How Do Spiders Affect Soil Biodiversity?
WouterSpiders inhabit the soil and can be used to assess the biodiversity of agricultural landscapes. They are specialized in hunting pests, and can help in determining the sustainability of an agricultural landscape. A variety of metrics are used to quantify spider diversity. However, there are limitations to these metrics. For instance, most studies have used a small number of samples and have not taken into account environmental variables.
There are many ways to manage spiders, including the use of antibiotics. Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis is toxic to spiders, and can be applied to plants with water. Alternatively, treating plants without water with imidacloprid can help.
Agricultural management practices often reduce the population of spiders in pasture and crop fields. These changes can affect the diversity of spider families and their ecological niches. In addition, the effectiveness of biological pest control is enhanced by the application of fertilizer at optimum rates.
Tillage was found to be the most influential factor in affecting spider community composition. The most effective tillage option was minimum tillage, which also increased the richness of the spider community.
Similarly, mulching was found to have a significant impact on the abundance of ground-dwelling spiders. This was confirmed by CCA analyses. Although the abundance of the Lycosidae family was higher in plots treated with 5 t ha-1 of mulch in the 2014/2015 cropping season, their abundance was lower in the low mulch treatment.
Spiders are an important component of the food chain. The ecological role of spiders is key to the management of food chains.
