Microclimate Data Improve Predictions of Insect Abundance Models Based on Calibrated Spatiotemporal Temperatures

International audienceSpecialty section: This article was submitted to Invertebrate Physiology, a section of the journal Frontiers in Physiology A large body of literature has recently recognized the role of microclimates in controlling the physiology and ecology of species, yet the relevance of fine-scale climatic data for modeling species performance and distribution remains a matter of debate. Using a 6-year monitoring of three potato moth species, major crop pests in the tropical Andes, we asked whether the spatiotemporal resolution of temperature data affect the predictions of models of moth performance and distribution. For this, we used three different climatic data sets: (i) the WorldClim dataset (global dataset), (ii) air temperature recorded using data loggers (weather station dataset), and (iii) air crop canopy temperature (microclimate dataset). We developed a statistical procedure to calibrate all datasets to monthly and yearly variation in temperatures, while keeping both spatial and temporal variances (air monthly temperature at 1 km² for the WorldClim dataset, air hourly temperature for the weather station, and air minute temperature over 250 m radius disks for the microclimate dataset). Then, we computed pest performances based on these three datasets. Results for temperature ranging from 9 to 11 • C revealed discrepancies in the simulation outputs in both survival and development rates depending on the spatiotemporal resolution of the temperature dataset. Temperature and simulated pest performances were then combined into multiple linear regression models to compare predicted vs. field data. We used an additional set of study sites to test the ability of the results of our model to be extrapolated over larger scales. Results showed that the model implemented with microclimatic data best predicted observed pest abundances for our study sites, but was less accurate than the global dataset model when performed at larger scales. Our simulations therefore stress the importance to consider different temperature datasets depending on the issue to be solved in order to accurately predict species abundances. In conclusion, keeping in mind that the mismatch between the size of organisms and the scale at which climate data are collected and modeled remains a key issue, temperature dataset selection should be balanced by the desired output spatiotemporal scale for better predicting pest dynamics and developing efficient pest management strategies

Agent-Based Modeling of Human-Induced Spread of Invasive Species in Agricultural Landscapes: Insights from the Potato Moth in Ecuador

Agent-based models (ABM) are ideal tools to deal with the complexity of pest invasion throughout agricultural socio-ecological systems, yet very few studies have applied them in such context. In this work we developed an ABM that simulates interactions between farmers and an invasive insect pest in an agricultural landscape of the tropical Andes. Our specific aims were to use the model 1) to assess the importance of farmers\' mobility and pest control knowledge on pest expansion and 2) to use it as an educational tool to train farmer communities facing pest risks. Our model combined an ecological sub-model, simulating pest population dynamics driven by a cellular automaton including environmental factors of the landscape, with a social model in which we incorporated agents (farmers) potentially transporting and spreading the pest through displacements among villages. Results of model simulation revealed that both agents\' movements and knowledge had a significant, non-linear, impact on invasion spread, confirming previous works on disease expansion by epidemiologists. However, heterogeneity in knowledge among agents had a low effect on invasion dynamics except at high levels of knowledge. Evaluations of the training sessions using ABM suggest that farmers would be able to better manage their crop after our implementation. Moreover, by providing farmers with evidence that pests propagated through their community not as the result of isolated decisions but rather as the result of repeated interactions between multiple individuals over time, our ABM allowed introducing them with social and psychological issues which are usually neglected in integrated pest management programs.Socio-Ecological Systems, Farmers, Invasive Pest, Long Distance Dispersion, Teaching

Полупроводниковый генераторный модуль с умножением частоты для аппаратуры КВЧ-терапии

С целью расширения диапазона частот и получения высококогерентного электромагнитного излучения предложено осуществлять умножение частоты исходного сигнала

Carabid community structure in northern China grassland ecosystems: Effects of local habitat on species richness, species composition and functional diversity

