Crop pest management and food security in Nigerian agriculture

Abstract

Pests damage crops at different stages of growth on the field, at harvest, during transportation and in storage. This leads to 5 – 40% crop loss yearly and has a serious effect on the food security for the ever-increasing population of the country. The management of pests in crops to obtain a better yield is paramount for food security. The resource-poor farmers who produce a large percentage of the crop for consumption cannot afford expensive management of pests in order to meet the yearly target consumption level for the country. The different methods for the management of pests—cultural, biological, indigenous knowledge systems, use of resistant varieties, use of plant extracts, use of pheromones and the minimal use of chemicals in an integrated pest management system which hitherto existed as fragmented information—are discussed. Areas for future research are also mentioned.     

Perceived Effectiveness of Indigenous Technological Knowledge (ITK) of Insect and Vertebrate Pests Management in Eastern Uttar Pradesh,India

Indigenous technological knowledge is considered as a traditional knowledge that inherited from their ancestors, unique to a culture, society and environment. In this article we documented uses of such local knowledge used by the local farmers of seven villages form Varanasi, Deoria and Mirzapur districts of eastern Uttar Pradesh, India for their crop protection. Data were collected from 140 respondents (twenty from each village) and 60 respondents who had visited the institute from these three districts during farmers’ fair and farmers’ training and whole making a total of 200 respondents. The farmers in the study developed notable innovations to control major pests of agricultural and horticultural crops such as use of ashes to control vegetable insect pests; use of onion/garlic bulbs, neem leaves, salt crystals, wheat straw, brick kiln powder etc. to prevent store grain pests of cereals; ash and kerosene mixture to repel the sucking pests of rice at milky stage; well-rotted fish scales against Nilgai (Boselaphus tragocamelus); red chilli pods against bruchids in pulses; salt and turmeric powder mixture against ants; use of neem cake to repel termite and other soil insects etc. The local farmers were following these practices because of easy availability, eco-friendly, easy to handle, do not leave any harmful residue, pose any threat to develop resistance and resurgence of secondary pests, easy to apply and compatible with other pest management techniques and socio-cultural situation of the farmers.     

Functional Invertebrate Prey Groups Reflect Dietary Responses to Phenology and Farming Activity and Pest Control Services in Three Sympatric Species of Aerially Foraging Insectivorous Birds

Farming activity severely impacts the invertebrate food resources of farmland birds, with direct mortality to populations of above-ground arthropods thorough mechanical damage during crop harvests. In this study we assessed the effects of phenological periods, including the timing of harvest, on the composition and biomass of prey consumed by three species of aerial insectivorous birds. Common Swifts Apus apus, Barn Swallows Hirundo rustica and House Martins Delichon urbica breed sympatrically and most of their diet is obtained from agricultural sources of invertebrate prey, especially from oil-seed rape crops. We categorized invertebrate prey into six functional groups, including oil-seed rape pests; pests of other arable crops; other crop-provisioned taxa; coprophilous taxa; and taxa living in non-crop and mixed crop/non-crop habitats. Seasonality impacted functional groups differently, but the general direction of change (increase/decrease) of all groups was consistent as indexed by prey composition of the three aerial insectivores studied here. After the oil-seed rape crop harvest (mid July), all three species exhibited a dietary shift from oil-seed rape insect pests to other aerial invertebrate prey groups. However, Common Switfts also consumed a relative large quantity of oil-seed rape insect pests in the late summer (August), suggesting that they could reduce pest insect emigration beyond the host plant/crop. Since these aerially foraging insectivorous birds operate in specific conditions and feed on specific pest resources unavailable to foliage/ground foraging avian predators, our results suggest that in some crops like oil-seed rape cultivations, the potential integration of the insectivory of aerial foraging birds into pest management schemes might provide economic benefits. We advise further research into the origin of airborne insects and the role of aerial insectivores as agents of the biological control of crop insect pests, especially the determination of depredation rates and the cascading effects of insectivory on crop damage and yield.     

