Biological controls of intensive agroecosystems: Wanderer spiders in the Langa Astigiana

Spiders are typical terrestrial predators that show a high degree of diversity in agroecosystems according to prey capture strategies. Their role as biological controllers constitutes a challenging topic in applied ecology. Confronted with prey shortages wanderer spiders actively search for more productive habitats. In this paper we model the population dynamics of wanderer spiders and their prey in an almost homogeneous agricultural landscape. The effect of human intervention through insecticide spraying is also considered.