Spiders in natural pest control: a review
1987
Nyffeler, M. (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zurich (Switzerland). Dept. of Entomology) | Benz, G.
In spite of the large number of studies about the ecology of spiders carried out in the last two decades in different types of ecosystems all over the world, the significance of these animals as natural control agents is still largely unknown. In this paper the literature about that subject is reviewed. Totally 300 scientific papers, puslished between 1920 and 1984, are cited here. Several European and American studies have provided evidence, that in undisturbed grassland ecosystems and forest ecosystems spiders can play an important ecological role as predators of insects and other invertebrates. Also in orchards, not treated with pesticides, that are to a certain degree comparable with forest ecosystems, spiders can be abundant predators. In contrast to that, the opinion about the predatory importance of spiders inhabiting cultivated fields is controversial. The results of some European studies indicate, that the foliage-dwelling spiders of cultivated fields, because of their low population densities, are of minor importance as predators of insects. Other European studi0678es show, that the ground-dwelling spiders of cultivated fields are concerning their abundance, a dominant predator group, those significance as control agents still is largely unknown up to the present. In rice fields (swamp ecosystems) in Asia, receiving little or no pesticides, as well as in European and American swamp ecosystems, spiders may be an important predator group. In houses in South Africa spiders were used successfully as biological control agents against f
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