Challenges to conservation biological control on the High Plains: 150 years of evolutionary rescue

摘要: Abstract Conservation biological control (CBC) makes valuable contributions to productivity in High Plains agriculture. Despite some notable exceptions, CBC holds a wide range of potentially damaging pests under natural control, largely due the actions beneficial arthropod species that have endured more than century forced adaptation an increasingly industrialized agricultural landscape. 'Evolutionary rescue' is selection process whereby evolve adaptations enable them survive environmental conditions would been lethal their ancestors. This has structured both pest populations and guilds enemies help suppress our highly disturbed agroecosystems. Rescued species, by virtue abundance successful evolutionary history, including either accidentally or intentionally introduced, are those with greatest potential for future face changing cultural practices emergence novel pests. I review existing impediments (large-scale, synchronous monocultures, inadequate plant insect diversity landscape, migratory pests, vulnerable crop cultivars rescue rather enemies, insecticidal seed treatments). Compounding these problems commercial interests philosophies tend incentivize yield-maximization short-term profits over long term farm sustainability profitability. However, certain agronomic implemented recently likely benefited CBC. These include improved host resistance cultivars, advent Bt-protected crops (which reduced pesticide applications), adoption no-till tillage practices, advanced irrigation technologies, development selective pesticides safer arthropods. Looking forward, two current trends may improve efficacy row crops; increased cover as alternative chemfallow periods, increasing public concern preservation pollinator habitat on lands, which will also benefit predators parasitoids.