Variation in avian predation on insect pests across time and space within a small-scale agricultural field: implications for applied biocontrol
Description
To feed a growing population, humanity will need to see an increased global agricultural output in crop production. One key strategy for achieving this goal is to reduce herbivory by insect pests, which is one of the leading causes of crop loss. Although there have been many strategies for combatting insect herbivores, naturally sourced approaches such as biocontrol may be the most sustainable in the long term. Birds in particular are potentially important biocontrol agents, but how avian predation varies within agricultural settings remains largely unknown. Here we analyzed temporal and spatial variation in avian predation on insect pests in a small-scale agricultural setting. Our results show that the spatial distribution of predation is nearly uniform across a small field, indicating that birds with their high intrinsic rate of movement may be particularly well suited for applying constant, uniform coverage across some landscapes. We also found that bird predation varied significantly between seasons. We discuss the applications of our findings for improving future studies investigating the biocontrol potential of natural bird populations and for leveraging avian predation to help improve food production systems.