Project

Pest control through spider communities from small forest remnants along a gradient of land-use intensity in Europe.

Code
3F009713
Duration
01 October 2013 → 30 September 2018
Funding
Regional and community funding: Special Research Fund, Research Foundation - Flanders (FWO)
Research disciplines
  • Natural sciences
    • Animal biology
    • Plant biology
  • Agricultural and food sciences
    • Agricultural plant production
    • Forestry sciences
    • Horticultural production
Keywords
Spiders pest control ecosystem services
 
Project description

Declining and degrading remnants of semi-natural habitats in intensively managed landscapes are the main driver of biodiversity decline and ecosystem service loss. In these landscapes an important service is pest control in agricultural crops by spiders. This service will be studied along a European gradient of land-use intensity. Hypotheses will consider landscape-moderated biodiversity patterns and effects on pest control.