Abstract
Invertebrate diversity is important for a multitude of ecosystem services and as a component of the larger ecological food web. A better understanding of the factors influencing invertebrate taxonomic richness and diversity at both local and landscape scales is important for conserving biodiversity within the agricultural landscape. The aim of this study was to determine if invertebrate richness and diversity in agricultural field interiors and edges in central Illinois, USA, were related to the complexity of the surrounding landscape. Our results show taxonomic richness and diversity in field edges is positively related to large scale landscape complexity, but the relationship is negative for field interiors. These unexpected results need further study.
Highlights
Agriculture is intensifying to meet the growing demand for food for the increasing numbers of people and livestock
A total of 155,460 invertebrates were identified to 138 different operational taxonomic units (OTUs) in the course of our study (Table S5)
For field interiors (FI) and field edges (FE), habitat quality had multiple effects
Summary
Agriculture is intensifying to meet the growing demand for food for the increasing numbers of people and livestock. There are numerous benefits to conserving or restoring biodiversity in agricultural areas including provision of habitat for highly valued farmland birds [6,8,9], game species [10] and economically relevant species of invertebrates [11]. Habitat conservation and restoration support ecosystem services such as pollination [12], erosion control [13] and natural pest control [6,11,14]. These practices enhance floral diversity within crops [15] and serve as corridors to link protected areas for various species [16,17]
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