Marta Montserrat Larrosa
Profesor Titular
Subtropical and mediterranean fruit crops
Instituto de Hortofruticultura Subtropical y Mediterranea La Mayora
Spain
Biography
Our activity focuses in food web engineering, defined as an extension of conservation biological pest control that integrates community ecology and evolutionary biology into the management of agro-ecosystems potentially exposed to the negative effects of warming. We study the influence of abiotic factors (temperature, relative humidity) on ecological factors, both at the individual (intensity of interactions between species) and community (effects on population dynamics, trophic cascades and community structure) level. The ultimate goal is to lay the foundations for the design of biological pest control strategies that consider scenarios with complex communities (food webs) and climate change. Our experimental model is an arthropod community that inhabits avocado orchards.
Research Interest
biological pest control, ecological factors
Publications
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Guzmán C, Aguilar-Fenollosa E, Sahún RM, Boyero JR, Vela JM, Wong E, Jaques JA, Montserrat M. Temperature-specific competition in predatory mites: Implications for biological pest control in a changing climate. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment. 2016 Jan 15;216:89-97.