Farmers' perspectives for the development of a bioenergy industry in Ireland

A survey of Irish farmers was conducted to identify farmers’ opinions on energy crop production and to characterize potential adopters of energy crop cultivation in Ireland. One hundred and seventy‐two surveys were completed from 25 counties in Ireland. Miscanthus (48%) and grass (30%) were the preferred crops for adoption of energy crop production. Potential adopters described themselves as having a significantly greater level of knowledge of energy crop production compared with other respondents. The results indicate that lack of interest in adopting energy crop production may be due to lack of knowledge regarding the economic benefits of adoption and the variety of energy crops available for cultivation in Ireland. The establishment of long‐term contracts and government schemes were identified as important requirements for the development of bioenergy crop production in Ireland. Energy crop adoption was not limited to farmers undertaking specific farm enterprises. Farmers were motivated to adopt energy crop production for both economic and environmental benefits. These results are the first to provide valuable information on the perspectives of potential adopters of bioenergy crop production in Ireland for the promotion and implementation of a national bioenergy industry. Policy requirements and outreach strategies to encourage adoption of energy crops by agricultural producers are suggested.     

Adaptive ecology of traditionally derived agroforestry in China

This research was designed to test the following hypothesis: Among traditional (nonliterate and minimally literate) people residing in their home environment, traditionally derived knowledge of specific cases of ecological processes can approximate scientifically derived knowledge of those same cases. After locating three minimally literate peasant family lineages in Lijiayang and Linfengkeng villages, Shouning County, Fujian Province, China, not applying science-based systems of agroforest management, a decision-tree model of an indigenous agroforest management system was constructed from extensive interviews. The system was centered around shamu (Cunninghamia lanceolata),an important timber species with a long history of management in China. A major part of the management system is agricultural intercropping with a wide variety of cereal, cash, medicinal, and oil-producing crops. Intercropping is practiced in the initial phases of afforestation; is an integral aspect of site preparation and the tending of the young stand; and contributes to tree establishment, growth, and survival. The cases presented demonstrate that local peasant knowledge of the effects of burning, site preparation, crop selection, crop tending, and intercropping duration on soil quality and the survival and development of shamu is strongly analogous to the knowledge derived through systematic scientific research. This process of deriving scientifically valid ecological knowledge through traditional means is called protoscience.     

Semiochemical-based alternatives to synthetic toxicant insecticides for pollen beetle management

There is an urgent need to develop sustainable pest management systems to protect arable crops in order to replace the current over-reliance on synthetic insecticides. Semiochemicals are insect- or plant-derived chemicals that are used by organisms as information signals. Integrated pest management tools are currently in development that utilise semiochemicals to manipulate the behaviour of pest insects and their natural enemies to provide effective control of pests within the crop. These innovative tools usually require fewer inputs and can involve multiple elements, therefore reducing the likelihood of resistance developing compared with use of synthetic toxicants. We review here the life cycle of the pollen beetle Brassicogethes aeneus (previously known as Meligethes aeneus) which is a pest insect of oilseed rape (Brassica napus) and describe the current knowledge of any behaviour mediated by semiochemicals in this species. We discuss the behavioural processes where semiochemical-based control approaches may be appropriate and consider how these approaches could be incorporated into an integrated pest management strategy for this important arable crop.     

Linking habitat complexity with predation of pests through molecular gut-content analyses

Improving the diversity of farm systems or landscapes can lead to more effective biological control by providing refuge and alternative resources for colonising natural enemies. Within an experimental cabbage agroecosystem, we examined the effects of habitat management (i.e. herbicide use and cover crops) on pest populations and predator community structure, and report one of the first studies on the trophic links in this system using molecular gut-content analysis. In response to herbicide and cover crop management treatments designed to create different levels of habitat diversity, we quantified the abundance of two pests, Plutella xylostella Linnaeus (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae) and Pieris rapae Linnaeus (Lepidoptera: Pieridae), and predators. We designed species-specific primers to detect prey DNA in predators' guts. Pieris rapae were significantly more abundant in plots where cover crops were killed early in the season, and habitat management generated unique predator communities in response to weed management treatments. Thirty-five per cent of predators tested positive for prey DNA, and habitat management had interactive effects on predation of P. xylostella. Combined we found that habitat management has variable effects on natural enemy–pest interactions.     

