Do Flower-Rich Windbreak Margins Enhance Predator Communities in Citrus Orchards?
6 affiliations
- 1Department of Entomology and Nematology, North Florida Research and Education Center, University of Florida, Quincy, FL 32351, USA.
- 2Department of Environmental Sciences and Studies, Department of Biology, Washington College, Chestertown, MD 21620, USA.
- 3Department of Entomology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA.
- 4Department of Environmental Horticulture, North Florida Research and Education Center, University of Florida, Quincy, FL 32351, USA.
- 5Department of Entomology and Nematology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32608, USA.
- 6Department of Entomology and Nematology, Citrus Research and Education Center, University of Florida, Lake Alfred, FL 33850, USA.
Abstract
Conservation biological control is central to sustainable pest management; however, its effectiveness depends on providing natural enemies with adequate floral resources and habitat structure. In Florida citrus, living windbreaks offer potential for improvement through floral resource provisioning. We evaluated whether flower-enriched windbreaks increase predator abundance and group richness in citrus orchards in north and central Florida over two years and assessed the role of wildflowers in supporting predator communities. In central Florida, treatment groves supported higher predator abundance and group richness across both sampling methods (vacuum and sticky trap) and both study years, particularly spiders, ants, minute pirate bugs, long-legged flies, and wasps. In north Florida, floral plantings did not significantly increase overall predator abundance or group richness, although some treatment effects emerged in the second year, suggesting delayed benefits related to plant establishment. Predator-plant interactions were region-specific: blanket flower attracted the highest proportion of predator visitors in both regions, accounting for 66% of visits by ants in central Florida and 62% of visits by syrphid flies in north Florida. Predator abundance was generally higher near windbreak edges in both regions. In central Florida, wasp abundance was significantly negatively associated with Asian citrus psyllid abundance, with each one-unit increase in wasp density associated with an approximately 2.7% decrease in expected psyllid abundance, whereas spider and ant associations were not statistically significant. Floral enhancements can strengthen predator communities, but outcomes vary across regions and years and depend on regional conditions, plant establishment, predator functional traits, and ecological interactions. Therefore, conservation biological control in citrus requires region-specific plant selection and consideration of ecological context beyond abundance alone.
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BibTeX
@article{exilien2026flowerrich,
title = {{Do Flower-Rich Windbreak Margins Enhance Predator Communities in Citrus Orchards?}},
author = {Romain Exilien and Angela Chuang and Brett Blaauw and Gary Knox and Tracy Liesenfelt and Iris Strzyzewski and Kathi Malfa and Lauren Diepenbrock and Xavier Martini},
journal = {Insects},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3390/insects17101036},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42940946},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Do Flower-Rich Windbreak Margins Enhance Predator Communities in Citrus Orchards?
AU - Romain Exilien
AU - Angela Chuang
AU - Brett Blaauw
AU - Gary Knox
AU - Tracy Liesenfelt
AU - Iris Strzyzewski
AU - Kathi Malfa
AU - Lauren Diepenbrock
AU - Xavier Martini
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/09
JO - Insects
DO - 10.3390/insects17101036
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42940946
AB - Conservation biological control is central to sustainable pest management; however, its effectiveness depends on providing natural enemies with adequate floral resources and habitat structure. In Florida citrus, living windbreaks offer potential for improvement through floral resource provisioning. We evaluated whether flower-enriched windbreaks increase predator abundance and group richness in citrus orchards in north and central Florida over two years and assessed the role of wildflowers in supporting predator communities. In central Florida, treatment groves supported higher predator abundance and group richness across both sampling methods (vacuum and sticky trap) and both study years, particularly spiders, ants, minute pirate bugs, long-legged flies, and wasps. In north Florida, floral plantings did not significantly increase overall predator abundance or group richness, although some treatment effects emerged in the second year, suggesting delayed benefits related to plant establishment. Predator-plant interactions were region-specific: blanket flower attracted the highest proportion of predator visitors in both regions, accounting for 66% of visits by ants in central Florida and 62% of visits by syrphid flies in north Florida. Predator abundance was generally higher near windbreak edges in both regions. In central Florida, wasp abundance was significantly negatively associated with Asian citrus psyllid abundance, with each one-unit increase in wasp density associated with an approximately 2.7% decrease in expected psyllid abundance, whereas spider and ant associations were not statistically significant. Floral enhancements can strengthen predator communities, but outcomes vary across regions and years and depend on regional conditions, plant establishment, predator functional traits, and ecological interactions. Therefore, conservation biological control in citrus requires region-specific plant selection and consideration of ecological context beyond abundance alone.
SN - 2075-4450
ER -