Abstract
From 2000 to 2006 a total of 52 CPUE samples of spider wasps (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae) were collected in the mosaic landscape of the Kampinos National Park (Poland), which is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. The hypothesis tested was that both pompilid richness and abundance is positively associated with spatial heterogeneity. The patterns in spider wasp assemblages were identified using a Kohonen artificial neural network (i.e., self-organizing map). The highest numbers and greatest richness of pompilids were recorded at sites in open habitats, especially those located on dry soils that are the preferred nesting sites of ground nesting (endogeic) spider wasps. However, pompilid distribution depended not only on the character of a sampling site, but also its location in a mosaic of habitats. The highest values of pompilid abundance and richness were also recorded at sites surrounded by several different habitats. Both parameters were lower at sites in more homogenous areas, where there were fewer habitats within the flight ranges of spider wasps. A group of three cultural species (Agenioideus cinctellus, A. sericeus and Auplopus carbonarius) was identified that is significantly associated with wooden buildings. The results of this study are thus consistent with the concept that habitat heterogeneity enhances faunal diversity, as each type of habitat, including anthropogenic ones, potentially contributes to a wider range of available resources.
Highlights
Members of different genera or even subfamilies of Pompilidae look very similar, which is why their identification requires both experience and patience (WiĞniowski, 2009)
The study of this group has been regarded as difficult (Day, 1988). This is why there are only a few ecological papers on pompilids. The latter are studied either as a part of (1) assemblages of predatory Aculeata occurring in certain habitats including raised bogs (Shlyakhtenok, 2007), pine forests (Shlyakhtenok & Agunovich, 2001), linden-oak-hornbeam and thermophilous oak forests and moist meadows (SkibiĔska, 1989a, b), or (2) a guild of cavity-nesting Aculeata (Tscharntke et al, 1998; Buschini & Woiski, 2008)
Nesting behaviour and prey choice varies within the family (Evans & West-Eberhard, 1970; Day, 1988; O’Neill, 2001; WiĞniowski, 2009)
Summary
Members of different genera or even subfamilies of Pompilidae look very similar, which is why their identification requires both experience and patience (WiĞniowski, 2009). The study of this group has been regarded as difficult (Day, 1988). This is why there are only a few ecological papers on pompilids. The resources used by spider hunting wasps are complex and diverse They need appropriate nesting sites, nectar or aphid honeydew as a source of energy for adults and a spider-host for larval development (Day, 1988; O’Neill, 2001; WiĞniowski, 2009). Pompilids hunt for spiders of many families, choosing spiders of an ecological group rather than a particular species (Finch, 1997; WiĞniowski, 2009) and visit plants of many families (WiĞniowski, 2009). Nesting strategies of the different species vary with respect to the part of a habitat in which they build their nest, the type of substrate they use and the materials required for nest construction
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