Systematic mapping of global research on arthropods associated with cacao agroecosystem: trends and gaps

Arthropods are crucial for sustaining global cacao cultivation, contributing to diverse ecological functions within the cacao agroecosystem. Despite their importance, there’s a lack of comprehensive documentation on factors influencing arthropod presence, ecosystem services, impact, management, and conservation across cacao cultivation systems. To bridge this gap, our study aimed to consolidate existing knowledge by systematically mapping global scientific articles on arthropods associated with cacao cultivation. Using advanced text mining and structural topic modeling, we identified eight thematic categories in 552 articles, with 69.6% published between 2000 and 2023. Geographically, studies were concentrated in America (38.2%), Africa (34.6%), and Asia (20.8%). Publications showed a surge across most topics, providing updated insights into their distribution. Research in America focused on beetles, parasitoid hymenopterans, ants, pollinating dipterans, and arachnids. Conversely, substantial publications addressed pest arthropods, including hemipterans in Africa, the Cocoa Pod Borer in Asia, and other pests in America and Africa. Through our systematic analysis, we uncovered key topics shedding light on arthropod biology and ecological interactions, highlighting the importance of agroforestry systems for conserving diversity and promoting ecosystem services like pollination and biological control. The study outlines research trends and gaps within each topic, serving as a valuable resource for professionals and policymakers, facilitating further investigations into arthropods in the cacao agroecosystem.