| Habitat fragmentation and patch characteristics (e.g. size, shape, context and connectivity) have been identified, along with weather variables, as important agents influencing diversity and abundance in natural ecosystems. This landscape approach is only beginning to be applied to agricultural ecosystems in a crop-pest context. It is likely that habitat fragmentation is an essential factor influencing community dynamics in these systems.;This study characterized agricultural fields within a landscape context to identify factors affecting the habitat suitability for pest species. We investigated four distinct pest guilds (pest plants, bacterial pathogens, fungal pathogens, and pest insects) in managed tomato fields. It was found that guilds which were very effective dispersers (bacterial and fungal pathogens) experienced less pressure on dispersal from increased fragmentation, and are instead more dependent upon factors which effect patch suitability. In contrast, the dispersal of guild members that experience edge effects (pest plants and pest insects) is more affected by fragmentation than by weather conditions. |
