Shelterbelts in agricultural landscapes suppress invertebrate pests

摘要: The homogenous nature of agricultural landscapes generally reduces biodiversity invertebrate species, but this can be partly offset by developing refuges at field margins. In Australia, shelterbelts are widely planted to provide protection for livestock and counter salinity problems associated with rising water tables. Shelterbelts may also play a role in acting as reservoirs organisms that beneficial pastures, although has rarely been directly evaluated. We sampled invertebrates along transects running from replicated into glasshouse trials we tested the impact on collected pests. Contrary popular views, numbers pest mites lucerne fleas were low within shelterbelts. Moreover, typically lower adjacent compared >30 m pasture, an effect was much more apparent when carried groundcover high (>30 cm) grass. Numbers predatory spiders higher pasture there taller grass cover Samples potential predators shelterbelt effective suppressing mite than those pasture. ground appear harbour diversity suppress pastures.