Biodiversity in the margins: Merging farmlands affects natural pest control

A new study published in the Journal of Applied Ecology demonstrates how the diversity and abundance of arthropods decrease when hedgerows and field margins covered by wild grass and flowers are removed.

XI'AN JIAOTONG-LIVERPOOL UNIVERSITY

 

IMAGE: 

TRADITIONAL CHINESE SMALLHOLDER FIELDS ARE IRREGULARLY SHAPED AND SEPARATED BY AREAS OF HEDGEROWS, WILD GRASS, AND FLOWERS. USING LARGE-SCALE MACHINERY IN THESE FARMLANDS IS DIFFICULT, SO THERE IS LOW AGRICULTURAL OPERATION EFFICIENCY. AS A RESULT, A GROWING PROPORTION OF CHINA'S TRADITIONAL FARMLANDS ARE RAPIDLY CHANGING AS FARMERS CONSOLIDATE LAND TO IMPROVE EFFICIENCY.

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CREDIT: MARKUS RAAB

A new study published in the Journal of Applied Ecology demonstrates how the diversity and abundance of arthropods decrease when hedgerows and field margins covered by wild grass and flowers are removed.

Researchers from the UK, Netherlands and China studied 20 rice fields in China for six years to see how the changing agricultural landscape affects the diversity and abundance of rice pests and their natural enemies, as well as the effect on rice yield.

Traditional Chinese smallholder fields are irregularly shaped and separated by areas of hedgerows, wild grass, and flowers. Using large-scale machinery in these farmlands is difficult, so there is low agricultural operation efficiency. As a result, a growing proportion of China's traditional farmlands are rapidly changing as farmers consolidate land to improve efficiency.

However, the grassy margins and flowering vegetation between the traditional smallholder rice fields provide a habitat for the natural enemies of rice pests such as spiders and ground beetles. 

Dr Yi Zou, from Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (XJTLU) and corresponding author of the study, says: "Hedgerows and field margins are frequently removed during the land consolidation procedure to create larger, rectangular fields and install concrete irrigation channels to facilitate the use of larger machinery.

"Our study suggests that removing these habitats negatively affects arthropod communities."

Enemies in abundance

The team collected 141,587 individual arthropods made up of 80 taxonomic families. They found that traditional farmland supported a significantly higher abundance and diversity of rice pests' natural enemies than consolidated land, but there were no significant differences in the number of rice pests or rice yield.

Dr Zou says: "Land consolidation removes the natural vegetation of traditional farmlands that can provide nesting habitats and food sources for the natural enemies of rice pests.

"But there is a lot we still don't know, such as how land consolidation affects different groups of rice arthropods. Long-term monitoring and detailed assessment of land consolidation is still needed."

The research group also sprayed half of each field with insecticide. They found that its application decreased the diversity and abundance of pests and natural enemies in both consolidated and traditional fields. However, where crops were not sprayed with insecticide, there was a 10.8% decrease in rice yield.

The study provides support for agri-environmental measures (AEM) – environmentally friendly agricultural practices such as using flowering plants in field margins. AEM can be an effective way to increase farmland biodiversity and mitigate the negative impact of land consolidation. They have been widely implemented in Europe but are hardly used in China.

Dr Zou says: "Our agricultural biodiversity monitoring in this study serves as a critical tool for assessing the impacts of land consolidation and the effectiveness of AEM on biodiversity. These measurements are needed before proposing land management recommendations for an appropriate AEM.

"As a result of our findings, we recommend the implementation of AEM or re-establishing field margin vegetation during the consolidation process to mitigate the potential negative effects on rice arthropod biodiversity."

Dr Jenny Hodgson, a co-author from the University of Liverpool, says: "This study is noteworthy because of the quality of its data and the breadth of influential factors we were able to investigate. It has been really interesting to disentangle the effects of farmland consolidation, of pesticide application and of seminatural habitat beyond the farm."

Profit margins

The team also acknowledges that biodiversity is not a farmer's only concern.

Dr Shanxing Gong, who graduated from XJTLU, now a postdoctoral researcher at Peking University and lead author of the study, says: "The trade-off between biodiversity improvements with labour efficiency, yield and pest control is a balance that has to be finely tuned to ensure maximum profitability, and these factors will always need to be considered.

"While we did not observe a direct correlation between the increase in the number of rice pests and the reduction of their natural enemies due to land consolidation, further investigation into the effectiveness of natural enemies in biological pest control is necessary before implementing AEM strategies."

The researchers also found no decrease in rice yield in traditional fields compared to consolidated farmland.

Dr Gong says: "The impact of AEMs on yield depends on many factors, including agricultural management intensity, soil fertility and pesticide application, that all need to be taken into account when assessing their suitability for land management."

