【目的】 探索自然状态下生境的高异质性对稻田捕食性节肢动物多样的保护与水稻害虫的自然防治，以及生境的连通性是否有助于提高异质性生境在保护天敌节肢动物方面的作用或存在正关联。   【方法】 应用群落生态学方法，调查湖南中部丘陵区20个具有不同边缘生境异质性与连通性的自然稻田的捕食性节肢动物多样性，分别以生境异质性与连通性为分组依据，各获得10对高异质性边缘生境稻田（RHH）-低异质性边缘生境稻田（RLH）与10对高连通性性生境稻田（RHGC）-连通性差的生境稻田（RHPC），并比较各组的天敌多样性与控害效果。【结果】 以生境的异质性为依据的10个配对中，6对早稻期和7对晚稻期RHH的物种丰富度高于RLH，且总体RHH中的物种丰富度均为RLH物种丰富度的1.13倍，但无显著差异（P>0.05）。早稻期和晚稻期均有8对RHH的单位面积的个体数量高于RLH，且早稻期总体上RHH的单位面积的个体数量明显高于RLH，但无显著差异（P>0.05）；晚稻期RHH的单位面积的个体数量显著高于RLH（P<0.05）；通过比较捕食性天敌与水稻主要害虫的数量益害比（Npi）值发现：10对早稻期和8对晚稻RHH的益害比高于RLH，但总体均无显著差异（P>0.05）。以生境的连通性为依据的10个配对中，早稻期与晚稻期均有9对RHGC的物种丰富度比高于RHPC；早稻期与晚稻期均为10对RHGC的单位面积的个体数量均高于RHPC，且总体上RHGC极显著高于RHPC（P<0.01）。比较Npi值结果表明，早稻期10个RHGC与RHPC的Npi值均高于1；晚稻期有8个RHGC的Npi值>1，6个RHPC的Npi值>1。【结论】 具有高异质性边缘生境的稻田，其单位面积中的捕食性天敌个体数量明显高于或显著高于低异质性边缘生境的稻田。具有高异质性同时具有生境良好连通性特性，则能够显著或极显著提高稻田捕食性天敌的个体数量，其生态控害潜能明显优于生境异质性低与连通性较差稻田。生境的异质性与连通性双驱动更有利于稻田捕食性天敌的保护与生态控害效能发挥。

[Objectives]  To investigate whether habitat heterogeneity is beneficial to predatory arthropods in rice fields and thereby the natural control of rice pests, and whether habitat connectivity can help conserve predatory arthropod populations. [Methods]  The diversity and abundance of predatory arthropods in 20 natural paddy fields with different levels of marginal habitat heterogeneity and connectivity in a hilly region of central Hunan province were investigated using community ecology methods. The diversity and abundance of predatory arthropods was compared between 10 pairs of relatively high heterogeneity (RHH) and low heterogeneity (RLH) marginal habitat rice fields, and 10 pairs of relatively high connectivity (RHGC) and relatively poor connectivity (RHPC) paddy fields. [Results]  Species richness in 6 and 7 pairs of fields was higher in RHH fields than in RLH fields in the early and late rice growing periods, respectively. Total species richness in RHH fields was 1.13 times higher than that in RLH fields, but this difference was not significant (P>0.05). The number of individuals per unit area in 8 pairs of fields was higher in RHH than in RLH fields both in the early and late rice growing periods. The total number of individuals in RHH fields was higher than in RLH fields in early rice crops, although this difference was not significant (P>0.05) it was significantly different to the number measured in late rice (P<0.05). In 10 and 8 pairs of fields, the ratio of predatory natural enemies to main rice pests (Npi) was higher in RHH than in RLH fields in both early and late rice crops but these differences were not significant (P>0.05). Species richness in 9 pairs of fields was higher in RHGC than in RHPC fields in both early and late rice crops. The number of individuals per unit area in all 10 pairs of fields was significantly higher in RHGC than RHPC fields in both early and late rice crops (P<0.01). In the early rice season, the Npi values of all 10 RHGC and RHPC fields were>1, whereas in the late rice season the Npi values of 8 RHGC fields and 6 RHPC fields were>1. [Conclusion]  The number of predatory natural enemies in RHH fields was significantly higher than in LHH fields. Habitat heterogeneity and connectivity significantly increases the number of predatory natural enemies in rice fields, and the potential for ecological control in such fields is obviously better than in fields with low habitat heterogeneity and poor connectivity. High habitat heterogeneity and connectivity increase the numbers of predatory natural enemies in rice fields, thereby facilitating the natural control of rice pests.