FERG in the media

Our research and the research we’re involved in sometimes make headlines! Below are a few examples of our research breaking into the media.

Trending topics

Spiders as biocontrol agents

The role of spiders as biocontrol agents has been a continuous theme for much of our research, and we are always keen to discuss the importance of spiders in this context (and so many others). Alongside specific publications below, our work related to spiders as biocontrol agents more generally has been highlighted by Crop Production Magazine.

Papers in the press

Prey nutrient content is associated with the trophic interactions of spiders and their prey selection under field conditions – Cuff, Tercel, Vaughan, Drake, Wilder, Bell, Müller, Orozco-terWengel & Symondson (2024), Oikos.

This article demonstrates how nutrients drive trophic interactions and prey choice in spider populations in the field, and how these patterns differ between spider genera, sexes and life stages. This is a significant step toward demonstrating nutrient-specific foraging in the field.

Jordan was interviewed for The Naked Scientists in relation to this work, as part of a special show on animals. Articles related to this were also featured by Phys.org, MSN, Rothamsted Research News, The Daily Squib and Greensavers.

Non-native ants drive dramatic declines in animal community diversity: A meta-analysis – Tercel, Cuff, Symondson & Vaughan (2023), Insect Conservation & Diversity, 16(6): 733-744.

This meta-analysis of the impacts of non-native ants on wider animal communities demonstrates the widespread ecological harm they cause, and the different taxa that they affect. This substantial synthesis of existing research offers robust evidence of these impacts. The article was led by long-term FERG collaborator Max Tercel and involved Jordan throughout.

Articles related to this were featured by The Conversation, Phys.org, MyScience, Knowledia, Yahoo! News, Free Mail South Africa, Big News Network, AllAfrica, Nation Cymru, My Droll, SwiftTelecast and Noticias de la Tierra. It is also cited in the Wikipedia entry for ‘2023 in science‘.

A new primer for metabarcoding of spider gut contents – Lafage, Elbrecht, Cuff, Steinke, Hambäck & Erlandsson (2020), Environmental DNA, 2(2): 234-243.

This article presents a novel PCR primer for the analysis of spider diet via DNA metabarcoding which excludes spider DNA but amplifies a wide range of spider prey in both aquatic and terrestrial contexts. This was an international collaboration that Jordan had the pleasure of being involved in.

Articles related to this, mostly in the context of wider work by one of the authors, were featured by The Conversation (in English and French), Yahoo! News, Foreign Affairs New Zealand, The Raw Story, Phys.org, Prince George Citizen, Vancouver Is Awesome, Alaska Highway News, Squamish Chief, Science & Vie and 20minutes.

Investigating the Prevalence of Reactive Online Searching in the COVID-19 Pandemic: Infoveillance Study – Badell-Grau & Cuff, Kelly, Waller-Evans & Lloyd-Evans (2020), Journal of Medical Internet Research, 22(10): e19791.

This article showed how Google search volumes surrounding misinformation during the COVID-19 pandemic increased with the numbers of cases and deaths, highlighting the importance of clear and reliable communication. Jordan co-led this during the first COVID-19 pandemic with co-PhDer Rafael Badell Grau.

Articles related to this, mostly framed around vaccine hesitancy in South Africa, were featured by The Conversation, Newsbreak, ENCA, AllAfrica, MedicalXPress, Eye Witness News, Foreign Affairs New Zealand and Wheels24.