We documented the presence and abundance of spider species (Arachnida: Araneae) on young trees of Swietenia macrophylla, Ceiba pentandra and Cordia dodecandra found in an experimental plantation. Surveys of spider abundance and species identity conducted twice during the growing season indicated marked differences in web-building spider assemblages associated with each tree species. Swietenia exhibited the lowest spider abundance, whereas Cordia and Ceiba had similarly higher abundances. Leucauge venusta (Walckenaer, 1841) was the dominant spider on all tree species, but different spider species were co-dominant on Cordia and Ceiba (Araneus pegnia (Walckenaer, 1841) and Argiope argentata (Fabricius, 1775) respectively), and several spider species were exclusive to each tree species. These results highlight the influence of tree species identity on community structure at higher trophic levels, particularly in the case of web-building spiders inhabiting tropical tree communities.
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1 April 2017
Variation in web-building spider communities among three tropical tree species in a young experimental plantation
Luis Esquivel-Gómez,
Luis Abdala-Roberts,
Miguel Pinkus-Rendón,
Víctor Parra-Tabla
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The Journal of Arachnology
Vol. 45 • No. 1
April 2017
Vol. 45 • No. 1
April 2017
abundance
Araneae
plant traits
predator
Species composition