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Even though pesticides can have various sublethal effects on behaviour of biocontrol agents, no study to date has investigated the effects of pesticides on the prey choice of generalist predators. Prey choice of generalist predators is among key factors determining the predation pressure they exert on pests, because it influences fitness of predators and consequently their densities and per capita capture rate. Here, we investigated the effect of Integro (a.i. methoxyfenozide) and SpinTor 480 Sc (a.i. spinosad) on prey choice and predatory activity of the spider Philodromus cespitum , which is known significantly to reduce hemipteran and dipteran pests in fruit orchards. We compared the prey preferences of philodromids between the psyllid pest Cacopsylla pyri (Hemiptera, Psyllidae) and beneficial Theridion sp. spiders in laboratory experiments. We found that both pesticides altered the prey preferences of philodromids. While the philodromids in a control treatment preferred theridiid spiders over the psyllid pest, philodromids in the pesticide treatments exhibited no significant prey preferences. The changes in prey preferences were caused by increased predation on the psyllids, while the predation on the theridiid remained similar. We suggest that the changes in prey preferences might theoretically be due to 1) impaired sensory systems, 2) altered taste, and/or 3) altered mobility. In combination with other studies finding reduced predation on fruit flies in P. cespitum after exposure to SpinTor, our results indicate that the sublethal effects of pesticides on predatory behaviour of generalist predators can depend on prey type and/or prey community composition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Vineyard terraces are artificial, human-made habitats used for growing grapes. [•] Spiders were surveyed on xeric slopes of vineyard terraces in the Czech Republic. [•] Conservation indicators were examined for varying succession and landscape factors. [•] High presence of endangered spiders supports conservation potential of terraces. [•] We suggest maintaining mosaic-like combinations of different microhabitat types. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Patterns of changes of spider assemblages in relation to various conservation management methods in xeric grassland. • Effects on spiders of small-scale management methods were studied in xeric grassland. • Prescribed burning increased spider diversity and supported rare xeric species. • Use of no active management was supportive to vegetation-dwelling spiders. • We suggest to maintain xeric grasslands by combining small-scale management methods. Seminatural grasslands are among the most valuable habitats for arthropod conservation in Central Europe. The abandonment of traditional farming has caused these areas to become overgrown and homogeneous, thereby resulting in loss of arthropod biodiversity. This traditional farming therefore needs to be complemented by active conservation management methods. An important question is whether small-scale conservation management may support arthropod diversity and habitat specialists inhabiting abandoned seminatural grasslands. We investigated the effects of mowing, prescribed burning, mechanical turf disturbance, and absence of active management on species richness, functional diversity and composition, conservation value, abundance of Red List species, and assemblage composition of spiders. The management methods were applied on small-scale (4 × 5 m) patches in protected xeric grassland. Spiders were sampled using pitfall traps and sweeping during 2017 and 2018. A total of 11,634 specimens from 154 species were recorded, including many rare and threatened species. The temporal responses of spider assemblages to active conservation management depended on the particular group of spiders. Changes in assemblage composition and resulting shifts in the community weighted mean values were distinct in the second year of the experiment. Management had no significant effect on the species richness of ground-dwelling spiders. Mechanical turf disturbance shifted the assemblage composition of ground-dwelling spiders towards habitat generalist species. Vegetation-dwelling spiders had the highest species richness in unmanaged patches. Their functional diversity was lower in disturbed patches. Burnt patches supported species of conservation concern for both spider groups. Prescribed burning had positive results for most of the studied indicators. Nevertheless, mechanical turf disturbance had a rather negative effect on the spider assemblages. Our results indicate that even small, patch-like interventions with minimal costs can considerably support the valuable spider assemblages of xeric grassland in the intensified landscape of Central Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Renewable energy production is gaining momentum globally as a way to combat climate change without drastically reducing human energy consumption. Solar energy offers the fastest developing solution. However, ground-mounted solar panels have a high land requirement, which leads to conflicts with other land use types, particularly agriculture and biodiversity conservation. The dual land use of agrivoltaics, i.e., continuing agricultural production under and between solar panels, may alleviate farmers' concerns, but less effort has been made to reconcile solar development with biodiversity conservation. Here we provide a framework for creating a win-win situation for this growing challenge using recent literature on solar park habitats complemented with ecological theories. We also highlight important knowledge gaps that future research should address. Our framework uses a unique land-sharing approach and is based on five pillars that cover key aspects of solar park planning and maintenance: (1) eco-smart siting in the landscape, which considers ecological interactions with the landscape matrix and trade-offs between multiple small vs. fewer large solar parks; (2) eco-smart park layout to address the ecological aspects of the spatial configuration of solar park infrastructure; (3) creation of diverse, novel grassland ecosystems with high ecosystem service provisioning capacity using a trait-based ecosystem design approach; (4) management of the novel ecosystem throughout the lifespan of the solar parks; and (5) ensuring stakeholder engagement to integrate this in a viable business model with high community acceptance. With this framework, we open the way for a new multifunctional land use type: the ecovoltaic park. • Solar power is the prevailing renewable worldwide. • Solar park development leads to conflicts with biodiversity conservation. • Solar park siting and infrastructure design should consider ecological aspects. • Species-rich novel grassland should be created and managed in the parks. • The resulting ecovoltaic parks may represent a win-win situation for all stakeholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]