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Ecological Complexity in a Coffee Agroecosystem: Spatial Heterogeneity, Population Persistence and Biological Control

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  • Heidi Liere
  • Doug Jackson
  • John Vandermeer

Abstract

Background: Spatial heterogeneity is essential for the persistence of many inherently unstable systems such as predator-prey and parasitoid-host interactions. Since biological interactions themselves can create heterogeneity in space, the heterogeneity necessary for the persistence of an unstable system could be the result of local interactions involving elements of the unstable system itself. Methodology/Principal Findings: Here we report on a predatory ladybird beetle whose natural history suggests that the beetle requires the patchy distribution of the mutualism between its prey, the green coffee scale, and the arboreal ant, Azteca instabilis. Based on known ecological interactions and the natural history of the system, we constructed a spatially-explicit model and showed that the clustered spatial pattern of ant nests facilitates the persistence of the beetle populations. Furthermore, we show that the dynamics of the beetle consuming the scale insects can cause the clustered distribution of the mutualistic ants in the first place. Conclusions/Significance: From a theoretical point of view, our model represents a novel situation in which a predator indirectly causes a spatial pattern of an organism other than its prey, and in doing so facilitates its own persistence. From a practical point of view, it is noteworthy that one of the elements in the system is a persistent pest of coffee, an important world commodity. This pest, we argue, is kept within limits of control through a complex web of ecological interactions that involves the emergent spatial pattern.

Suggested Citation

  • Heidi Liere & Doug Jackson & John Vandermeer, 2012. "Ecological Complexity in a Coffee Agroecosystem: Spatial Heterogeneity, Population Persistence and Biological Control," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 7(9), pages 1-9, September.
  • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0045508
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0045508
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    Cited by:

    1. Zhonghao Zhang & Rui Xiao & Ashton Shortridge & Jiaping Wu, 2014. "Spatial Point Pattern Analysis of Human Settlements and Geographical Associations in Eastern Coastal China — A Case Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 11(3), pages 1-16, March.
    2. Singh, Abhyudai & Emerick, Brooks, 2021. "Generalized stability conditions for host–parasitoid population dynamics: Implications for biological control," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 456(C).

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