The team includes researchers from XJTLU, Jiangxi Academy of Sciences, Jiangxi Agricultural University, China Agricultural University, and Beijing Forestry University, China; Wageningen University & Research, the Netherlands; and the University of Liverpool, UK.

---

JOURNAL

Journal of Applied Ecology

DOI

10.1111/1365-2664.14671 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Experimental study

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Not applicable

ARTICLE TITLE

Land consolidation impacts the abundance and richness of natural enemies but not pests in small-holder rice systems

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

28-May-2024

COI STATEMENT

The authors declare no conflict of interest. YZ is an Associate Editor of Journal of Applied Ecology, but took no part in the peer review and decision-making processes for this paper.

Land consolidation impacts the abundance and richness of natural enemies but not pests in small-holder rice systems 

 

Locations of the 20 study sites with focal rice fields (a) and examples of landscapes dominated by traditional (b) and consolidated fields (c). Consolidated / traditional sites refer to the consolidation status of the experimental rice field changed during the six experimental years.

S. Gong et al,. (2024). Land consolidation impacts the abundance and richness of natural enemies but not pests in small-holder rice systems,. Journal of Applied Ecology. DOI:10.1111/1365-2664.14671 https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1365-2664.14671

CREDIT

Yi Zou (XJTLU)

 

Dozens of Taiwanese celebrities endorse Beijing's claim on island

More than 70 repost a state media comment about 'unification' between Taiwan and China.

By Hsia Hsiao-hwa for RFA Mandarin, Alice Yam for RFA Cantonese
2024.05.27

Taiwanese celebrities from left to right: journalist Patty Hou, singer and actress Nana Ouyang, TV host and actress Dee Hsu are pictured in this combination of file photos. (Photos by AFP and AP)

 Photo: RFA

Dozens of artists and actors from Taiwan have been lining up on social media to endorse Beijing's territorial claim on the island by retweeting a Chinese state media post in support of eventual "unification."

More than 70 artists and celebrities including journalist Patty Hou, singer and actress Nana Ouyang and TV host and actress Dee Hsu reposted a statement from Chinese state broadcaster CCTV on the Weibo social media platform which said that independence for Taiwan, which has never been ruled by Beijing, was "a dead end."

"The unification of Taiwan with China cannot be stopped," said the May 22 statement, local media reported, citing a social media spreadsheet.

CCTV's post was in response to the inauguration speech of Taiwan's elected President Lai Ching-te, who called on Beijing to stop threatening his country, and respect the will of its 23 million people, the majority of whom have no wish to be ruled by the Chinese Communist Party.

"Taiwan has never been a country and will never become one,” the post said, adding “Taiwanese independence is a dead end. Unification with the motherland is unstoppable! China will eventually achieve complete unification.” 

Other artists appeared to be offering their support less directly, by claiming a "Chinese" identity, a view that isn't shared by most of their compatriots.

Lead singer Ashin of the Taiwanese band Mayday told fans at a concert at Beijing's Bird's Nest stadium on Saturday that "We Chinese, when we come to Beijing, must eat roast duck! What else should we eat?" in a statement similar to the saying, "When in Rome."

And singer Jolin Tsai, who has had an LGBTQ+-themed song deleted from her concerts by Chinese censors, told concert-goers that residents of "our Chinese city of Nanchang" were the most passionate fans.

Ashin of Taiwanese band Mayday performs in Kuala Lumpur in 2013. (Lai Seng Sin/AP)

One fan commented on Nana Ouyang's re-post that they were unhappy about her support for Beijing.

"I’ve been your fan for a long time, but I love Taiwan more," the fan wrote in comments reported by the Taiwan News. Another told Ouyang to go live in China: "Don't come back to Taiwan."

Some Hong Kong artists also followed suit, including martial arts star Donnie Yen, who sparked controversy when he was a presenter at last year’s Oscars despite protests over his pro-Beijing stance on the Hong Kong protests of 2019.

Resisting pressure

Not everyone piled onto the bandwagon, however.

Taiwanese actor Yang Hsiu-hui told reporters on Sunday that she identifies as Taiwanese, and doesn't want to make money from China.

"Some people told me I would lose access to the market in mainland China," Yang said, adding that she had turned down jobs in China for political reasons.

"I gave up on that market a long time ago," she said.

Taiwanese singer Jolin Tsai is pictured in Milan in 2017. (Marco Bertolrello/AFP)

President Lai expressed empathy for the artists in a statement on Sunday, saying he could understand how much pressure they were under "in another person's house," and that they may privately feel very differently.

Ruling Democratic Progressive Party Mayor of Kaohsiung Chen Chi-mai said China should honor freedom of speech rather than coercing Taiwanese entertainers into taking a political stance, while the Kuomintang, the largest party in Taiwan's parliament, said putting pressure on Taiwan's artist doesn't "build goodwill across the Taiwan Strait," local media reported.

