Can fruit production and viticulture be enhanced by ecosystem services from wild mammals?

生物害虫控制是集约化农业可持续解决方案的关键。蜘蛛在适当的环境下可以提供有效的害虫控制，但其效果通常是有限的，因为大多数物种都是多面手捕食者，当密度较高时，它们会从事行会内的捕食，包括自相残杀。我们假设，群居蜘蛛特别适合害虫控制，因为它们对同类物种的耐受性非常高，避免了自相残杀，从而允许高度捕食者密度。群居蜘蛛，柑橘圆蛛，生活在世界各地的热带和亚热带地区，以及欧洲南部。在西班牙南部，它与农田周围的仙人掌联系在一起。它覆盖着密密麻麻的仙人掌，作为其他捕食性和盗贼寄生蜘蛛(银蜘蛛；菜青蛛)的底物。这种巨大的蛛网拦截并可能有助于控制各种飞行昆虫，如绝对蛾，它已经成为世界各地番茄作物的毁灭性害虫。然而，网络也可能捕捉到重要的作物传粉者。柑橘粉虱的全球发生及其群体生活倾向使其成为害虫综合治理的理想候选者。然而，必须了解其捕食者和寄生虫群落内的营养和行为相互作用，以评估其提供害虫控制的能力，并阐明提供这种生态系统服务的群体内的最佳物种组成。该项目旨在：1)在一系列基于实验室的受控实验中确定捕食者和寄生虫之间的行为相互作用，同时评估蜘蛛群落控制T.绝对的有效性。2)探索捕食者、寄生虫、通过操纵田间环境中的物种组成和使用元条形码分析蜘蛛肠道内容物来管理害虫和传粉者(EDNA)。3)为管理最佳蜘蛛群落结构提供建议，以提供害虫控制。应聘者必须对行为生态学有浓厚的兴趣。对实验设计有很好的理解，有进行实地工作的经验，熟悉软件R和元条形码是可取的，但不是必要的。为了评估对水果质量和产量的影响，博士将评估提高野生动物种群和促进大规模提供生态系统服务的干预措施。

Biological pest control is key to sustainable solutions for intensive agriculture.Spiders can provide effective pest control in the right circumstances, but their effectiveness is usually limited because most species are generalist predators that will engage in intra-guild predation, including cannibalism, when present at high densities.We hypothesise that group living spiders are uniquely suited for pest control because of their unusually high tolerance of conspecifics and avoidance of cannibalism, allowing high predator densities.The group living spider, Cyrtophora citricola, occurs in tropical and subtropical areas around the world, as well as southern parts of Europe. In southern Spain it associates with cacti that surround agricultural fields. It covers the cacti in dense webbing that functions as a substrate for other predatory and klepto-parasitic spiders (Argyrodes argyrodes; Holocnemus pluchei). The large webbing intercepts, and may help to control, a variety of flying insects such as the moth Tuta absoluta that has become a devastating pest of tomato crops worldwide. However, webs may also capture important crop pollinators.The global occurrence of C. citricola and its group living tendencies makes it an ideal candidate for use in integrated pest management. However, the trophic and behavioural interactions within its community of predators and parasites must be understood to assess its ability to provide pest control, and to elucidate the optimal species composition within colonies for providing this ecosystem service.The project aims to:1) Determine the behavioural interactions amongst predators and parasites in a series of controlled lab-based experiments, while evaluating the effectiveness of spider communities to control T. absoluta.2) Explore the trophic interactions amongst predators, parasites, pests and pollinators by manipulating species compositions in field settings and using meta-barcoding to analyse spider gut content (eDNA).3) Construct advice for management of optimal spider-group community structure for providing pest control.Candidates must have a strong interest in behavioural ecology. A good understanding of experimental design, experience conducting field work, and familiarity with the software R and with meta-barcoding are desirable, but not essential.o assess impacts on fruit quality and yield, the PhD will evaluate interventions to enhance wildlife populations and facilitate the delivery of ecosystem services at scale.