The University of Southampton
University of Southampton Institutional Repository

Manipulation of overwintering habitats for invertebrate predators on farmland

Manipulation of overwintering habitats for invertebrate predators on farmland
Manipulation of overwintering habitats for invertebrate predators on farmland

Data are presented from a three-year study on the creation of overwintering habitats in farmland for the arthropod natural enemies of cereal aphids. These new habitats, in the form of grass-sown raised banks, recreated those aspects of existing field boundaries which had previously been shown to favour predator overwintering.

During the first year of establishment, the new habitats provided overwintering refuge sites for many spiders (Araneae), ground beetles (Carabidae) and rove beetles (Staphylinidae), with ground-zone searches producing total densities of these polyphagous predators up to 150m"1. In the second and third years, destructive sampling revealed much higher predator numbers, peak densities exceeding 1500m~2 in some grass treatments in the second year. Identification of individual predator species revealed a shift in community structure, with spiders and ground beetles showing suc-cessional changes from pioneer to more specialised species as the newly created habitats matured. Beyond this, a range of biotic and abiotic factors were shown to be involved in the processes of successful overwintering and overwintering site selection.

Predator sampling studies in the spring showed that the overwintering predator populations in the new habitats could influence subsequent dispersal patterns into the crop, providing an even spread of predators throughout the field early in the season.

The results of the study are discussed in the context of the current social and economic climate within European agriculture, and it is suggested that dynamic land management, by enhancing natural pest control, could provide a means of reducing the present-day reliance on chemical pest control measures.

University of Southampton
Thomas, Matthew Brian
b907c31d-9e3f-43a1-840e-a6e1dae0ba17
Thomas, Matthew Brian
b907c31d-9e3f-43a1-840e-a6e1dae0ba17

Thomas, Matthew Brian (1991) Manipulation of overwintering habitats for invertebrate predators on farmland. University of Southampton, Doctoral Thesis.

Record type: Thesis (Doctoral)

Abstract

Data are presented from a three-year study on the creation of overwintering habitats in farmland for the arthropod natural enemies of cereal aphids. These new habitats, in the form of grass-sown raised banks, recreated those aspects of existing field boundaries which had previously been shown to favour predator overwintering.

During the first year of establishment, the new habitats provided overwintering refuge sites for many spiders (Araneae), ground beetles (Carabidae) and rove beetles (Staphylinidae), with ground-zone searches producing total densities of these polyphagous predators up to 150m"1. In the second and third years, destructive sampling revealed much higher predator numbers, peak densities exceeding 1500m~2 in some grass treatments in the second year. Identification of individual predator species revealed a shift in community structure, with spiders and ground beetles showing suc-cessional changes from pioneer to more specialised species as the newly created habitats matured. Beyond this, a range of biotic and abiotic factors were shown to be involved in the processes of successful overwintering and overwintering site selection.

Predator sampling studies in the spring showed that the overwintering predator populations in the new habitats could influence subsequent dispersal patterns into the crop, providing an even spread of predators throughout the field early in the season.

The results of the study are discussed in the context of the current social and economic climate within European agriculture, and it is suggested that dynamic land management, by enhancing natural pest control, could provide a means of reducing the present-day reliance on chemical pest control measures.

Text
311045.pdf - Version of Record
Available under License University of Southampton Thesis Licence.
Download (4MB)

More information

Published date: 1991

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 460419
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/460419
PURE UUID: 3958f25b-080d-4b04-b801-5347d1beee41

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 04 Jul 2022 18:21
Last modified: 16 Mar 2024 18:38

Export record

Contributors

Author: Matthew Brian Thomas

Download statistics

Downloads from ePrints over the past year. Other digital versions may also be available to download e.g. from the publisher's website.

View more statistics

Atom RSS 1.0 RSS 2.0

Contact ePrints Soton: eprints@soton.ac.uk

ePrints Soton supports OAI 2.0 with a base URL of http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/cgi/oai2

This repository has been built using EPrints software, developed at the University of Southampton, but available to everyone to use.

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue without changing your settings, we will assume that you are happy to receive cookies on the University of Southampton website.

×