Addressing context dependence in studies of plant diversity to improve the understanding of natural enemy conservation

Abstract

Increasing plant diversity has become a major aspect of habitat management and natural enemy conservation. Nonetheless, results of plant diversity studies have varied significantly within and across agroecosystems. This variation has often been ascribed to a condition known as context dependence. However, concluding plainly that results are context dependent does not allow for the understanding of the actual underlying causes. Therefore, I discuss in this paper the importance of identifying and dealing with context dependence. I specifically comment on common biotic and abiotic inherent variables that can drive context dependence. The most common context types explored herein are location, time, non-focal plant and crop species, and natural enemy species. Lastly, I offer several recommendations for identifying and dealing with context dependence. I believe, understanding the different forms in which context dependence arise is paramount to reduce unexplained variation, and improve the predictability of plant diversity studies.