The adequacy of alfalfa crops as an agri-environmental scheme: A review of agronomic benefits and effects on biodiversity

The agriculture intensification required to provide enough food commodities for humans has negative impacts on the environment. To reduce these drawbacks Agri-Environmental Schemes (AES) have been implemented in Europe since the last decade of the twentieth century. One of the measures included in these schemes was the introduction of alfalfas in crop rotation systems. In order to evaluate their suitability as an AES, we synthesize knowledge on the agronomical benefits of alfalfa cultivations, as well as on the relationships of alfalfa crops with biodiversity at three taxonomic levels: vascular plants, arthropods, and vertebrates. Based on the articles reviewed, alfalfas can help restoring native grassland communities due to the nutrient enrichment they provide. Moreover, this legume crop usually ensures food resources not only for invertebrates, but also for vertebrates. Alfalfas tend to harbour a stable arthropod community that benefits surrounding crops by improving ecological processes (pollination, pest predation) and reducing the need to use agrochemicals. At the same time, arthropod abundance attracts vertebrates, especially birds, which supports the role of alfalfa as a conservation tool to favour endangered farmland birds. Additionally, alfalfa crops may function as a reservoir habitat for voles, which are a preferred food resource for farmland-foraging raptors, many of them endangered. On the other hand, birds nesting in alfalfa crops may suffer higher nest destruction rates due to frequent cuts, and voles using alfalfa crops may also create agricultural damage in surrounding crops in certain cases. The review also highlights that negative ecological relationships of alfalfa crops with biodiversity can be minimized, and positive effects may also be maximized under the appropriate management of this crop. Examples of such management actions include cut delays or higher cuts to avoid nest destruction, the use of grazing cattle to reduce the impacts of rodent pests, reduced frequency of cutting or maintaining unharvested strips in the field to maximize positive effects on predatory arthropods and vole availability to raptors. We conclude that alfalfa crops can be considered globally beneficial for farmland biodiversity and a useful management tool for conservation in agricultural landscapes, for example as an AES, but that management should be adapted to particular taxonomical or functional groups.     

Dynamic Management of Maize Landraces in Central Mexico

Conservationists of crop genetic resources have feared that in situ conservation was not viable for agriculture precisely because of changes resulting from introduction of new varieties of existing crops, new crops, and new farm practices. In addition, conservation within farming systems necessarily implies a constantly changing crop population resulting from the processes of crop evolution. Even though in situ conservation of crop genetic resources is now generally understood to be dynamic, there are few examples of how evolution takes place in farmers fields. This study describes several changes in maize landraces in four communities along an altitude transect in Central Mexico (1200 to 2400 masl). While true modern varieties have not been widely adopted in the study region, farmer management results in numerous changes in maize landrace populations. Five types of dynamic management were observed: (1) purposeful hybridization between traditional and modern maize types, (2) possible creation of a new maize landrace by directional selection of the progeny of hybridization between two traditional landraces, (3) displacement of a local landrace by the introduction of a modern variety and a non-local landrace, (4) maintenance of stable populations of a locally dominant landrace, and (5) market-driven selection for a minor variety. We concur that in situ conservation of crops must be conceived as an open process where the objective is not to maintain historic varieties or static genetic conditions. Rather, in situ conservation of crops is totally in the hands of the farmer, although interventions may be designed to influence farmers’ management of agrobiodiversity.     

GM as a route for delivery of sustainable crop protection

Modern agriculture, with its vast monocultures of lush fertilized crops, provides an ideal environment for adapted pests, weeds, and diseases. This vulnerability has implications for food security: when new pesticide-resistant pest biotypes evolve they can devastate crops. Even with existing crop protection measures, approximately one-third yield losses occur globally. Given the projected increase in demand for food (70% by 2050 according to the UN), sustainable ways of preventing these losses are needed. Development of resistant crop cultivars can make an important contribution. However, traditional crop breeding programmes are limited by the time taken to move resistance traits into elite crop genetic backgrounds and the limited gene pools in which to search for novel resistance. Furthermore, resistance based on single genes does not protect against the full spectrum of pests, weeds, and diseases, and is more likely to break down as pests evolve counter-resistance. Although not necessarily a panacea, GM (genetic modification) techniques greatly facilitate transfer of genes and thus provide a route to overcome these constraints. Effective resistance traits can be precisely and conveniently moved into mainstream crop cultivars. Resistance genes can be stacked to make it harder for pests to evolve counter-resistance and to provide multiple resistances to different attackers. GM-based crop protection could substantially reduce the need for farmers to apply pesticides to their crops and would make agricultural production more efficient in terms of resources used (land, energy, water). These benefits merit consideration by environmentalists willing to keep an open mind on the GM debate.     

