Effects of bird predation on some pest insect populations in corn |
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| Institution: | 1. Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McDonald Campus of McGill University, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Que., Canada;2. National Wildlife Research Centre, Environment Canada, 100 Gamelin blvd., Hull, Que., Canada K1A OH3;1. Laboratorio de Biología, Departamento de Innovación Agrícola Sustentable, Instituto Tecnológico Superior de Salvatierra, Manuel Gómez Morin 300, Col. Janicho, 39800, Salvatierra, Guanajuato, México;2. Estación Biológica, Instituto Tecnológico Superior de Irapuato, Carretera Irapuato-Silao, Km 12.5 s/n, Col. El Copal, 36821, Irapuato, Guanajuato, México;1. Department of Ecology, Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Kamýcká 129, Prague, Suchdol, 16500, Czech Republic;2. CE3C - Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes/Azorean Biodiversity Group, Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Ambiente, Universidade dos Açores, PT-9700-042, Angra do Heroísmo, Portugal;3. Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Midreshet Ben-Gurion, 8499000, Israel;1. Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Florida, 110 Newins-Ziegler Hall, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA;2. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, 1105 SW Williston Road, Gainesville, FL 32601, USA;3. Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Florida, 155 Research Rd, Quincy, FL 32351, USA;1. Agrobiodiversity and Ecosystem Services Program, Bioversity International, Montpellier, France;2. Farming Systems Ecology Group, Wageningen University and Research, 6700AK, Wageningen, the Netherlands;3. Agriculture, Livestock and Agroforestry Program, CATIE, Turrialba, Costa Rica;4. Department of Fish and Wildlife Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID, USA;5. Point Blue Conservation Science, Petaluma, CA, USA |
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| Abstract: | Intensive agriculture has led to a decrease in biodiversity in many areas of the world. Poisoning birds directly or eliminating habitats suitable for birds within an agricultural landscape, may remove potential control agents of insect pests. The main objective of this project was to investigate the effects of excluding avian species from portions of cornfields through the use of bird-proof netting. Although pest levels were low and exclusion nets failed to affect corn yield, some differences were seen in insect pest population levels, supporting the view that insectivorous birds play a beneficial role in corn fields. Cutworms (Agrotis spp.) and weevils (Sphenophorus spp.) were found at higher density in plots where birds were excluded, especially those situated near the field edge. Data on aphids (Rhopalosiphum maidis) and European corn borer (Ostrinia nubilalis) were more variable but tended in the same direction. Only the adult Northern corn rootworm (Diabrotica longicornis) population was clearly not reduced by birds but infestation levels were extremely low. |
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