Background Most carabid beetles are particularly sensitive to local habitat characteristics. Although in China grasslands account for more than 40% of the national land, their biodiversity is still poorly known. The aim of this paper is to identify the main environmental characteristics influencing carabid diversity in different types of grassland in northern China. Methods We investigated the influence of vegetation (plant biomass, cover, density, height and species richness), soil (bulk density, above ground litter, moisture and temperature) and climate (humidity, precipitation and temperature) on carabid community structure (species richness, species composition and functional diversity—measured as body size, movement and total diversity) in three types of grasslands: desert, typical and meadow steppes. We used Canonical correspondence analysis to investigate the role of habitat characteristics on species composition and eigenvector spatial filtering to investigate the responses of species richness and functional diversities. Results We found that carabid community structure was strongly influenced by local habitat characteristics and particularly by climatic factors. Carabids in the desert steppe showed the lowest richness and functional diversities. Climate predictors (temperature, precipitation and humidity) had positive effects on carabid species richness at both regional and ecosystem levels, with difference among ecosystems. Plant diversity had a positive influence on carabid richness at the regional level. Soil compaction and temperature were negatively related to species richness at regional level. Climatic factors positively influenced functional diversities, whereas soil temperature had negative effects. Soil moisture and temperature were the most important drivers of species composition at regional level, whereas the relative importance of the various environmental parameters varied among ecosystems. Discussion Carabid responses to environmental characteristics varied among grassland types, which warns against generalizations and indicates that management programs should be considered at grassland scale. Carabid community structure is strongly influenced by climatic factors, and can therefore be particularly sensitive to ongoing climate change

Obstacles to integrated pest management adoption in developing countries

Despite its theoretical prominence and sound principles, integrated pest management (IPM) continues to suffer from anemic adoption rates in developing countries. To shed light on the reasons, we surveyed the opinions of a large and diverse pool of IPM professionals and practitioners from 96 countries by using structured concept mapping. The first phase of this method elicited 413 open-ended responses on perceived obstacles to IPM. Analysis of responses revealed 51 unique statements on obstacles, the most frequent of which was “insufficient training and technical support to farmers.” Cluster analyses, based on participant opinions, grouped these unique statements into six themes: research weaknesses, outreach weaknesses, IPM weaknesses, farmer weaknesses, pesticide industry interference, and weak adoption incentives. Subsequently, 163 participants rated the obstacles expressed in the 51 unique statements according to importance and remediation difficulty. Respondents from developing countries and high-income countries rated the obstacles differently. As a group, developing-country respondents rated “IPM requires collective action within a farming community” as their top obstacle to IPM adoption. Respondents from high-income countries prioritized instead the “shortage of well-qualified IPM experts and extensionists.” Differential prioritization was also evident among developing-country regions, and when obstacle statements were grouped into themes. Results highlighted the need to improve the participation of stakeholders from developing countries in the IPM adoption debate, and also to situate the debate within specific regional contexts

Coupled Information Diffusion–Pest Dynamics Models Predict Delayed Benefits of Farmer Cooperation in Pest Management Programs

Worldwide, the theory and practice of agricultural extension system have been dominated for almost half a century by Rogers' “diffusion of innovation theory”. In particular, the success of integrated pest management (IPM) extension programs depends on the effectiveness of IPM information diffusion from trained farmers to other farmers, an important assumption which underpins funding from development organizations. Here we developed an innovative approach through an agent-based model (ABM) combining social (diffusion theory) and biological (pest population dynamics) models to study the role of cooperation among small-scale farmers to share IPM information for controlling an invasive pest. The model was implemented with field data, including learning processes and control efficiency, from large scale surveys in the Ecuadorian Andes. Our results predict that although cooperation had short-term costs for individual farmers, it paid in the long run as it decreased pest infestation at the community scale. However, the slow learning process placed restrictions on the knowledge that could be generated within farmer communities over time, giving rise to natural lags in IPM diffusion and applications. We further showed that if individuals learn from others about the benefits of early prevention of new pests, then educational effort may have a sustainable long-run impact. Consistent with models of information diffusion theory, our results demonstrate how an integrated approach combining ecological and social systems would help better predict the success of IPM programs. This approach has potential beyond pest management as it could be applied to any resource management program seeking to spread innovations across populations

Modélisation de la dynamique spatio-temporelle d'insectes ravageurs des cultures dans des systèmes socio-écologiques

