Abstract
Spiders are generalist predators distributed in a wide variety of species found in tropical ecosystems, including wetlands such as the Brazilian Pantanal. We evaluated the composition, abundance and richness of ground-dwelling spider assemblage along a vegetation mosaic in the Brazilian Pantanal. For the evaluation, 30 transects were spaced 1 km apart in a 5 x 5 km2 area according to RAPELD methodology. Each sample point was characterized by a transect with five pitfall traps, which remained installed for eight days. A total of 724 spiders, distributed in 28 families and 50 species were collected. Lycosidae, Gnaphosidae and Salticidae showed the highest abundance, and Salticidae, Linyphiidae and Lycosidae had the highest richness. No differences were observed in the composition, abundance and richness of ground-dwelling spiders between the sampled vegetation units, however, the dominance of Lycosidae and Gnaphosidae highlighted a close association with vegetation formations composed of grasses, murundu fields and pasture. Hunting spiders were more prevalent than weavers in all vegetation types. Results demonstrate that the different vegetation types found within the Pantanal are similarly favorable environments to maintain the species richness of spiders in this important Brazilian wetland. Keywords: behavioral guilds, biodiversity, edaphic fauna, wetlands.
Highlights
Material and methodsWetlands are composed of a complex of aquatic habitats, marsh land, and in the case of floodplains, rivers, such as in the Pantanal of Mato Grosso, Brazil
1989, 2006; Tissiani et al, 2015), abundance, species richness and composition of ground-dwelling spider assemblages did not show any differences between forested areas, pasture, and murundu fields
In addition to the similar distribution between vegetation types, the spider assemblage composition is comparable to those obtained in surveys conducted in the same region of the Pantanal (Castilho et al, 2005; Raizer et al, 2005; Battirola et al, 2010; Marques et al, 2010, 2011), except for the dominance of Lycosidae and Gnaphosidae
Summary
Wetlands are composed of a complex of aquatic habitats, marsh land, and in the case of floodplains, rivers, such as in the Pantanal of Mato Grosso, Brazil. In addition to these habitats, large transition zones between aquatic and terrestrial environments are common (Junk et al, 2006). The geological and geomorphological history of the Pantanal, its location along the margins of three major phytogeographical areas, and the influence of its main tributaries, together results in a high diversity of vegetation types and habitats (Nunes-da-Cunha and Junk, 1999). These features give the Pantanal a highly heterogeneous landscape, consisting of a mosaic of forests, savannahs and grasslands (Silva et al, 2000) which provide habitat for a wide variety of plant and animal species, invertebrates (Adis and Junk, 2002; Battirola et al, 2009, 2010; Marques et al, 2011; Nunes-da-Cunha and Junk, 2014)
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