Abstract

Agricultural intensification degrades farmland biodiversity, prompting the use of wildflower strips to restore natural enemy populations. However, their spatio-temporal effects on predators in arid agroecosystems remain unclear. Therefore, we investigated ground-dwelling spiders in sown wildflower strips versus natural margins across four cropping systems in arid northwestern China using pitfall traps along a spatial gradient throughout the growing season. While the overall diversity did not differ significantly between treatments, three key patterns emerged: First, spider abundance remained stable across the spatial gradient, whereas taxonomic diversity increased significantly toward the crop interior. Second, while communities in natural margins peaked early and declined during the hot, dry mid-summer, wildflower strips maintained large populations, acting as crucial temporal refuges. Third, wildflower strips reorganized species co-occurrence networks, fostering more resilient community structures. We conclude that in water-limited environments, wildflower strips stabilize predator populations during harsh weather and enhance community resilience. These findings highlight the value of incorporating these strips when designing sustainable ecological pest management strategies for arid agroecosystems.

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