Ecosystem services of faunal diversity towards agriculture production system

 Ecosystem services of faunal diversity towards agriculture production system

Like plant diversity, various common fauna species associated with and around agro ecosystem contribute in unique ways for food production. One of such actions is pollination which is performed in approximately 80% of angiosperms by many animals and insects, which amounts to about 300,000 flower-visiting species. More than half of plant species are self-incompatible or dioecious and completely dependent on biotic pollination. Pollinators help maintain the diversity of ecosystems by facilitating the reproduction of many plant species. Examples of pollinators include flies, moths and butterflies (Lepidoptera), wasps, beetles, bats, sun bird, sugar bird, hummingbirds, Pteropodid bats, but bees (Apidae) are the principal agents of crop pollination. Several thousand species of bees and other pollinating insects are essential agents for the production of many crops especially most major fruit and nut crops, many vegetable crops like soybean and sunflower and a number of forage crops (Cromwell, 1999; https://www.cbd.int/doc/c/3bf6/6dd2/f2282b216e6ae4bd24943d44/sbstta-22-inf-21-en.pdf). Apart from this, various fauna act in unique ways to increase the soil health and fertility. Different types of earthworms improve soil hydraulic properties through their burrowing activities, enhance water availability to crops and modify soil organic matter. These are used for decomposition of organic matters into humic rich manure a process known as vermi-composting. They also remove various contaminants of soil like PCBs, PAHs from soil (Lim et al. 2016; Luepromchai et al. 2002). When enhancement of soil fertility is discussed, the contribution of farm animals like cow, buffalos, bullocks, cattle, poultry is enorrmous. Cows dung is a most important source of bio-fertilizer but at the same time cow’s urine, cow’s horn and a dead body of a cow can be used for preparing effective bio-fertilizer. Cow dung is a very good source for maintaining the production capacity of soil and enhances the microbial population. The application of cow dung manure and vermin compost increases soil organic matter content and this leads to improved water infiltration and water holding capacity as well as an increased cation exchange capacity(Raj et al., 2014;Yadav et al., 2013). Farmyard Manure (FYM) which is composed of partially composed dung, urine, bedding and straw generally contains approximately 5-6 kg nitrogen, 1.2-2.0 kg phosphorus and 5-6 kg potash per ton. Though FYM is the most common organic manure in India, the farmer, in general, do not give adequate attention to the proper conservation and efficient use of the resource (Chandra 2005). It has been observed that culturing fish with rice could increase the yield up to 20% having higher concentration of NO3 (Tsuruta et al., 2011). Major effects and benefits of ecological and biological of fish farming in rice cultivation include weeds control, effective pest control, conservation and increasing soil fertility, environmental protection and improved status of environmental, biological pollution reduction, environmental sustainability and community health benefits and also the effects of fish on rice including the effects on content of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, chlorophyll content, leaf area expansion, roots network activity, the accumulation of dry material in rice plant (Niyaki and Lakani, 2013; Nayak et al., 2018).

Apart from playing vital role in the enhancement of crop production directly, various lower and higher group fauna act as natural enemies of crop pests and effectively control their infestation in crops. It is well known that insects, spiders and other arthropods often act as natural enemies of crop pests. Table-2 depicts this role of various fauna group which act as biological control agents against harmful pests in agricultural ecosystem. These natural enemies such as predators, parasitoids and pathogens remain tightly linked to the plant and are little affected by the larger environment, play an important role in the population dynamics and ecology of crop pests both in field condition and during storage. Populations of various pests of staple foods like Nephotettix virescens, Sogatella furcifera, Nilaparvatha lugens, Scirphophaga incertulas, Mythimina separate, Cnaphalocrosis medinalis, Lepidopterans, Leptocorisa acuta, Agareen leafhopper, have been effectively controlled by many species of spiders (Mathirajan et al., 2001). Common pests like Aphids, mites, thrips, mealybugs, etc. are predated by Beetles (Coleopters), Bugs (Hemipteras), etc. (Getanjalyet al., 2015).There are reports of 7-100% repression of stored insect pest populations by natural enemies. Populations of invasive weeds like water hyacinth could be suppressed by specialized herbivorous insects that feed on them such as Neochetina eichhorniae and N. bruchi (Hoddle and Driesche, 2009).Research on Japanese rice fields has shown that arthropod communities are structured in such away that the dynamics of seasonal succession consistently lead to high levels of pest suppressionby natural enemies, with little chance of major pest outbreaks(Cromwell, 1999).The wasp Trichogramma ostriniae which is an egg parasitoid is used as a biological control agent against European corn borer that, in its caterpillar stage, damages seeds and fruits of corn and solanaceous (nightshade) plants, including peppers, eggplants, potatoes, and tomatoes (Russell and Bessin 2009). These natural enemies are self-perpetuating. The risk of natural enemies contaminating processed commodities is a concern, but their ability to find and greatly reduce residual stored-product insect pest populations is likely to reduce the overall risk of insect contamination (Hagstrumet al., 2013). Higher fauna like small green Bee eater, Indian Roller, common Myna, Black drongo, House sparrow, bulbul, etc. also feed on numerous crop pests and efficiently control their population (Narayana et al., 2011 & 2014). Bats are the only flying mammal group which play a relevant action in the protection of economically important crops against lepidopteranpests. The diet of some European species of bats (e.g. Rhinolophus spp., Hypsugosavi, Nyctalusleisleri, N. noctula, Barbastella barbastellus, Plecotus spp., Myotis brandtii, M. bechsteinii, Eptesicus serotinus) includes high percentages of moths (Lepidoptera) and many of them are pests of economic importance. Mexican free-tailed and Yuma myotis bats fed on moths, water boatmen, beetles, flies, midges, mosquitoes and plant bugs (Riccucci and Lanza, 2014; Long et al.,)