Lincoln University, Plant & Food Research
What role do spiders play in pest suppression for future food production systems? | Tō te pūngāwerewere tūranga i te tāmoe riha mō ngā punaha whakaputa kai ā mua?
Nicola has now completed the requirements for her doctorate and is eligible to graduate. Congratulations Nicola.
Doctoral Thesis
A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Lincoln University
Publications
Sullivan, N. J., Stringer, L. D., Butler, R. C., Black, A., Waipara, N., & Vink, C. J. (2026). Spider (Araneae) abundance and diversity across land-use gradients. Ecology and Evolution, 16(9), e74261. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.74261
Sullivan, N. J., Stringer, L. D., Black, A., & Vink, C. (2025). Harnessing spider biodiversity for sustainable horticulture: A call for research and conservation in Aotearoa New Zealand. New Zealand Journal of Ecology, 49(1), Article u3r6e00. https://doi.org/10.20417/nzjecol.49.3600
Sullivan, N., Sharp, J., Vink, C., Black, A., Marsh, A., & Butler, R. (2023). Spider and harvestmen biodiversity in New Zealand horticultural ecosystems. New Zealand Journal of Zoology. https://doi.org/10.1080/03014223.2023.2274827
Conference Proceedings
Sullivan, N. J., Stringer, L. D., Black, A., Butler, R. C., & Vink, C. J. (2026, September 2). Prey capture abilities of horticultural spider species with and without vibrational disturbance [Conference presentation]. 74th Entomological Society of New Zealand Conference, Hamilton, New Zealand. https://ento.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Full-Programme_2026.pdf
Sullivan, N., et al. (2025, August 31–September 5). Prey capture abilities of horticultural spider species with and without vibrational disturbance. Paper presented at the 35th European Congress of Arachnology, University of Zadar, Zadar, Croatia. https://cdn.fourwaves.com/static/media/filecontent/8512f33c-e203-4c45-92e7-4b153b047e08/81023ea1-adfb-4ac6-9d45-1461bc6a30ad.pdf
Sullivan, N., Stringer, L. D., Black, A., Sharp, J., Marsh, A., Butler, R. C., & Vink, C. J. (2024, August 28–30). Spider and harvestmen biodiversity in Aotearoa New Zealand horticultural ecosystems [Conference presentation]. Entomological Society of New Zealand Conference, Christchurch Town Hall, Christchurch, New Zealand.
Sullivan, N., Vink, C., Stringer, L., Black, A., & Waipara, N. (2023, August 28 – September 1). What role do spiders play in pest suppression for future food production systems? | Tō te pūngāwerewere tūranga i te tāmoe riha mō ngā punaha whakaputa kai ā mua? [Conference presentation]. Queenstown Research Week, Queenstown, New Zealand.
Sullivan, N., Black, A., Sharp, J., Marsh, A., Butler, R., & Vink, C. (2023, March 5–11). Spider and Opiliones biodiversity in New Zealand horticultural ecosystems [Conference presentation]. 22nd International Congress of Arachnology, Montevideo, Uruguay.
