Distribution of Understorey Web Building Spiders Along an Interface Area of Araucaria Forest and Pinus Plantation in Southern Brazil

Authors

  • Ronei Baldissera
  • Evelise Bach
  • Renata Pereira de Lima
  • Angela Menegassi
  • Angela Regina Piovesan
  • Guilherme C. da Fonseca

Abstract

In southern Brazil, the native Araucaria forest has been tremendously cut down, which created a mosaic landscape with patches of original forest and other land uses. The Floresta Nacional de São Francisco de Paula encompasses a mosaic landscape comprised of the Araucaria forest, Araucaria plantations, Pinus and Eucalyptus plantations. This study’s intention was to assess the richness and abundance of understorey web building spiders along an interface zone between an Araucaria and a Pinus patch. Spiders and other arthropods were collected by beating the vegetation inside five random plots, along five long transects parallels to the edge: one at the edge, two others 10 m and 30 m inside each patch. A randomization test was done to analyze differences in richness and abundance among distances between patches. Linear regressions were done to assess influence of the abundance of potential prey on spider richness and abundance. A total of 161 web building spiders were collected, divided in 35 morphospecies and 7 families. Four morphospecies represented around 42% of abundance. The higher abundance was of Theridiidae (17 species), followed by Araneidae (11). Richness and abundance of understorey spiders did not differ among the distances, showing presence of connectivity across the understorey vegetation of patches. Arthropod numbers positively influenced the abundance and richness of spiders. Management practices applied in this Reserve, which are selective cutting and long periods of rotations, seem to provide the growth of dense understorey vegetation along the ecotone resulting in adequate resources to support spider diversity.

Key words: edge effect, ecotone, Atlantic Forest, forest management.

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Published

2013-09-23

Issue

Vol. 3 No. 1 (2008): January/April

Section

Articles

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