The island's Ministry of Culture said the artists were forced into taking a position by "unavoidable circumstances," and that such coercion would never happen in democratic Taiwan.

Taiwan President Lai Ching-te wears a hat given to him by Rep. Michael McCaul, a Texas Republican, in Taipei on May 27, 2024. (Taiwan Presidential Office via AP)

"To the artists taking a public stance under unavoidable circumstances, we extend our understanding," the ministry said in a statement on Sunday. "Taiwan ... will never ask anyone to take a public stance, nor will anyone be punished for taking, or not taking, such a stance."

"The lack of political coercion is the most valuable thing about a free Taiwan," the ministry said.

‘Divide and conquer’

Chinese dissident Gong Yujian, who now lives permanently in Taiwan, told RFA Mandarin that the artists' statements are part of a campaign to wage "cognitive warfare" on Taiwan.

"I am certain, and can say without hesitation, that this is a case of the Chinese Communist Party's divide-and-rule tactics and cognitive warfare being waged against Taiwan," Gong said.

"The aim is to split supporters of independence, with the ultimate aim of benefiting the Chinese Communist Party and its 'fifth column' in Taiwan," he said.

Kang Kai, chairman of the Taiwan Performing Arts Union, told RFA that he had no problem with President Lai's approach. 

"Everyone has their own opinion," Kang said. "The most important thing is that they work hard to support their families and do a good job."

"I don't like to see artists getting involved in politics. Neither side wants a war," he said. 

Chinese dissident Gong Yujian poses for a photo in New Taipei City in 2015. (Pichi Chuang/Reuters)

A spokesperson for a foundation run by former Kuomintang President Ma Ying-jeou, who recently met with Chinese President Xi Jinping on a trip to Beijing, told RFA Mandarin that "bullying" can work both ways.

"It seems that you are expected to say you're Taiwanese and not Chinese, if you want to be respected ... in Taiwan," Ma Ying-jeou Foundation CEO Hsiao Hsu-tsen said. "That's just another form of suppression and coercion."

But Taipei Mayor Chiang Wanan said there would be no repercussions for the Taiwanese artists who supported Beijing's claim on the island.

"We are a free and democratic country, and Taipei is a diverse and open city, so how can we stop them from performing?" Chiang said.

Translated by Luisetta Mudie. Edited by Malcolm Foster.

All the best General Election 2024 memes so far

 UK 

Rishi Sunak's General Election announcement hijacked by fan favourite Larry the Downing Street cat

Chief Mouser Larry the Cat stole the spotlight from Prime Minister Rishi Sunak as he ended months of speculation and confirmed the General Election would be held on July 4

Larry the Cat stole much of the public's attention (
Image: Tim Merry)NEWS

By Anders Anglesey

News Reporter

MIRROR

 22 May 2024

A soggy Rishi Sunak hoped to set out the Conservative Party's stall as he announced the date of the General Election only for Larry - the beloved Downing Street cat - to hijack his moment.

Heavy rain and blaring speakers downed out the Prime Minister as he called a snap election for July 4 following months of speculation about when the nation would next go to the polls. Despite his valiant attempts to defend his Government's record in office, it was a fellow Downing Street resident that won many of the public's attention.

As the Prime Minister addressed reporters outside No 10, viewers watching the announcement noticed the "Chief Mouser" was also caught in the rain. The feline was spotted sitting on the window before shifting to stand outside the door to No 10, no doubt in the hope he would be let in. Larry's predicament captured the hearts of many, who took to social media to share their concern.


UK General Election 2024 LIVE updates as soggy Rishi Sunak announces snap vote on July 4

Larry the Cat hijacked the Prime Minister's announcement (
Image: SKY News)

X user @Moswazowskinail said: "Larry the Cat is on the window. Let him in. Also, they cut the cameras away from Downing Street so do not know what's happening right now." Social media user @Ekklesia_co_uk added: "Larry the Cat has come out of No 10 and is sitting on the window, looking very unimpressed."

Others praised Larry, joking that he was more trusted than several Westminster politicians. The X commenter @LucyDBLanguage posted: "Larry @Number10cat looking way more statesmanslike (sic) on the steps of Downing Street than Sunak did." While @HelenYoung16 commented: "Larry the Cat sitting on the front step knowing he's the only Downing Street resident most of us trust."

\

Things Can Only Get Better drowns out Rishi Sunak’s election speech

CHARLIE HERBERT

  News 

22nd May 2024

‘Whoever is playing Things Can Only Get Better during Rishi’s announcement deserves a gong’

The song Things Can Only Get Better blared out in the background as Rishi Sunak announced a surprise general election.

