Biology subjects

Cuff, J. P.

Publications and source records attributed to Cuff, J. P..

6 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2026

Revealing parasitoid-pest interactions using multi-marker metabarcoding: a nationwide assessment of parasitism in cabbage stem flea beetle larvae

Management of insect pests of oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.) such as cabbage stem flea beetle (CSFB; Psylliodes chrysocephala L.) is increasingly challenging given a lack of effective permitted insecticides. Conservation biocontrol, including through naturally-occurring parasitoids of CSFB, is one of the first lines of defense and the baseline for integrated pest management (IPM) strategies, but we lack a comprehensive understanding of the parasitoids involved and how parasitism rates vary regionally. Such data have traditionally required rearing of parasitoids from their pest hosts, which is highly error-prone, laborious and overlooks instances of multiple parasitism and hyperparasitism. Using multi-marker DNA metabarcoding, including a novel host-exclusion parasitoid PCR primer pair, we assessed parasitism of 1,040 CSFB larvae from 13 counties in England, UK. We confidently identified seven parasitoids of CSFB larvae, with ten taxa present in unfiltered data. Parasitism rates differed between regions, with the north of England having significantly lower parasitism rates than southern regions. Our novel beetle parasitoid PCR primers demonstrate a high congruence with visual detections of parasitoids and a high rate of novel interaction detections. Ultimately, by determining both rates of parasitism and natural enemy identities, these data significantly extend our understanding of in-field CSFB parasitoid community dynamics. This information could guide the enhancement of farm management, especially using network science in decision support systems related to insecticide application, but also more broadly in the context of crop and habitat management for improved conservation biocontrol and IPM.

ecology↗

bioRxiv2026

Local and biogeographical determinants of the diversity and structure of invertebrate communities in rot holes of ash, Fraxinus excelsior

O_LIVeteran trees are biodiversity hotspots, providing a range of microhabitats, including tree hollows or rot holes in trunks, which support a large diversity of invertebrates including threatened species. Each rot hole is a unique microcosm, with variable biotic and abiotic characteristics enabling their use by many invertebrate taxa. C_LIO_LIMost previous studies describing the invertebrate communities of rot holes and the factors determining their structure focus on a narrow range of invertebrate taxa, and many host tree species remain unexplored. European ash (Fraxinus excelsior L.) is one of Europes most threatened deciduous tree species due to the spread of ash dieback disease, but the potential impact of these losses on the invertebrate communities that inhabit ash is poorly understood. C_LIO_LIInvertebrates were sampled and identified to family level from 14 sites across Wales and western England, and major physical characteristics of each rot hole and sample site were assessed (e.g., habitat type, altitude, maximum site temperature). C_LIO_LIAsh rot hole invertebrate communities were highly diverse with a range of threatened taxa, including some undescribed or new to the region. There was large variation in both measured rot hole characteristics and the invertebrate communities between individual rot holes, sites and habitats. Both tree-specific and biogeographical factors significantly influenced invertebrate diversity and community structure, suggesting that sustaining the heterogeneity of ash rot holes across a range of locations is required to support saproxylic invertebrate diversity. C_LIO_LIWith increasing ash veteran tree vulnerability, sustaining these vital habitats and their associated invertebrate communities is a conservation imperative. This study has demonstrated that considering heterogeneity in both habitat characteristics and landscape context will be crucial when conserving these communities. C_LI

ecology↗

bioRxiv2026

Urbanization effects are trait-specific and city-dependent across a widespread spider's global range

Urban environments impose strong selective pressures through biotic and abiotic factors, driving changes in behavior, physiology, and morphology. Yet, responses vary across taxa and cities, and it remains unclear which traits respond consistently and what factors moderate this variation. We addressed these questions using the widespread European garden spider (Araneus diadematus) as a model, measuring size, color, and web-building traits along urban-rural transects in 22 cities across its distribution range. Using a meta-analytic framework, we assessed how city-specific characteristics influenced trait variation. Urbanization consistently reduced relative abdomen surface area, a proxy for body condition. Exploratory meta-regressions suggest that web-building response was predicted by temperature: compared to their non-urban surroundings, urban webs are larger in colder regions and smaller in warmer regions. In contrast, body size and abdomen brightness varied among cities without clear environmental predictors. These findings show that urbanization effects are trait- and context-dependent, likely influenced by local factors such as heat island intensity, microclimate, or prey availability. Linking within- and between-city variation will improve understanding of species phenotypic responses to urban environments.

ecology↗

bioRxiv2025

Arthropod predator nutrient content changes with crop sowing period with implications for biocontrol

