Conifer plantations in grassland and subtropical forest: Does spider diversity respond different to edge effect?

PINTO, CAROLINA M.; SANTOANDRÉ, SANTIAGO; ZURITA, GUSTAVO; BELLOCQ, M. ISABEL; FILLOY, JULIETA

JOURNAL OF FOREST RESEARCH

SPRINGER TOKYO

Año: 2018 p. 1 - 7

1341-6979

Two adjacent habitats separated by an abrupt transition often cause strong alterations in environmentalconditions resulting in what is called the edge effect. The structural similarity between theadjacent habitats determines how abrupt the transition is. We explored the response of spidercommunities to the edge effect in mature pine plantations and compared for the first time thoseresponses in contrasting biomes (subtropical forest and grassland) in southern South America. Weexpect that the higher the contrast between the natural habitat and the conifer plantation, thehigher will be the magnitude and the lower the extent of the response of species richness andabundance to edge effect. We sampled spiders using pitfall traps located from the edge to theplantation interior, and environmental variables were measured in pine plantations (Pinus taeda)adjacent to native grassland and subtropical forest. Results revealed that wandering spiders weresensitive to edge effect in both subtropical forest and grassland, primarily reflected by a decline inthe abundance toward plantation interiors. However, the magnitude and the extent of spiderabundance response to the edge effect were similar between pine plantations developing in forestand grasslands biomes. Microclimatic conditions and vegetation cover partially explained speciesabundance from the edge to plantation interior. Our findings suggest that conifer plantationswould promote spider richness if a wide range of microhabitats were provided and support theuse of spider abundance to assess edge effect in forested landscapes.