The Effects of Local and Landscape Context on Leafhopper (Hemiptera: Cicadallinae) Communities in Coffee Agroforestry Systems of Costa Rica

The Effects of Local and Landscape Context on Leafhopper (Hemiptera: Cicadallinae) Communities in Coffee Agroforestry Systems of Costa Rica
Author: Mariange Ramos
Publisher:
Total Pages: 334
Release: 2008
Genre: Coffee
ISBN:

Sharpshooters (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Cicadellinae) are potential vectors of Xylella fastidiosa, the bacterial causal agent of coffee "crespera" disease. This study examined the effects of local (shade composition, organic or conventional management, and weed management) and landscape (surrounding land uses) context on sharpshooter communities in coffee agroforestry systems (CAFS) within the Volcánica Central-Talamanca Biological Corridor (VCTBC), in Costa Rica. On a broader perspective, this study also sought to evaluate how the ecosystem service of natural pest control overlaps with other ecosystem services provided by CAFS and how decision makers view these services. The abundance and species richness of sharpshooters were evaluated in four CAFS types present in the VCTBC, using yellow sticky traps and Malaise migration traps in 2005 and 2006. Approximately 73 species of sharpshooters were found in CAFS within the VCTBC. Sharpshooters were more abundant from June to September and declined afterwards. Sharpshooter communities were distinct in each agroforestry system, and coffee sharpshooter communities were more similar to pasture than to forest sharpshooter communities. Shade was a key local variable, negatively affecting sharpshooter abundance. Weed management did not affect sharpshooter communities. Sharpshooters were more abundant at edges of coffee farms, and appeared to move from forests to coffee farms. Surrounding area in forest was positively correlated to sharpshooter abundance. Surrounding area in fallow was positively correlated to species richness. Overlapping of GIS layers of ecosystem services provided by CAFS revealed that there is more land of the VCTBC where natural pest control overlaps with watershed services than with biodiversity services. Interview data showed that natural pest control was more important for decision makers than all other services, except connectivity. Decision makers value ecosystem services in the planning of corridor activities, in addition to location and organization level of corridor areas. Although research is needed on the epidemiology of X. fastidiosa, we found that species that have tested positive for the presence of the bacteria are negatively affected by shade. Increasing shade could be a strategy for management of these species in coffee agroforestry systems. This practice also increases the level of other ecosystem services provided by coffee agroforestry systems.

Conventional and Organic Coffee Plantations and their Effects on Arthropods and Avifauna. A Biodiversity Check in Costa Rica

Conventional and Organic Coffee Plantations and their Effects on Arthropods and Avifauna. A Biodiversity Check in Costa Rica
Author: Moritz Stüber
Publisher: GRIN Verlag
Total Pages: 26
Release: 2018-10-15
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 3668817502

Research Paper (undergraduate) from the year 2018 in the subject Agrarian Studies, grade: 1,7, University of Hohenheim (Zentrum Ökologischer Landbau Universität Hohenheim), language: English, abstract: When it comes to ecological measures and sustainability, Costa Rica (CR) is one of the most developed countries in Latin America. During the past two years CR was able to be nearly 100% eco-power self-sufficient. Moreover it is planning to be the first country worldwide to prohibit disposable plastic and one of the organic pioneers in the region. Organic food export and people’s ecologic awareness have been rising. As the biodiversity in CR is one of the highest worldwide, the country’s nature protection strategy is a topic to focus on and worth to be studied. Latin American studies on organic management as a tool for biodiversity conservation are rare. Organic Agriculture (OA), as written in the IFOAM 1972, always committed to the conservation of biodiversity. There were only few attempts to include biodiversity conservation into the existing organic standards and guidelines. First in 2005, biodiversity conservation, as part of the draft “Biodiversity and Landscape Standards” was mentioned and integrated into the IFOAM Basic Standards. In CR, one of the principal promoters of OA is the CEDECO (Educative Corporation of Development in Costa Rica). Their research often focused on arthropods since many species are known to be biological indicators of an ecosystem’s health status. Exemplary insects of their studies are butterflies or dung beetles. Many birds are insect-/ omnivorous, thus directly linked to arthropod abundance. Organic coffee plantations in CR are tried to be integrated into nature (agroforestry), which results in a different habitat than the conventional ones. Instead of shrub-sized coffee plants, there is a sudden interaction with the canopy and a more diverse shrub-layer. In the following report, the focus will be laid on species that experienced a success story but also those who might not. It will be demonstrated by changes in vegetation, diversity changes above and beneath ground and the way the farmer can profit from each species.

Agroecology and Ecosystem Services in a Coffee Landscape of Costa Rica

Agroecology and Ecosystem Services in a Coffee Landscape of Costa Rica
Author: Sebastian Castro-Tanzi
Publisher:
Total Pages: 324
Release: 2014
Genre:
ISBN:

I estimated that 176 ± 10 Mg ha−1 of carbon is assimilated in the vegetation's biomass and soil organic matter of coffee agroforestry systems. While this represents 1.6 times more carbon than what is found in the vegetation and soils of pastures in the same region, it only represents 0.6 of the amount observed in forests.

From the Ground Up

From the Ground Up
Author: Sarah Carlyle Archibald
Publisher:
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2019
Genre:
ISBN:

The herbaceous community (HC) is an understudied yet critical aspect of tropical agroecosystems. I measured the diversity and perceptions of the HC within organic coffee systems in the Central Valley of Costa Rica. The HC was taxonomically and functionally diverse; comprised of 39 species from 20 taxonomic groups. Farms below the regional mean size and those with canopy openness of 20-30% had higher HC functional diversity. Farmers perceived tall species with low SLA and LNC, but high height and LDMC to be undesirable, due to slow decomposition rates and management limitations. Farmers' cognitive map complexity was positively related to HC functional richness, and negatively related to functional evenness and functional dissimilarity. All farmers placed higher emphasis on soil health and organic matter than coffee yield, which may be indicative of their role as land stewards. Workshops are needed to disseminate HC management information to optimize labour and ecosystem functioning.