Graduate Studies
First Advisor
Julie A. Peterson
Second Advisor
John Ruberson
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
Committee Members
Jennifer White, John DeLong, Louise Lynch-O'Brien
Department
Entomology
Date of this Version
5-2025
Document Type
Dissertation
Citation
A dissertation presented to the faculty of the Graduate College at the University of Nebraska in partial fulfillment of requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy
Major: Entomology
Under the supervision of Professors Julie A. Peterson and John Ruberson
Lincoln, Nebraska, May 2025
Abstract
Ecosystem services in agriculturally dominated regions rely, at least in part, on arthropods. Environment and biodiversity influence beneficial arthropods in population size, community structure, diversity, and ecosystem service provisioning. Predation is among the most important services provided by arthropods in agroecosystems. Understanding what alters predation and predator activity can support the successful application of biological control and, more broadly, integrated pest management. Land use and edge adjacency, field characteristics, landscape, seasonality, and diel period all alter predatory behavior. Crop fields dominate Nebraska agroecosystems, although interspersed perennial grasslands persist through the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). Such grasslands supply crucial resources and habitat for wildlife important to High Plains ecology. We investigated arthropod activity density; family diversity; and sentinel prey consumption amount, frequency, timing, and predator identity in crop fields and adjacent grasslands. We collected above ground and epigeal arthropods monthly from May to September, 2022–2023 with sticky cards and pitfall traps; measured and recorded consumption of moth egg and fly pupae sentinel prey using time lapse cameras. Further we conducted qualitative interviews with landowners of either CRP or crop fields. Land use and edge adjacency influenced predator activity density and family richness differently between epigeal and above ground guilds, although both were affected by landscape factors. Sentinel prey consumption varied across months, land use, and edge adjacency. Prey visitation was highest in grass centers, although aerial visitor richness decreased as the season progressed. Structural equation modeling indicated that landscape factors were important determinants of prey visitors and consumption. In both communities, prey consumption was not directly related to predator activity density, and only slightly influenced by aerial predator richness. Nebraska landowners perceive wildlife and ecology as an interconnected system of essential parts, linked by personal experiences, and understand principles governing organism interactions, food webs, and ecosystem services. Understanding the ecology that influences predators and predation can reveal which arthropods contribute major predation services and suggest how to ensure that these organisms continue to thrive in the landscape.
Advisors: Julie A. Peterson and John Ruberson
Recommended Citation
Stowe, Hannah E., "Landscape Effects on the Beneficial Arthropod Community in Agriculturally Dominated Environments" (2025). Dissertations and Doctoral Documents from University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–. 281.
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/dissunl/281
Included in
Agricultural Science Commons, Agronomy and Crop Sciences Commons, Biodiversity Commons, Entomology Commons, Sustainability Commons, Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology Commons
Comments
Copyright 2025, Hannah E. Stowe. Used by permission