A review of the diversity and ecological function of paddy field insect communities in China

Author of the article:LIU Yu-Fang

Author's Workplace：College of Life Science, Hunan University of Science and Technology, Hunan Province Key Laboratory for Integrated Management of the Pests and Diseases on Horticultural Crops, Xiangtan 411201, China

Key Words： paddy field; insect community; predatory; parasitoids; neutral insect; ecological regulation

Abstract：Paddy field insect communities are an important part of the agricultural, and paddy field, ecosystem. The study of insect communities in paddy fields in China is mainly focused on controlling rice pests, particularly by utilizing their natural enemies in paddy fields. Insect communities in paddy fields are often divided into four sub-communities, or functional groups; predatory insects, parasitic insects, neutral insects and rice pests. The abundance of natural enemies is closely related to the abundance of rice pests. Main research topics include the composition, diversity and resources of insect communities, population dynamics of rice pests, control strategies and the ecological control of rice pests, nutritional relationships and energy flow within the food web, sampling techniques, and biological indicators of ecological health and food safety in paddy fields.