided into 1, 4, or 16 elements) in the landscape. Linear hedgerow elements provided better control than square elements in 3 of the 12 simulated landscapes and resulted in similar levels of control in the other nine landscapes. The total area of hedgerow habitat was the key factor for the control of aphid populations. Landscapes with 9% and 16% noncrop habitat had large enough local populations of C. septempunctata to control aphid infestations, whereas landscapes with only 1% or 4% of hibernation area had no potential for improved aphid control. In landscapes with sufficient noncrop habitat, the best control was achieved when small hedgerow elements were evenly distributed over the landscape.

Felix J. J A. Bianchi and Wopke Van der Werf "The Effect of the Area and Configuration of Hibernation Sites on the Control of Aphids by Coccinella septempunctata (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) in Agricultural Landscapes: A Simulation Study," Environmental Entomology 32(6), 1290-1304, (1 December 2003). https://doi.org/10.1603/0046-225X-32.6.1290
Received: 31 January 2002; Accepted: 1 June 2003; Published: 1 December 2003
JOURNAL ARTICLE
15 PAGES

This article is only available to subscribers.
It is not available for individual sale.
+ SAVE TO MY LIBRARY

KEYWORDS
aphid
biological control
lady beetle
landscape ecology
modeling
RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS
Get copyright permission
Back to Top