Spiders as biological controllers in the agroecosystem.
In this paper, we propose a general model consisting of insects, pests and spiders interacting in an agroecosystem included in a typical homogeneous rural landscape, characterized by a continuous mosaic of cultivated land and a few small patches of grasslands and small woods bounding the fields. The model is general enough to show all the phenomena observed in the agroecosystem. The role of the spider population as a biological controller in the agroecosystem is particularly emphasized. Human intervention by means of pesticide spraying and its relationship with the biological pest controllers is also accounted for.
Chatterjee
Samrat
S
Dipartimento di Matematica, Universita' di Torino, Via Carlo Alberto 10, Italy. samrat_ct@rediffmail.com
Isaia
Marco
M
Venturino
Ezio
E
D000383:Agriculture; D000818:Animals; D017753:Ecosystem; D007300:Insect Control; D007313:Insecta; D007306:Insecticides / Q000494:pharmacology; D008954:Models, Biological; D010572:Pest Control, Biological; D011235:Predatory Behavior; D013112:Spiders / Q000502:physiology*
D007306:Insecticides