• Similarly, determining which biological mechanisms minimize crop pests in complex agroecosystems can lead to improvements in pest management (Altieri 1994).

• Likewise, agriculture comprises a variety of managed ecosystems, or agroecosystems, that benefit from resources in natural habitats.

• A key goal is to understand agriculture from an ecological perspective in terms of nutrient and energy dynamics, and interactions among plants, animals, insects and other organisms in agroecosystems? then balance it with profit, community and consumer needs.