Arthropod diversity influenced by two Musa-based agroecosystems in Ecuador

Banana and plantain (Musa spp.) are very important crops in Ecuador. Agricultural production systems based on a single cultivar and high use of external inputs to increase yields may cause changes in the landscape structure and a loss in biodiversity. This loss may be responsible for a decrease in t...

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Autores principales: Vera-Aviles, Daniel, Suárez-Capello, Carmita, Llugany, Merce, Poschenrieder, Charlotte, Santis, Paola de, Cabezas-Guerrero, Milton
Formato: Journal Article
Lenguaje:Inglés
Publicado: MDPI 2020
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/110668
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author Vera-Aviles, Daniel
Suárez-Capello, Carmita
Llugany, Merce
Poschenrieder, Charlotte
Santis, Paola de
Cabezas-Guerrero, Milton
author_browse Cabezas-Guerrero, Milton
Llugany, Merce
Poschenrieder, Charlotte
Santis, Paola de
Suárez-Capello, Carmita
Vera-Aviles, Daniel
author_facet Vera-Aviles, Daniel
Suárez-Capello, Carmita
Llugany, Merce
Poschenrieder, Charlotte
Santis, Paola de
Cabezas-Guerrero, Milton
author_sort Vera-Aviles, Daniel
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Banana and plantain (Musa spp.) are very important crops in Ecuador. Agricultural production systems based on a single cultivar and high use of external inputs to increase yields may cause changes in the landscape structure and a loss in biodiversity. This loss may be responsible for a decrease in the complexity of arthropod food webs and, at the same time, related to a higher frequency and range of pest outbreaks. Very little is known either about the ecological mechanisms causing destabilization of these systems or the importance of the diversity of natural enemies to keep pests under control. Few studies have focused on this issue in tropical ecosystems. Here, we address this problem, comparing two Musa-based agroecosystems (monocultivar and mixed-species plantations) at two sites in Ecuador (La Maná and El Carmen) with different precipitation regimes. The diversity of soil macro fauna, represented by arthropods, was established, as indicators of the abovementioned disturbances. Our ultimate goal is the optimization of pest management by exploring more sustainable cropping systems with improved soil quality. Arthropod abundance was higher in the mixed system at both localities, which was clearly associated with the quality of the soils. In addition, we found Hymenoptera species with predatory or parasitic characteristics over the pests present in the agroecosystems under study. These highly beneficial species were more abundant at the locality of La Maná. The mixed type of production system provides plant diversity, which favors beneficial arthropod abundance and permits lower agrochemical application without yield penalties in comparison to the monoculture. These findings will help in the design of Musa-based agroecosystems to enhance pest control.
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spelling CGSpace1106682025-12-08T09:54:28Z Arthropod diversity influenced by two Musa-based agroecosystems in Ecuador Vera-Aviles, Daniel Suárez-Capello, Carmita Llugany, Merce Poschenrieder, Charlotte Santis, Paola de Cabezas-Guerrero, Milton musa pest control mixed cropping monoculture arthropoda agroecosystems sustainability control de plagas agroecosistemas Banana and plantain (Musa spp.) are very important crops in Ecuador. Agricultural production systems based on a single cultivar and high use of external inputs to increase yields may cause changes in the landscape structure and a loss in biodiversity. This loss may be responsible for a decrease in the complexity of arthropod food webs and, at the same time, related to a higher frequency and range of pest outbreaks. Very little is known either about the ecological mechanisms causing destabilization of these systems or the importance of the diversity of natural enemies to keep pests under control. Few studies have focused on this issue in tropical ecosystems. Here, we address this problem, comparing two Musa-based agroecosystems (monocultivar and mixed-species plantations) at two sites in Ecuador (La Maná and El Carmen) with different precipitation regimes. The diversity of soil macro fauna, represented by arthropods, was established, as indicators of the abovementioned disturbances. Our ultimate goal is the optimization of pest management by exploring more sustainable cropping systems with improved soil quality. Arthropod abundance was higher in the mixed system at both localities, which was clearly associated with the quality of the soils. In addition, we found Hymenoptera species with predatory or parasitic characteristics over the pests present in the agroecosystems under study. These highly beneficial species were more abundant at the locality of La Maná. The mixed type of production system provides plant diversity, which favors beneficial arthropod abundance and permits lower agrochemical application without yield penalties in comparison to the monoculture. These findings will help in the design of Musa-based agroecosystems to enhance pest control. 2020-06-18 2020-12-29T16:50:55Z 2020-12-29T16:50:55Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/110668 en Open Access application/pdf MDPI Vera-Aviles, D.; Suárez-Capello, C.; Llugany, M.; Poschenrieder, C.; De Santis, P.; Cabezas-Guerrero, M. (2020) Arthropod diversity influenced by two Musa-based agroecosystems in Ecuador. Agriculture 10(6):235. ISSN: 2077-0472
spellingShingle musa
pest control
mixed cropping
monoculture
arthropoda
agroecosystems
sustainability
control de plagas
agroecosistemas
Vera-Aviles, Daniel
Suárez-Capello, Carmita
Llugany, Merce
Poschenrieder, Charlotte
Santis, Paola de
Cabezas-Guerrero, Milton
Arthropod diversity influenced by two Musa-based agroecosystems in Ecuador
title Arthropod diversity influenced by two Musa-based agroecosystems in Ecuador
title_full Arthropod diversity influenced by two Musa-based agroecosystems in Ecuador
title_fullStr Arthropod diversity influenced by two Musa-based agroecosystems in Ecuador
title_full_unstemmed Arthropod diversity influenced by two Musa-based agroecosystems in Ecuador
title_short Arthropod diversity influenced by two Musa-based agroecosystems in Ecuador
title_sort arthropod diversity influenced by two musa based agroecosystems in ecuador
topic musa
pest control
mixed cropping
monoculture
arthropoda
agroecosystems
sustainability
control de plagas
agroecosistemas
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/110668
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AT poschenriedercharlotte arthropoddiversityinfluencedbytwomusabasedagroecosystemsinecuador
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