Response of lepidopteran herbivore communities to crop management in coffee plantations

There was no correlation between management intensity and the abundance of all herbivore guilds, but there was a negative relationship between management intensity and caterpillar abundance and species richness. Management intensity was positively related to caterpillar species evenness but did not influence species composition, which was rather influenced by climatic seasonality. We found 202 lepidopteran morphospecies, of which 128 fed on coffee plants. Despite a greater caterpillar abundance and richness, mean leaf damage to coffee plants was lower in plantations with a low management intensity index. Overall, we suggest that low and intermediate management intensity and the preservation of a diverse shade canopy can contribute to the conservation of Lepidoptera, without representing significant amounts of leaf damage to coffee plants.