On the Relationships between Ground-dwelling Spider (Araneae) Assemblages and Dead Wood in a Northern Sugar Maple Forest |
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Authors: | Hirondelle Varady-Szabo Christopher M Buddle |
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Institution: | (1) Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, Macdonald Campus, 21, 111 Lakeshore Road, H9X 3V9, Québec, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, Canada |
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Abstract: | Downed woody material (fallen logs) offers ground-dwelling spiders (Araneae) ideal sites for nesting and foraging, but little
is known about what characteristics of dead wood influence spider assemblages. In a maple forest of Forillon National Park,
in eastern Québec (Canada), spider assemblages on, adjacent to, and away from fallen logs were compared. We also tested how
log type (coniferous vs. deciduous) and decomposition stage influenced spider assemblages. Sampling was done for an intensive
four-week period using both litter samples and pitfall traps. A total of 5613 spiders representing 83 species from 16 families
was collected. Spiders were affected by the presence of logs, as both species diversity and total number of individuals collected
were significantly higher on the log surface compared to the forest floor. Ordination analysis revealed a distinct compositional
difference between the spider fauna found on the wood surface compared to the forest floor. Wood type and decomposition stage
had few significant effects on spider assemblages, except that less decayed logs supported higher spider diversity than logs
in advanced stages of decay. Dead wood is clearly important for generalist predators such as spiders, further supporting the
conservation importance of fallen logs in northern forest ecosystems. |
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Keywords: | Araneae Coarse woody debris Decomposition stage Downed woody material Forest biodiversity |
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