Effects of crop species richness on pest-natural enemy systems based on an experimental model system using a microlandscape

The relationship between crop richness and predator-prey interactions as they relate to pest-natural enemy systems is a very important topic in ecology and greatly affects biological control services. The effects of crop arrangement on predator-prey interactions have received much attention as the basis for pest population management. To explore the internal mechanisms and factors driving the relationship between crop richness and pest population management, we designed an experimental model system of a microlandscape that included 50 plots and five treatments. Each treatment had 10 repetitions in each year from 2007 to 2010. The results showed that the biomass of pests and their natural enemies increased with increasing crop biomass and decreased with decreasing crop biomass; however, the effects of plant biomass on the pest and natural enemy biomass were not significant. The relationship between adjacent trophic levels was significant (such as pests and their natural enemies or crops and pests), whereas non-adjacent trophic levels (crops and natural enemies) did not significantly interact with each other. The ratio of natural enemy/pest biomass was the highest in the areas of four crop species that had the best biological control service. Having either low or high crop species richness did not enhance the pest population management service and lead to loss of biological control. Although the resource concentration hypothesis was not well supported by our results, high crop species richness could suppress the pest population, indicating that crop species richness could enhance biological control services. These results could be applied in habitat management aimed at biological control, provide the theoretical basis for agricultural landscape design, and also suggest new methods for integrated pest management.     

Prospects for improved off-crop habitat management for pollen beetle control in oilseed rape

There is an urgent need to develop sustainable and environmentally benign integrated pest management (IPM) strategies for arable crops. The enhancement and manipulation of naturally occurring populations of the natural enemies of crop pests through habitat management for ‘conservation biological control’, as well as habitat management to manipulate populations of the pests themselves, have the potential to become major components of successful IPM strategies. We review the studies that have contributed to our current understanding of how the crop margin, local landscape, and regional landscape can influence pollen beetle Brassicogethes aeneus (syn. Meligethes aeneus) (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae) abundance and damage to oilseed rape crops (Brassica napus), and the efficacy of their natural enemies. We also discuss how habitat management across these multiple scales may improve pollen beetle control, reducing the need for insecticide use and contributing towards sustainable production of this important crop which is grown on increasing areas for both food and fuel.     

Conserving the efficacy of insecticides against Plutella xylostella (L.) (Lep., Plutellidae)

Abstract:  The diamondback moth (DBM), Plutella xylostella (L.) (Lep., Plutellidae), is one of the most destructive insect pests of crucifers worldwide. It was the first crop insect reported to be resistant to DDT and now in many crucifer-producing regions it has shown significant resistance to almost every insecticide applied in field including biopesticides such as crystal toxins from Bacillus thuringiensis and spinosyns from Saccharopolyspora spinosa . In certain parts of the world, economical production of crucifers has become almost impossible because of its resistance to insecticides and resulting control failure. A coordinated resistance management program needs to be implemented with the involvement of pesticide industry, local pesticide regulatory authorities, scientists and farmers. The judicious use of chemicals in conjunction with other control measures (e.g. biological control agents, resistant varieties, proper fertilization rates) is the best way to manage DBM and other pests of cruciferous crops. Introduction of glucosinolate-sulphatase inhibitors as plant-incorporated-products or sprayable material may also lead to a novel pest management strategy.     

A meta-analysis of biocontrol potential and herbivore pressure in olive crops: Does integrated pest management make a difference?

Agricultural policies in the European Union (EU) are increasingly promoting organic management and integrated pest management (IPM) as environmentally friendly alternatives to high-input conventional management. While there is consensus that organic management is largely beneficial for biodiversity, including the natural enemies of crop pests, IPM has been much less scrutinized. We conducted a meta-analysis based on 294 observations extracted from 18 studies to compare the effects of conventional, IPM and organic management on biocontrol potential and herbivore pressure in olive, an important cash crop in the EU. Information about the management practices used was also compiled to assess differences in intensity between the three management strategies. Results suggest that IPM is predominantly based on intensive practices, employing chemical control rather than preventive measures as a first resort. Biocontrol potential and herbivore pressure were similar in conventional management and IPM. Moreover, biocontrol potential was higher in organic crops than in crops under IPM, especially when considering canopy-dwelling natural enemies. Although organic management enhanced biocontrol potential, it also benefitted some olive pests, and in both cases effects were more pronounced at warmer temperatures. Our results suggest that, in its current form, IPM might not significantly affect biocontrol potential or herbivore pressure when compared with conventional olive crop management. A shift to a more comprehensive implementation of IPM practices is thus needed, involving the use of proactive measures to promote natural enemies and regulate olive pests before resorting to chemical control. Moreover, greater use of non-chemical inputs might be required for effective regulation of olive pests in organic olive crops.     

