Researchers with Oklahoma State University and the USDA-ARS have been awarded a $362,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture to evaluate the effect of landscape diversity on beneficial insects and ecosystem services. The research team includes Principal Investigator Dr. Kristen Baum from Integrative Biology, Kristopher Giles from Entomology and Plant Pathology, Norman Elliott from the USDA-ARS, and Eric DeVuyst from Agricultural Economics. The project titled "Implications of landscape, crop, and insect diversity for agroecosystem functionality” involves evaluating how pollinators and natural enemies (insect predators) respond to a range of landscape/agroecosystem diversity levels, with a focus on the wheat/canola producing region of the state. They will also assess the availability of pollination and pest control services, and results will be evaluated in the context of economic outcomes for agricultural producers. Congratulations Kristen!