Quantifying pest control services by birds and ants in Kenyan coffee farms

• Published in: Biological conservation Vol. 194; pp. 58 - 65
• Main Authors: Milligan, Megan C., Johnson, Matthew D., Garfinkel, Megan, Smith, Chris J., Njoroge, Peter
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 01.02.2016
• Subjects: Ants; Biodiversity; Coffee; Ecosystem services; Ecosystems; Farms; Formicidae; Fragments; Kenya; Land; Pest control; Pests; Sentinel pest; Kenya; Pest control; Ecosystem services; Sentinel pest; Biodiversity; Coffee; Kenya
• ISSN: 0006-3207; 1873-2917
• DOI: 10.1016/j.biocon.2015.11.028

Ecosystem services, such as pest control and pollination, are critical benefits of biodiversity important for agricultural production. Predators, including insectivorous birds and ants, can provide important biological controls in agroecosystems, boosting crop yield and offsetting the need for expensive inputs such as pesticides. Local habitat and landscape characteristics can affect the delivery of ecosystem services, thereby influencing optimal land allocation for crop production and biodiversity. In order to better understand the relationship between ecosystem services and the surrounding habitat, we conducted a sentinel pest experiment to investigate predation levels in response to a novel pest on coffee farms in central Kenya. The frequency of predation decreased significantly with increasing distance from adjacent forest fragments and was correlated with bird species richness. Predation was also significantly higher on shade compared to sun coffee farms. We conclude that a land sharing approach, via both the integration of shade trees and the conservation of small forest fragments within or adjacent to a farm, can support increased levels of pest control services provided by birds and ants in Kenyan coffee farms. •We examined effects of land management on pest removal in Kenyan coffee farms.•Both birds and ants provided important pest control services.•Pest removal was positively associated with shade tree canopy.•Pest removal was negatively associated with distance to an adjacent forest fragment.