Two-toxin strategies for management of insecticidal transgenic crops: can pyramiding succeed where pesticide mixtures have not?

Transgenic insect-resistant crops that express toxins from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) offer significant advantages to pest management, but are at risk of losing these advantages to the evolution of resistance in the targeted insect pests. All commercially available cultivars of these crops carry only a single Bt gene, and are particularly at risk where the targeted insect pests are not highly sensitive to the Bt toxin used. Under such circumstances, the most prudent method of avoiding resistance is to ensure that a large proportion of the pest population develops on non-transgenic ''refuge'' hosts, generally of the crop itself. This has generated recommendations that 20% or more of the cotton and maize in any given area should be non-transgenic. This may be costly in terms of yields and may encourage further reliance on and resistance to pesticides. The use of two or more toxins in the same variety (pyramiding) can reduce the amount of refuge required to delay resistance for an extended period. Cross-resistance among the toxins appears to have been overestimated as a potential risk to the use of pyramids (and pesticide mixtures) because cross-resistance is at least as important when toxicants are used independently. Far more critical is that there should be nearly 100% mortality of susceptible insects on the transgenic crops. The past failures of pesticide mixtures to manage resistance provide important lessons for the most efficacious deployment of multiple toxins in transgenic crops.     

Impact of Empire Expansion on Household Diet: The Inka in Northern Chile's Atacama Desert

The impact of expanding civilization on the health of American indigenous societies has long been studied. Most studies have focused on infections and malnutrition that occurred when less complex societies were incorporated into more complex civilizations. The details of dietary change, however, have rarely been explored. Using the analysis of starch residues recovered from coprolites, here we evaluate the dietary adaptations of indigenous farmers in northern Chile''s Atacama Desert during the time that the Inka Empire incorporated these communities into their economic system. This system has been described as “complementarity” because it involves interaction and trade in goods produced at different Andean elevations. We find that as local farming societies adapted to this new asymmetric system, a portion of their labor had to be given up to the Inka elite through a corvée tax system for maize production. In return, the Inka system of complementarity introduced previously rare foods from the Andean highlands into local economies. These changes caused a disruption of traditional communities as they instituted a state-level economic system on local farmers. Combined with previously published infection information for the same populations under Inka rule, the data suggest that there may have been a dual health impact from disruption of nutrition and introduction of crowd disease.     

Early detection of field-evolved resistance to Bt cotton in China: cotton bollworm and pink bollworm

Transgenic crops producing Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) toxins kill some major insect pests, but pests can evolve resistance and thereby reduce the effectiveness of such Bt crops. The main approach for slowing pest adaptation to Bt crops uses non-Bt host plants as "refuges" to increase survival of susceptible pests. To delay evolution of pest resistance to cotton producing Bt toxin Cry1Ac, several countries have required refuges of non-Bt cotton, while farmers in China have relied on "natural" refuges of non-Bt host plants other than cotton. This strategy is designed for cotton bollworm (Helicoverpa armigera), which attacks many crops and is the primary target of Bt cotton in China, but it does not apply to pink bollworm (Pectinophora gossypiella), which feeds almost entirely on cotton in China. Here we review evidence of field-evolved resistance to Cry1Ac by cotton bollworm in northern China and by pink bollworm in the Yangtze River Valley of China. For both pests, results of laboratory diet bioassays reveal significantly decreased susceptibility of field populations to Cry1Ac, yet field control failures of Bt cotton have not been reported. The early detection of resistance summarized here may spur countermeasures such as planting Bt cotton that produces two or more distinct toxins, increased planting of non-Bt cotton, and integration of other management tactics together with Bt cotton.     

