CBC - Biological control by Conservation

CBC axis team.

The general framework for the CBC team is that of conservation biological control in orchards in a context of pesticide reduction. Conservation biological control aims to promote the control of pests by the community of naturally occurring pest enemies in agro-ecosystems, in combination with other biological control practices. To this end, we are interested in the dynamics of pest and pest enemy populations throughout their life cycles, including when the species use resources outside the orchards. This implies considering sometimes a scale greater than that of the plot. Our work focuses mainly on two main apple pests, the codling moth (Cydia pomonella, Lepidoptera) and the rosy apple aphid (Dysaphis plantaginea, Hemiptera) and on arthropods and birds as pest enemies. Our objective is to increase knowledge on conditions that are favorable to the natural control of pests to contribute to the design of sustainable horticultural systems (together with team 4). Our approach is to make a back and forth between theoretical questions, methodological developments and their specific applications to our study systems, using modeling when relevant.

THESYS IN CBC AXE:

• MONTAINE DELMOTTE

Title: "Persistently promoting biological control in apple orchards by bats : from the plot to the landscape".

Finances: National Institute for Research in Agriculture, Food and Environment) et/and OFB (Office Français de la Biodiversité/French Biodiversity Office).

Duration: 01/11/2024 to 31/10/2027

Objectives: Bats consume a wide range of pests. However, a sharp decline in bat populations has been documented nationwide (43%), highlighting conservation issues as well as a strong risk of pest control loss. The aim of this PhD is to study the interactions between bats, arthropods (pests), farming practices, and the landscape in apple orchards. The project will focus in particular on the impact of bats on the population dynamics of the codling moth, a major pest in apple orchards, and on the impact of particular farming practices in orchards on bats, such as single-row Alt'carpo nets. Given the crucial importance of landscape connectivity for bat movement, the impact of the landscape context on predation levels, bats/nocturnal flying arthropods food webs, and the synchronization between predation and pest abundance peaks will be assessed. This PhD is part of a national project led and funded by the French Office for Biodiversity on the conservation of bats and their regulatory role in orchard landscapes.

Partners:

Implanteus Graduate School

Office Français de la Biodiversité (OFB)

Links:

Article court Chauves-souris dans les espaces agricoles https://www.vigienature.fr/fr/actualites/chauves-souris-espaces-agricoles-3840

Note nationale Biodiversité - chauves-souris https://driaaf.ile-de-france.agriculture.gouv.fr/IMG/pdf/10-note_nationale-chauves-souris.pdf

Plan National d’Action Chiroptères – volet agriculture
https://plan-actions-chiropteres.fr/le-plan-national-dactions/les-actions/9-agriculture/

Supports des présentations du premier colloque national chauves-souris et agricultures
https://drive.google.com/drive/u/1/folders/1SJyiuLpVNbdHNHx5Ng0DlK78FneBx_uL

Synthèse bibliographique globale sur les chauves-souris et leurs services écosystémiques - Ramírez-Fráncel, L.A., García-Herrera, L.V., Losada-Prado, S., Reinoso-Flórez, G., Sánchez-Hernández, A., Estrada-Villegas, S., Lim, B.K., Guevara, G., 2022. Bats and their vital ecosystem services: a global review. Integrative Zoology 17, 2–23. https://doi.org/10.1111/1749-4877.12552

• TOM SOUHIL

Title: "Determinants of the taxonomic and functional diversity of arthropod communities in perennial crop landscapes".

Finances: 50% INRAE – 50% Implanteus

Duration: 01/11/2024 to 31/10/2027

Objectives: We are currently witnessing a collapse in the abundance and diversity of arthropods, particularly in agricultural environments. The two main causes proposed are the simplification of landscapes and the use of pesticides (particularly insecticides), but other practices can also have an impact on arthropods, and their effects are poorly documented, especially as some of them may depend on the landscape context.  The impact of these changes on arthropods is most often assessed through the local diversity (alpha diversity) of an assemblage of species without analysing the effects on the composition of species or traits and their patterns of variation from one assemblage to another, whereas the analysis of these components provides us with information on the rules of assemblages and their determinants. Using a multi-year dataset, the aim will be to gain a better understanding of the processes governing the taxonomic and functional diversity of arthropods in a set of orchards differing in their local practices and landscape environment (in terms of land use and farming practices). In addition to understanding the ecological mechanisms, this work will help to identify possible recommendations in terms of the conservation and management of agricultural landscapes.

Partners: EUR Implanteus

• RAPHAEL MINGUET

Title: "Study of the effect of agricultural practices on birds using acoustic approaches".

Finances: Tersys

Objectives: Bird populations have declined drastically over the past few decades. Agriculture has been identified as one of the main drivers of this decline at the European scale. Continuing to document the effects of agricultural practices on bird communities is essential to develop production methods that align with biodiversity conservation goals. In this context, the combination of passive ecoacoustics and the development of automatic bird vocalization identification algorithms offers great opportunities to obtain information complementary to traditional monitoring methods. This study aims to evaluate the use of these tools and to identify the effects of agricultural practices in apple orchards on different components of bird ecology: community and population dynamics, the potential of orchards to host migratory species, and the influence of agricultural practices on the daily phenology.

Partners: IMBE