Do disturbed environments affect density of the tunnel-web spider Acanthogonatus centralis (Mygalomorphae: Nemesiidae) from native grasslands in Argentina?

COPPERI, SOFÍA; POMPOZZI, GABRIEL; FERRETTI, NELSON; SCHWERDT, LEONELA

TURKISH JOURNAL OF ZOOLOGY

Scientific and Technical research Council of Turkey

Año: 2019 vol. 43 p. 146 - 151

Disturbance is an important factor affecting community composition and biodiversity in natural ecosystems. The Ventania hillsystem in central Argentina presents several ecosystem disturbances. Spiders are good candidates for studies related to human impactand conservation, as they can be good biological indicators of certain ecosystems. Therefore, we tried to elucidate if the abundance andspatial distribution of the mygalomorph spider Acanthogonatus centralis (Nemesiidae) are affected by different degrees of disturbance inthese hilly grasslands. We studied 3 sites with different levels of disturbance located in the Ventania system in southwestern Buenos AiresProvince, Argentina. We did not find differences in the mean density of A. centralis among sites. The highest density of this spider specieswas found in the site with the highest level of disturbance. In addition, the spatial arrangement indicated an aggregate distribution. Inconclusion, we found that A. centralis populations are not affected by different levels of disturbances.