Abstract: 【Aim】 This study aims to explore the effects of compositional and configurational heterogeneity at the landscape scale on the occurrence of pests and natural enemy insects in paddy fields. 【Methods】Using landscape gradient design, remote sensing image interpretation, systematic insect surveys, and linear mixed-effects model analysis, we investigated the effects of landscape compositional and configurational heterogeneity at multiple spatial scales (0.10-2.00 km) on the abundance (individual number) of the main late rice pest Sogatella furcifera, and its dominant natural enemy Cyrtorhinus lividipennis in 15 landscape plots in paddy fields in Wenchang, Hainan, southern China. Additionally, we further analyzed the impacts of the configurational heterogeneity characteristics of different landscape habitats, including cropland, grassland and forest, on the abundance of S. furcifera and its dominant natural enemy C. lividipennis.【Results】At the 1.00 km scale, the abundance of S. furcifera in paddy fields was significantly positively correlated with the proportion of surrounding grassland area. At the 0.25 km scale, the greater the landscape patch diversity, the fewer the abundance of S. furcifera. Conversely, at the 0.25 km scale, the larger the average patch size, the larger the abundance of C. lividipennis. In terms of the effects of configurational heterogeneity of landscape habitat components, in cropland, at the 0.25 km scale, the abundance of C. lividipennis in paddy fields decreased with the edge density increasing of cropland, and at the 0.50-1.00 km scale, the higher the patch density, the fewer the abundance of both S. furcifera and C. lividipennis. In forest, an increase in edge density at the 0.25 km scale, and an increase in average patch size of forest at the 0.50 km scale and both led to a decrease in the abundance of C. lividipennis in paddy fields. 【Conclusion】 Thus, the fragmentation of cropland, which reduced the occurrence of S. furcifera, could also suppress the population of its natural enemy C. lividipennis, indicating that cropland fragmentation does not necessarily promote the occurrence of rice pests. Therefore, it is essential to further investigate the specific impacts of the configuration characteristics of various landscape habitat components on the populations of pests and their natural enemies in croplands. This research can provide a scientific basis for more effectively enhancing pest control services through landscape management approaches.

Key words: Rice pests, natural enemy, Sogatella furcifera, Cyrtorhinus lividipennis, landscape fragmentation, landscape heterogeneity, paddy landscape, abundance