Timothy D. Meehan

TL;DR: Using a global database from 89 studies (with 1475 locations), the relative importance of species richness, abundance, and dominance for pollination; biological pest control; and final yields in the context of ongoing land-use change is partitioned.

TL;DR: In this article, the authors identify five hypotheses for when and why natural habitat can fail to support biological pest control, and illustrate each with case studies from the literature: (1) pest populations have no effective natural enemies in the region, (2) natural habitat is a greater source of pests than natural enemies, (3) crops provide more resources for natural enemies than does natural habitat, (4) natural habitats is insufficient in amount, proximity, composition, or configuration to provide large enough enemy populations needed for pest control and (5) agricultural practices counteract enemy establishment and bioc

TL;DR: Analysis of the largest pest-control database of its kind shows that surrounding noncrop habitat does not consistently improve pest management, meaning habitat conservation may bolster production in some systems and depress yields in others.

TL;DR: It is shown that perennial bioenergy crops provide an alternative to annual grains that increases biodiversity of multiple taxa and sustain a variety of ecosystem functions, promoting the creation of multifunctional agricultural landscapes.

TL;DR: Results provide broad correlative support for the hypothesized link between landscape simplification, pest pressure, and insecticide use and should be considered in design of land use policy that balances multiple ecosystem goods and services.