Not All Field Margins Are Equally Useful: Effects of the Vegetation Structure of Margins on Cereal Aphids and Their Natural Enemies

Simple Summary Which plant life forms dominate in the field margin vegetation may affect its value in terms of the insect communities it harbors. We characterized marginal vegetation using the relative cover of each life form and sampled cereal aphids as well as some of their natural enemies (parasitoids, hoverflies and ladybugs) in crops along transects parallel to margins. Our results show that aphid abundance and parasitism rates were higher near margins dominated by perennial woody plants such as blackberries. By contrast, natural enemies had a clear preference for margins dominated by annual herbaceous species. By promoting specific life forms in already-existing margins, farmers can enhance the abundance of the natural enemies of aphids and decrease aphid pressure on their fields. Differences in the semi-natural vegetation of field margins will affect the biological control services derived from the presence of these semi-natural habitats adjacent to fields. Of the plant functional traits that are most relevant for insects, plant life forms reflect different aspects of plant structure and functioning that can help predict the value of marginal vegetation for arthropods in agricultural systems. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of the vegetation structure of field margins on cereal aphids and on some of their natural enemies (parasitoids, hoverflies and ladybugs) in terms of plant life forms. We characterized margin vegetation using the relative cover of each life form and sampled insects in crops along transects parallel to field margins. Our results show that in the studied areas, the abundance of natural enemies was greater near margins dominated by annual plants than in margins dominated by perennial plants. On the other hand, the abundances of aphids and parasitism rates were higher near margins dominated by perennial woody plants than near margins dominated by perennial herbaceous plants. By promoting specific life forms in existing margins, farmers can enhance the conservation biological control and relieve aphid pressure on their crops.