In an announcement outside Downing Street on Wednesday, the Prime Minister confirmed the country would head to the polls in six weeks time on July 4.

But as he stood outside Number 10 in the rain delivering his speech, protestors managed to get Things Can Only Get Better playing on a loud speaker.

You can watch the moment below.

Rishi Sunak drowned out by Things Can Only Get Better

Share

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Along with the obvious message of the song’s title, the D:Ream track was also used by Labour during the 1997 general election, when Tony Blair won a huge 179-seat majority for the party.

Reacting on social media, one person wrote: “Whoever is playing ‘Things Can Only Get Better’ during Rishi’s announcement deserves a gong. Lol”

Another said: “Someone’s playing Things Can Only Get Better phahaha.”

Someone’s playing Things Can Only Get Better phahaha #GeneralElection pic.twitter.com/5RdyUXqepd

— Tom (@tommtthw) May 22, 2024

Meanwhile, comedian Kathy Burke described the song choice as “so f***ing perfect.”

Someone else wrote: “Sorry it’s really funny that he’s visibly being rained on and drowned out by things can only get better.”

Rumours that Sunak would call an election had been circulating on social media throughout Wednesday, with Downing Street sources not ruling out an early election announcement.

In recent weeks, the prime minister had said a general election would take place in the second half of 2024, but it was widely assumed this would not be until the autumn.

ITV reports that there had been a split in the Tory party over whether to hold an election in July or November.

Meanwhile the Guardian says that government insiders had warned Sunak that the economy was unlikely to improve much over the summer, whilst questions would continue about the Rwanda policy.

The publication says it was this that convinced the PM to call an election early.

The latest an election could have been called is December 17 this year, which would have been the fifth anniversary of the day this Parliament first met.

Anyone on the electoral register aged 18 or above on polling day can vote as long as they are:

• a British citizen, a qualifying Commonwealth citizen or a Republic of Ireland citizen with a UK address
• not legally excluded from voting

You must be on the electoral register in order to vote. You can register to vote at any time if you are 16 or over, or 14 or over in Scotland and Wales. To register to vote, click here.

UK citizens who live abroad can now register to vote in the constituency where they were previously on the electoral roll.

Related links:

Pensioner expertly breaks down why younger generation will never own homes

Martin Lewis slams minister to his face on the state of education

WATCH: Is Rishi Sunak about to call an election? Sewage in the taps and online misogyny | PMQs reaction

  

‘Inauspicious’ PM announces election in the rain with ‘It Can Only Get Better’ blaring in background

Rishi Sunak surprised Westminster by calling the election earlier than had been widely expected.

by David Hughes
2024-05-22


Rishi Sunak has called a General Election for July 4, saying it was “the moment for Britain to choose its future”.

The Prime Minister has gambled that improved inflation figures and a recovering economy will help him overturn Labour’s 20-point opinion poll lead.

In a sign that security and the economy will be key battlegrounds, Mr Sunak said: “This election will take place at time when the world is more dangerous than it has been since the end of the Cold War.”

The “uncertain times” call for a “clear plan”, he said.





A July election is earlier than many in Westminster had expected, with a contest in October or November widely thought to have been more likely.

Mr Sunak’s announcement came after the Office for National Statistics said Consumer Prices Index (CPI) inflation slowed to 2.3% in April, down from 3.2% in March.

He said that was a “major milestone” for the country, with inflation now “back to normal” levels.

One reason for delaying might have been to allow Chancellor Jeremy Hunt to deliver another tax-cutting financial statement in the lead-up to the vote, but official figures revealed borrowing for April overshot forecasts, hitting £20.5 billion, suggesting he would have had limited scope for pre-election giveaways.

 

All the best General Election 2024 memes so far

Tom SandersPublished May 22, 2024, 6:26pm|Updated May 22, 2024, 

Social media has delivered its verdict on Rishi’s GE annoucement (Picture: Getty)

Rishi Sunak has finally announced a General Election, and predictably, it has all got off to a chaotic start.

Following a day of feverish speculation which set social media alight, ‘Hot Podium Guy’ took to the stage and paved the way for Rishi Sunak to announce what most of us had been anticipating all day- an election was coming on July 4.

Making the annoucement drenched by heavy rain while protesters blasted the New Labour anthem ‘Things Can Only Get Better’ in the background, it wasn’t exactly an ideal start for Sunak, and with his party trailing massively in the polls already it looks to be an uphill struggle for our embattled PM.

But while both parties get to work on their sloganeering and pitches to the electorate, the peanut gallery on Twitter has already provided a snap verdict on the opening round. So without further ado, here’s the best memes, tweets and reactions from the PM’s announcement:

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