Food web engineering: ecology and evolution to improve biological pest control.

Area of Science:

• Agroecology
• Evolutionary Biology
• Ecology

Background:

• Sustainable food production for a growing global population requires effective pest management.
• Biological pest control (BPC) is a key strategy, but its efficacy is influenced by complex agroecosystem dynamics.
• Climate warming presents a significant challenge to BPC by altering biotic and abiotic factors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review how biotic and abiotic drivers affect augmentative BPC under changing environmental conditions.
• To highlight the need to incorporate evolutionary responses into BPC strategies.
• To propose a framework for enhancing BPC efficacy in warming agroecosystems.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of studies examining BPC in relation to community contexts and climate.
• Analysis of factors that may hamper or promote top-down augmentative pest control.
• Conceptual framework development integrating ecological and evolutionary data with modeling.

Main Results:

• Most reviewed studies reported neutral or positive effects of biotic and abiotic factors on BPC.
• A significant gap exists in understanding and accounting for evolutionary responses of natural enemies.
• Current BPC approaches may not fully address the adaptive capacity of pest control agents.

Conclusions:

• Integrating food web theory and evolutionary principles is essential for resilient BPC.
• Engineering food webs using ecological and evolutionary data, coupled with modeling, can accelerate the development of climate-adapted natural enemies.
• This integrated approach is vital for ensuring long-term food security in the face of climate change.