Abstract
Spiders are common generalist predators in terrestrial ecosystems, broadly used in diversity studies. The landscape of extensive areas of Uruguay was transformed in a mosaic of patches between natural habitats and agroecosystems. What level of change in the spider community could we expect if these areas are situated near from one another? What percentage of the native species are replaced after the plantation? How this affects the local biodiversity? A study was carried out in four neighboring areas in INIA Las Brujas, Canelones: a riparian forest, an “Espinillo” forest, an Eucalyptus globulus plantation and an artificial prairie of Trifolium pratense and Avena sativa. Spiders were captured with pitfall traps, trunk traps, sweep netting, beating and by nocturnal hand collection. A total of 3.023 adults were collected. Higher values of abundance and species richness were observed in the riparian forest. In spite of the proximity between the studied areas, a high level of replacement of species was observed, especially between natural areas and agroecosystems. The collecting protocols used could be useful to evaluate the impact of differents managements of agroecosystems in the local biodiversity and its application in environmental quality certification.
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