中国主要农作物种植农药施用温室气体排放估算

过去30年来我国农作物的播种面积并未产生太大变化,但病虫害的发生和防治次数却不断增加。根据6种中国主要农作物的病虫害发生情况,收集了相应的农药用量及其制造的温室气体排放量数据,估算了中国主要农作物在种植过程中,因对病虫害使用杀虫剂和杀菌剂而产生的温室气体排放量现状。结果表明,我国主要农作物小麦、水稻、玉米、马铃薯、油菜和棉花的每公顷病虫害防治时使用农药所产生的温室气体排放量分别是9.19(1.86—23.24)、20.54(2.03—50.95)、10.38(3.45—19.32)、5.91(2.15—18.34)、10.84(8.10—13.62)、19.51(5.11—49.01)kg CE hm~(-2)a~(-1),即水稻和棉花最高;但论单产农药温室气体排放量,则油菜和棉花远高于其余4种粮食作物。每年小麦、水稻、玉米、马铃薯、油菜和棉花的病虫害防治使用农药所产生的总温室气体排放量分别是220.8(44.7—558.4)、606.7(60.0—1505.1)、336.4(112.0—606.3)、30.9(11.2—96.0)、79.5(59.4—99.8)、96.4(25.2—242.2)Gg CE,总计1.37(0.31—3.13)Tg CE。将以上6种作物的病虫害防治情况外推到全国农作物,则我国一年因为农作物病虫害防治而产生的温室气体排放量为2.13(0.48—4.85)Tg CE。另外由于缺乏草害面次数据而没有包括除草剂本分,所以以上数字仍是低估。病虫害防治由于作物本身、防治对象、防治方法以及药剂用量的固有差异,导致农作物病虫害防治的温室气体排放量计算结果存在着较大的不确定性,目前基于自下而上农户调查的估算方法无法克服这些问题,更精确的估算需要自上而下的企业级调查数据。     

The impact of secondary pests on Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) crops

The intensification of agriculture and the development of synthetic insecticides enabled worldwide grain production to more than double in the last third of the 20th century. However, the heavy dependence and, in some cases, overuse of insecticides has been responsible for negative environmental and ecological impacts across the globe, such as a reduction in biodiversity, insect resistance to insecticides, negative effects on nontarget species (e.g. natural enemies) and the development of secondary pests. The use of recombinant DNA technology to develop genetically engineered insect‐resistant crops could mitigate many of the negative side effects of insecticides. One such genetic alteration enables crops to express toxic crystalline (Cry) proteins from the soil bacteria Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt). Despite the widespread adoption of Bt crops, there are still a range of unanswered questions concerning longer term agro‐ecosystem interactions. For instance, insect species that are not susceptible to the expressed toxin can develop into secondary pests and cause significant damage to the crop. Here, we review the main causes surrounding secondary pest dynamics in Bt crops and the impact of such outbreaks. Regardless of the causes, if nonsusceptible secondary pest populations exceed economic thresholds, insecticide spraying could become the immediate solution at farmers’ disposal, and the sustainable use of this genetic modification technology may be in jeopardy. Based on the literature, recommendations for future research are outlined that will help to improve the knowledge of the possible long‐term ecological trophic interactions of employing this technology.     

Arthropods and biofuel production systems in North America

Abstract Biomass harvest may eventually be conducted on over 100 000 000 ha of US crop and forest lands to meet federally-mandated targets for renewable biofuels. Such large-scale land use changes could profoundly impact working landscapes and the arthropod communities that inhabit them. We review the literature on dedicated biofuel crops and biomass harvest from forests to look for commonalities in arthropod community responses. With expanded biofuel production, existing arthropod pests of biofuel crops will likely become more important and new pests will emerge. Beneficial arthropods will also be influenced by biofuel crop habitats, potentially altering the distribution of pollination and pest control services to the surrounding landscape. Production of biofuel crops including initial crop selection, genetic improvement, agronomic practices, and harvest regimes will also influence arthropod communities. In turn, arthropods will impact the productivity and species composition of biomass production systems. Some of these processes have the potential to cause landscape-level changes in arthropod community dynamics and insect-vectored plant diseases. Finally, changes in arthropod populations and their spatiotemporal distribution in the landscape will have impacts on consumers of insects at higher trophic levels, potentially influencing their population and community dynamics and producing feedbacks to arthropod communities. Given that dedicated biofuel crops and intensified biomass harvest from forests are still relatively uncommon in North America, as they increase, we anticipate ‘predictably unpredictable’ shifts in arthropod communities and the ecosystem services and functions they support. We suggest that research on arthropod dynamics within biofuel crops, their spillover into adjacent habitats, and implications for the sustainability of working landscapes are critical topics for both basic and applied investigations.