Finally, understanding the impact of shifting production practices on biocontrol services in agricultural landscapes is of critical importance. For example, in many parts of the north-central United States, corn and soybean were typically rotated annually. Recently, corn
acreage has been on the rise in response to increased demand for corn ethanol, with harvested areas rising by 15 million acres between 2006 and 2007.
Increasing pressure to produce biofuel crops on agricultural lands could have a negative
effect on biocontrol services in these landscapes particularly if corn production increases, reducing landscape diversity and displacing habitats associated with greater predator abundance. This could have a negative effect on biocontrol services as the pressure to produce biofuels on cropland increases.