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The contribution of semi‐natural habitats to biological control is dependent on sentinel prey type - McHugh - 2020 - Journal of Applied Ecology - Wiley Online Library
Source: besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
Article summary:
1. Semi-natural habitats (SNHs) are thought to enhance the function of biocontrol in agricultural landscapes.
2. There are few studies that measure the impact of SNHs on pest control, so sentinel systems have been developed to represent actual pests.
3. This study used six different sentinel systems to test whether the type and proportion of SNH from field to landscape scales was influencing levels of biological control across Europe.
Article analysis:
The article is generally reliable and trustworthy, as it provides a comprehensive overview of the research conducted by the QuESSA project on the contribution of semi-natural habitats to biological control. The authors provide a detailed description of their methodology and results, which allows for an accurate assessment of their findings. Furthermore, they cite relevant literature throughout the article, which adds credibility to their claims.
However, there are some potential biases in the article that should be noted. For example, while the authors do mention other factors that can influence pest levels (e.g., local and landscape influences), they do not explore these in detail or provide evidence for how they may affect pest control services provided by SNHs. Additionally, while they discuss different types of sentinel systems used in their study, they do not provide any information on how these systems were chosen or why certain ones were excluded from consideration.
Finally, it should also be noted that while this study provides valuable insights into how SNHs can contribute to biological control services in agricultural landscapes, it does not explore other potential benefits or risks associated with such habitats (e.g., biodiversity conservation). As such, further research is needed to fully understand both the positive and negative impacts of SNHs on agricultural ecosystems.