Spatial dissimilarities in a host-parasitoid metaweb: The Acacia-Trichilogaster-natural enemy interaction

One of the fundamental challenges in ecology is to understand the underlying mechanisms of spatial variation in biological communities. In this thesis I investigate the spatial variation in the diversity, composition and multi-species interactions of a gall wasp-natural enemy system. The quantification of multi-species interactions was essential for assessing both the biocontrol potential of gall wasps and the extent to which human landscape modifications could be related to spatial variation in the gall wasp-natural enemy system. The results of my research illustrate the importance of accounting for species interactions when studying the spatial variation in community structure and function.