Social-ecological systems are omnipresent and the understanding of their functioning became a priority not only to approach in a common and precise way the questions raised by the action of human on its environment, but also to identify trajectories and investigate forward-looking scenarios on the basis of which, management strategies could be developed. Applied to a crop pest in the Northern Andes, a cellular automaton approach allowed us to identify key human factors of pest dispersal and to construct maps from presence/absence probability. Afterward, the integration of genetic variability through an individual-based model facilitated the exploration of pest populations structure scenarios. For a better understanding of pest spatio-temporal dynamics, an agent-based model approach, theoretical then empirical, supplied elements of explanation of observable delays between the development of a crop protection innovation and its application by farmers of a small agricultural region, through an information diffusion model coupled with the previous approaches. To further exploit these results after a fruitful participative research in the study zone, an innovative method based on a model was fitted into a farmers' training program to underline the necessity of a systematic approach for an effective integrated pest management program. Despite some limitations, these approaches could be applicable more widely to any agricultural program in social-ecological systems.Les systèmes socio-écologiques sont omniprésents et la compréhension de leur fonctionnement est devenue une priorité pour aborder de manière commune et précise les questions soulevées par l'action de l'homme sur son environnement, mais aussi pour identifier des trajectoires et explorer des scénarios prospectifs sur la base desquels, une stratégie de pilotage pourrait être envisagée. Appliquée à un ravageur des cultures dans le nord des Andes, l'approche de ces systèmes par un modèle d'automate cellulaire a permis d'identifier les facteurs humains clefs de sa dispersion et de disposer de cartes de probabilité de présence. Par la suite, l'intégration de variabilité génétique par un modèle individu-centré a facilité l'exploration de scénarios de structuration des populations de ravageurs. Pour une meilleure compréhension de la dynamique spatio-temporelle de ces derniers, une approche à base d'agents, théorique puis empirique, a fourni des éléments d'explication des délais observables entre la mise au point d'une technique de protection des cultures et son application par les agriculteurs d'une petite région agricole, par un modèle de diffusion de l'information couplé aux approches précédentes. Afin d'exploiter ces résultats et suite à une recherche participative fructueuse dans la zone d'étude, une méthode innovante basée sur un modèle a été insérée dans un programme de formation d'agriculteurs pour souligner la nécessité d'une approche systémique pour une protection des cultures efficace. Malgré certaines limitations, ces approches pourraient être applicables plus largement à tout programme agricole dans des systèmes socio-écologiques

Modélisation de la dynamique spatio-temporelle d'insectes ravageurs des cultures dans des systèmes socio-écologiques

Les systèmes socio-écologiques sont omniprésents et la compréhension de leur fonctionnement est devenue une priorité pour aborder de manière commune et précise les questions soulevées par l action de l homme sur son environnement, mais aussi pour identifier des trajectoires et explorer des scénarios prospectifs sur la base desquels, une stratégie de pilotage pourrait être envisagée. Appliquée à un ravageur des cultures dans le nord des Andes, l approche de ces systèmes par un modèle d automate cellulaire a permis d identifier les facteurs humains clefs de sa dispersion et de disposer de cartes de probabilité de présence. Par la suite, l intégration de variabilité génétique par un modèle individu-centré a facilité l exploration de scénarios de structuration des populations de ravageurs. Pour une meilleure compréhension de la dynamique spatio-temporelle de ces derniers, une approche à base d agents, théorique puis empirique, a fourni des éléments d explication des délais observables entre la mise au point d une technique de protection des cultures et son application par les agriculteurs d une petite région agricole, par un modèle de diffusion de l information couplé aux approches précédentes. Afin d exploiter ces résultats et suite à une recherche participative fructueuse dans la zone d étude, une méthode innovante basée sur un modèle a été insérée dans un programme de formation d agriculteurs pour souligner la nécessité d une approche systémique pour une protection des cultures efficace. Malgré certaines limitations, ces approches pourraient être applicables plus largement à tout programme agricole dans des systèmes socio-écologiquesSocial-ecological systems are omnipresent and the understanding of their functioning became a priority not only to approach in a common and precise way the questions raised by the action of human on its environment, but also to identify trajectories and investigate forward-looking scenarios on the basis of which, management strategies could be developed. Applied to a crop pest in the Northern Andes, a cellular automaton approach allowed us to identify key human factors of pest dispersal and to construct maps from presence/absence probability. Afterward, the integration of genetic variability through an individual-based model facilitated the exploration of pest populations structure scenarios. For a better understanding of pest spatio-temporal dynamics, an agent-based model approach, theoretical then empirical, supplied elements of explanation of observable delays between the development of a crop protection innovation and its application by farmers of a small agricultural region, through an information diffusion model coupled with the previous approaches. To further exploit these results after a fruitful participative research in the study zone, an innovative method based on a model was fitted into a farmers' training program to underline the necessity of a systematic approach for an effective integrated pest management program. Despite some limitations, these approaches could be applicable more widely to any agricultural program in social-ecological systemsPARIS-BIUSJ-Biologie recherche (751052107) / SudocSudocFranceF