Conservation biocontrol is crucial for crop pest management, but the impact of agricultural management practices on natural enemies of crop pests is poorly characterised. The timing of crop sowing could impact arthropod communities by altering basal resource availability and quality, manifesting in altered nutrient availability and cascading impacts to natural enemy fitness and function. This study aims to understand these potential modifiers of conservation biocontrol, by investigating how the timing of crop sowing impacts arthropod predator nutrition and whether associated differences relate to changes in prey availability. Arthropod predators and their prey were collected from adjacent plots of winter- and spring-sown wheat. The biochemical macronutrient (carbohydrate, lipid and protein) content of predators was determined by colorimetric assays and compared between winter-and spring-sown crops using multivariate models. Predator nutrient contents were compared to predator-prey interactions inferred using null network models based on both recent and current prey availability. The nutrient contents of arthropod predators differed significantly between winter- and spring-sown wheat, and the prey available to predators similarly differed, but neither recent nor current prey availability explained differences in predator nutrition. These findings may indicate that prey quality, rather than identity, changes with the developmental stages of crops sown at different times. This has important implications for the spillover of natural enemies of crop pests between crops sown at different times. This is especially true following harvest of winter-sown crops, which may disrupt biocontrol by altering the nutrients available to and sought by natural enemies of crop pests.

ecology↗

bioRxiv2024

Identifying the Fusarium species involved in foot rot disease of faba beans in the UK using a combined molecular and microbiological approach

Foot rot is a devastating disease of faba bean crops globally, including in the United Kingdom, the worlds third largest producer. To identify the causal agents, we have sampled foot rot-affected plants and soils from faba bean crops across England. We isolated organisms associated with foot rot disease in culture and assessed pathogenicity in vivo to evaluate the infectivity of the isolates on faba bean. We identified the pathogenic isolates using DNA barcoding of the Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS) and Translation Elongation Factor one (TEF1 ) molecular markers. A total of 113 clonal isolates were obtained from infected plants and soil samples across England. Of these, 60 were pathogenic, inducing mild to severe symptoms on faba bean. Sequencing of the ITS and TEF1 loci and comparison against sequence databases (Genbank and Fusarium_ID) enabled the identification of pathogenic isolates, in decreasing order of frequency, as Fusarium oxysporum (26.6 %), F. vanettenii (25%), F. redolens (15 %), F. solani (11.6%), F. culmorum (8.3 %), F. avenaceum (6.7 %), F. equiseti (1.7 %), F. clavum (1.7 %), Clonostachys rosea (1.7%) and Alternaria alternata (1.7%). F. oxysporum, F. redolens and F. avenaceum induced the most severe symptoms, whilst F. solani induced the least severe symptoms. Determining the most prevalent causal agents of foot rot in UK faba beans will facilitate targeted disease monitoring and intervention for enhanced productivity.

microbiology↗

bioRxiv2023

Sources of prey availability data alter interpretation of outputs from prey choice null networks

O_LINull models provide an invaluable baseline against which to test fundamental ecological hypotheses and highlight patterns in foraging choices that cannot be explained by neutral processes or sampling artefacts. In this way, null models can advance our understanding beyond simplistic dietary descriptions to identify drivers of interactions. This method, however, requires estimates of resource availability, which are generally imperfect representations of highly dynamic systems. Optimising method selection is crucial for study design, but the precise effects of different resource availability data on the efficacy of null models are poorly understood. C_LIO_LIUsing spider-prey networks as a model, we used prey abundance (suction sample) and activity density (sticky trap) data, and combinations of the two, to simulate null networks. We compared null diet composition, network properties (e.g., connectance and nestedness) and deviations of simulations from metabarcoding-based spider dietary data (to ascertain how different prey availability data alter ecological interpretation. C_LIO_LIDifferent sampling methods produced different null networks and inferred distinct prey selectivity. Null networks based on prey abundance and combined frequency-of-occurrence data more closely resembled the observed diet composition, and those based on prey abundance, activity density and proportionally combined data generated network properties most like dietary metabarcoding networks. C_LIO_LIWe show that survey method choice impacts all aspects of null network analyses, the precise effects varying between methods but ultimately altering ecological interpretation by increasing disparity in network properties or trophic niches between null and directly constructed networks. Merging datasets can generate more complete prey availability data but is not a panacea because it introduces different biases. The choice of method should reflect the research hypotheses and study system being investigated. Ultimately, survey methods should emulate the foraging mode of the focal predator as closely as possible, informed by the known ecology, natural history and behaviour of the predator. C_LI

ecology↗