Spider fauna associated to wheat crops and adjacent habitats in Buenos Aires.

ANDREA ARMENDANO AND ALDA GONZÁLEZ

REVISTA MEXICANA DE BIODIVERSIDAD

INST BIOLOGIA

Año: 2010

1870-3453

A census of spiders has been taken in winter wheat fields, as well as on their margins and wheat stubble. Spiders were collected weekly using entomological sweeping and pitfall traps, over three consecutive years. Field margins were the richest and more dense habitat (H’= 3.27, J’= 0.82) and registered on the whole, 52 species of 14 families while 31 species of 13 families have been found in wheat crops. Thomisidae and Araneidae were the most abundant families in the herbaceous layer of both the margins and the crop, and Lycosidae in the lower layer. In contrast wheat stubble recorded 17 species representatives of 8 families and was the less diverse habitat present (H’= 1.67, J’= 0.72). These results could be related to disturbance repeated by harvest, tillage and others field works. Furthermore, the similarity observed in the families of both margin and crop communities indicate that the colonization process would start in the adjacent areas.