Tree species and microhabitat affect forest bog spider fauna

Róbert Gallé,István Urák,Andreea-Rebeka Zsigmond,Nikolett Gallé-Szpisjak,Boróka Könczey

doi:10.1007/s10342-021-01359-y

Abstract

Peat bogs are among the most threatened habitats in Central Europe. They are characterized by stagnant water with low pH and lower nutrient content compared to the surrounding habitats. The flora and fauna of peat bogs comprised of many habitat specialist and rare species. We explored the differences in spider fauna of European spruce and Scots pine forests. Furthermore, we assessed the effect of microhabitat diversity in the bog forests of the Poiana Stampei peat bog complex, Bucovina, Romania. We collected numerous rare and cold-adapted species. .We found a strong effect of forest type, presumably due to the different microclimatic conditions of the forests. European spruce forests had lower species richness of ground-dwelling fauna than Scots pine forests; however, we found contradictory results for vegetation-dwelling species richness. Hummocks had a more positive effect on the ground-dwelling spiders of Scots pine than in European spruce forests, presumably due to the more open structure of sphagnum hummocks than ground level. However, this effect was negative for vegetation dwellers. The cold-adapted species with restricted ranges are vulnerable to climate change, and bogs may serve as important micro-refugia for them. Central European bogs are isolated and highly threatened by anthropogenic activities, such as drainage, peat extraction, and eutrophication. The deterioration habitat quality of peat bogs will result in a significant loss in the regional species pool of the Carpathians.

Highlights

Heterogeneity of microhabitat structure is an inherent feature of habitats and is considered as an important driver of animal diversity (Tews et al 2004)
Our study aims to demonstrate the differences between the spider fauna of Scots pine and European spruce bog forests and the effect of hummocks on the species composition of spiders
We aimed to assess the effect of forest tree species and microhabitat on the spider fauna of bog forests

Summary

Introduction

Heterogeneity of microhabitat structure is an inherent feature of habitats and is considered as an important driver of animal diversity (Tews et al 2004). Complex habitats may provide diverse food resources and refuges, and increase species diversity (McCoy and Bell 1991). More heterogeneous habitats are thought to be more resilient to disturbances (Bellone et al 2017). Habitat heterogeneity at multiple spatial scales has been revealed as key for biodiversity conservation (Benton et al 2003; Moreno et al 2016). The importance of fine-scale habitat heterogeneity on arthropod communities was explored by several studies in Europe Habitat features and microhabitat parameters, such as decaying woody material, and shrubs are correlated with the distribution of species Habitat features and microhabitat parameters, such as decaying woody material, and shrubs are correlated with the distribution of species (e.g. Gallé et al 2014; Ziesche and Roth 2013) and the functional diversity of their communities (Gallé et al 2017)

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