Intraguild predation in biological control and conservation biology

Intraguild predation has become a major research topic in biological control and conservation ecology. Theoretical studies on intraguild predation have advanced in food web ecology and point towards basal resources being an important predictor of the outcome and the stability of intraguild interactions. Here we introduce the concept of intraguild predation and highlight the complexity of ecological interactions that may arise in natural multi-predator systems due to species diversity and patterns of abundance. We discuss the application of intraguild predation in biological control programs and conservation management, and suggest that productivity gradients should be considered in future experiments.