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ViewAttendees 3

Section Symposium

Plant-Insect Ecosystems

Ecological and Evolutionary Consequences of Plant Domestication on Multitrophic Interactions

The cultivation of Mesoamerican domesticated crops influence arthropod biodiversity and community composition

Wednesday, November 8, 2023
10:15 AM – 10:35 AM ET
Location: Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center, Maryland A
In-Person
Harmful and beneficial arthropods have been interacting with crop wild relatives from prior to domestication until today. Surprisingly, little is known on how domestication shapes biodiversity and community composition, especially in centers of crop origin. As a major center of origin for many  food crops, Mexico is particularly important for the conservation of agrobiodiversity and improving agricultural sustainability. By sampling crops and wild relatives throughout Mexico, we tested how the cultivation of domesticated maize, beans, squash, and  husk tomatoes influences arthropod biodiversity and community composition. We hypothesized that arthropod biodiversity is higher and communities are more complex  on wild crop ancestors than on domesticated crops. We expected that the patterns of arthropod diversity could differ among the sampled crops. By establishing where agriculturally-important insects are geographically most diverse, we identify potential regions that can be targeted for conservation.