Comparing arthropod biodiversity between organic and conventional rice field margins

Rice is a crucial food crop for over half the global population. Current methods of intensive rice cultivation are associated with high environmental costs. Novel strategies, such as organic rice farming, suppressing the use of synthetic chemicals, may enhance ecosystem services—the natural benefits that humans derive from ecosystems, such as biological pest control—and potentially improve long-term sustainability. We sampled arthropods inhabiting the margins of rice fields to understand how conventional and organic practices alter both taxonomic and functional diversity. Arthropod taxonomic and functional composition did not vary between organic and conventional rice fields but varied across rice growth stages. These findings call for future testing aimed at understanding how reduced insecticide use alters yield and arthropod-derived ecosystem services, potentially leading to more sustainable rice cultivation methods.