Peter Schausberger

Univ.-Doz. Dr. 

until February 2019: Guest Professor University of Tsukuba, Japan
Funded by the Austrian Science Fund (FWF)

Phone: +43-1-4277-76118
Mail: peter.schausberger[at]univie.ac.at

Research interests

I am a multi- and trans-disciplinarily working zoologist with a focus on behavioral ecology-related topics and multi-trophic interactions. My current research comprises and links elements of animal behavior, ecology, evolution and biological control. Plant-inhabiting mites such as herbivorous spider mites (Tetranychidae) and eriophyoid mites (Eriophyidae), and predatory mites of the family Phytoseiidae are the main organisms I work with. These mites are, due to their ubiquity, small size and ease of rearing, widely used model animals in the above-mentioned disciplines. Predatory mites are key players in natural and biological control of herbivorous mites and insects in natural as well as agricultural ecosystems such as orchards, vineyards and greenhouse crops, making them perfectly suited animals for research on predator-prey interactions, multi-trophic interactions and pest management. 

I have a keen interest in fundamental processes in behavioral ecology (learning, species and kin recognition, cannibalism, anti-predation, sexual selection, linkage between behavioral and life history traits) and examine direct and indirect interactions in multi-trophic systems (or subsystems thereof) consisting of predatory mites, herbivorous mites and insects, plants and micro-organisms. My investigations take place in the laboratory, walk-in environmental and greenhouse chambers, and the open field. The organizational and spatial levels looked at range from individuals and their interactions (in small-scale artificial cages, on detached leaves and leaf discs), to populations (on detached leaves and whole plants) and communities (on whole plants and plant groups). I primarily conduct manipulative experiments and use methodological procedures and tools such as direct observations, analyses of videotaped behaviors (EthoVision XT), olfactometer tests, and molecular/chemical analys

Curriculum vitae

Publications

Showing entries 31 - 40 out of 136
Christiansen, IC & Schausberger, P 2017, 'Interference in early dual-task learning by predatory mites', Animal Behaviour, vol. 133, pp. 21-28. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2017.09.005
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Dittmann, L & Schausberger, P 2017, 'Adaptive aggregation by spider mites under predation risk', Scientific Reports, vol. 7, no. 1, 10609. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-10819-8
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Schausberger, P, Gratzer, M & Strodl, MA 2017, 'Early social isolation impairs development, mate choice and grouping behaviour of predatory mites', Animal Behaviour, vol. 127, pp. 15-21. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2017.02.024
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Reichert, MB, Christiansen, IC, Seiter, M & Schausberger, P 2017, 'Transgenerational loss and recovery of early learning ability in foraging predatory mites', Experimental & Applied Acarology, vol. 71, no. 3, pp. 243-258. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10493-017-0122-1
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Schausberger, P & Peneder, S 2017, 'Non-associative versus associative learning by foraging predatory mites', BMC Ecology, vol. 17, no. 1, 2. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12898-016-0112-x
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Christiansen, I & Schausberger, P 2016, Benefits and costs of early learning in foraging predatory mites Amblyseius swirskii. in IOBC-WPRS Bulletin. vol. 120, pp. 5-6.
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Walzer, A, Dittmann, L & Schausberger, P 2016, Comparison of three Amblydromalus limonicus populations regarding their potential to overcome abiotic resistance of Austrian ecosystems under climate warming scenarios. in IOBC-WPRS Bulletin. vol. 120, pp. 85-86.
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Walzer, A, Osakabe, M, Murata, Y & Schausberger, P 2016, Male body size effects on mating behaviour and paternity success in polyandrous Phytoseiulus persimilis and Neoseiulus californicus. in IOBC-WPRS Bulletin. vol. 120, pp. 87-88.
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Dittmann, L, Walzer, A & Schausberger, P 2016, Population-specific cold tolerance of the predatory mite Amblydromalus limonicus. in IOBC-WPRS Bulletin. vol. 120, pp. 10-12.
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Seiter, M & Schausberger, P 2016, Predatory mite mothers prime their offspring to behave more optimally in intraguild predation environments. in IOBC-WPRS Bulletin. vol. 120, pp. 59-61.
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Showing entries 31 - 40 out of 136

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