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There is a growing evidence that consistent interindividual differences in behavior, that is, behavioral types, can play an important role in key ecological processes such as predator–prey interactions, which in turn can have direct implications on biological control. Behavioral types of generalist predators may affect these interactions through individual differences in predators’ prey preferences and the breadth of predators’ trophic niches. This study examined how the multivariate nature of behavior, namely foraging aggressiveness, activity level, and risk-taking behavior, determines prey selection and trophic niche of the generalist agrobiont spider Philodromus cespitum. In laboratory experiments, we determined the repeatability of these behaviors and the preference between crickets, moths, fruit flies, and collembolans. We found that all three behaviors were moderately to strongly repeatable but there were no correlations between them, thus they did not form a behavioral syndrome. Only foraging aggressiveness influenced the prey selection of philodromid spiders and the more aggressive individuals had wider trophic niches because they incorporated prey that were more difficult to capture in their diet. In addition, more aggressive individuals killed a greater quantity of particular prey types while other prey types were killed at a similar rate by both aggressive and nonaggressive individuals. The differences in philodromids’ foraging aggressiveness, therefore, affected not only the overall prey density but also resulted in different prey community composition. As pest density and composition can both affect crop performance, further research needs to investigate how the interindividual behavioral differences of generalist natural enemies cascade down on the crops.

Fungi and arthropods represent some of the most diverse organisms on our planet, yet the ecological relationships between them remain largely unknown. In animals, fungal growth on body surfaces is often hazardous and is known to cause mortality. In contrast, here we report the presence of an apparently non-harmful mycobiome on the cuticle of whip spiders (Arachnida: Amblypygi). The associations are not species-specific and involve a diversity of fungal species, including cosmopolitan and local decomposers as well as entomopathogens. We discuss the ecology of the detected fungal species and hypothesize that the thick epicuticular secretion coat of whip spiders (the cerotegument) promotes fungal growth. It is possible that this relationship is beneficial towards the host if it leads to parasite control or chemical camouflage. Our findings, which are the first from this arthropod lineage, indicate that non-pathogenic interactions between arthropods and fungi may be much more widespread than predicted and call for more studies in this area.

International audience; Despite their ecological importance and diversity, spiders (Arachnida: Araneae) are underrepresented in conservation policies in comparison to other groups. We review all extant conservation tools focusing on spiders in Europe, highlighting general patterns, limitations, gaps, and future directions. We assembled a comprehensive online database reporting all available information concerning the legal protection and conservation status of 4,154 spider species. Existing international legislation has limited coverage, with only one species listed in the Bern Convention and EU Habitats Directive. At the national and subnational levels, 178 species are formally mentioned in the legislation of 19 European countries. Moreover, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) includes assessments for 301 species worldwide, 164 of these threatened and eight native to Europe. In addition, spiders are mentioned in Regional Red Lists and Red Books in 28 out of 42 European countries considered in this review. Northern and Central European countries have the highest percentage of species assessed at the regional level in Red Lists and Red Books. The Mediterranean basin has the highest spider diversities in Europe but conservation efforts are lacking, both in terms of assessments and national or subnational legislation. Among European species, Dolomedes plantarius, Argyroneta aquatica and Eresus kollari are the most frequently mentioned in European conservation measures, possibly due to their ecological traits and their strict association with declining habitats. Considering the current threats to spiders in Europe, the protection of large areas of suitable habitat should be considered as the most effective approach to spider conservation.

Data on 200 species of spiders were collected to assess the global threat status of the group worldwide. To supplement existing digital occurrence records from GBIF, a dataset of new occurrence records was compiled for all species using published literature or online sources, from which geographic coordinates were extracted or interpreted from locality description data. A total of 5,104 occurrence records were obtained, of which 2,378 were from literature or online sources other than GBIF. Of these, 2,308 had coordinate data. Reporting years ranged from 1834 to 2017. Most records were from North America and Europe, with Brazil, China, India and Australia also well represented.

Background The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species is the most widely used information source on the extinction risk of species. One of the uses of the Red List is to evaluate and monitor the state of biodiversity and a possible approach for this purpose is the Red List Index (RLI). For many taxa, mainly hyperdiverse groups, it is not possible within available resources to assess all known species. In such cases, a random sample of species might be selected for assessment and the results derived from it extrapolated for the entire group - the Sampled Red List Index (SRLI). The current contribution is the final in four papers that will constitute the baseline of a future spider SRLI encompassing 200 species distributed across the world. New information A sample of 200 species of spiders were randomly selected from the World Spider Catalogue, an updated global database containing all recognised species names for the group. The selected species were classified taxonomically at the family level and the familes were ordered alphabetically. In this publication, we present the conservation profiles of 50 species belonging to the families alphabetically arranged between Scytodidae and Zoropsidae, which encompassed Scytodidae, Selenopidae, Sicariidae, Sparassidae, Tetrablemmidae, Tetragnathidae, Theraphosidae, Theridiidae, Theridiosomatidae, Thomisidae, Trochanteriidae, Zodariidae and Zoropsidae.

Background The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species is the most widely used information source on the extinction risk of species. One of the uses of the Red List is to evaluate and monitor the state of biodiversity and a possible approach for this purpose is the Red List Index (RLI). For many taxa, mainly hyperdiverse groups, it is not possible within available resources to assess all known species. In such cases, a random sample of species might be selected for assessment and the results derived from it extrapolated for the entire group - the Sampled Red List Index (SRLI). The current contribution is the second in four papers that will constitute the baseline of a future spider SRLI encompassing 200 species distributed across the world. New information A sample of 200 species of spiders were randomly selected from the World Spider Catalogue, an updated global database containing all recognised species names for the group. The 200 selected species where divided taxonomically at the family level and the familes were ordered alphabetically. In this publication, we present the conservation profiles of 45 species belonging to the families alphabetically arranged between Gnaphosidae and Nemesiidae, which encompassed Gnaphosidae, ldiopidae, Linyphiidae, Liocranidae, Lycosidae, Micropholcommatidae, Mysmenidae and Nemesiidae.

The agri-food sector and supply chain is a foundational component of society and is required for healthy populations across the globe. Feeding the world, not only with enough calories, but with nutritious food that has been sustainably sourced and processed, is a continuous and developing challenge. Despite this, careers in research and development opportunities in the agri-food sector have less visibility in comparison to other sectors, and we argue that agri-food remains under-represented in education and training, from school through to higher education. In this perspective, we explore how diversity in people, skills and education contributes to the agri-food sector, and how fostering this diversity could help to solve some of the big challenges faced in 2021 and beyond. Specific focus is given to education and training schemes, and the lack of agri-food topics in relevant science degrees.(c) 2021 Society of Chemical Industry (SCI).