Human activities and climatic factors drive decoupling effects of parasitoids-invasive agromyzid leafminers

Human activities disrupt the parasitoid-mediated control of invasive alien species by fragmenting habitats and intensifying temperature-driven pest proliferation. However, the synergistic effects of changes in human-modified landscapes and climatic gradients on parasitoid-herbivore interactions remain underexplored, limiting integrated pest management. Here, we mapped the habitat suitability and dispersal-risk corridors of two invasive agromyzid leafminers (Liriomyza sativae and Liriomyza trifolii) and evaluated the effects of human activities and climate on the spatial association patterns of parasitoids-agromyzid leafminers on Hainan Island.

The core risk patches and high-risk dispersal corridors of the two species were concentrated in towns and cultivated crop-growing areas in the northern plains and coastal regions, underscoring the key role of human activities in driving pest establishment and dispersal. As the temperature increased, human activities reduced the spatial association between agromyzid leafminers and parasitoids. In contrast, land use intensity strengthened their spatial association, likely indicating a trade-off between habitat fragmentation and cropland resource diversity in the spatial association patterns of these two populations.

Our study reveals that human activities and climatic factors synergistically reduce spatial association patterns between parasitoids and invasive agromyzid leafminers. This pattern highlights a novel mechanism underlying pest-natural enemy mismatches and provides a conceptual basis for landscape-level strategies to enhance biological control. © 2026 Society of Chemical Industry.