Soil fauna constitutes one of the most abundant and richest environments on earth (Coleman et al. 2004, Fundamentals of solil ecology, 2nd ed. Elsevier Academic Press, London, UK). Different degrees of soil disturbance can affect arthropod diversity, which allows a correlation of biodiversity to quality of habitat. The present study aimed to evaluate the impact of habitat on Theraphosidae spiders, with special focus on Grammostola rosea. Slight differences in the diversity of Theraphosidae between the disturbed area of Cerro Huechuraba and the undisturbed Panul Park were found. However, a high dominance of G. rosea was observed in both study areas. G. rosea density 1,350 ind/ha in Panul Park, and 750 ind/ha in Cerro Huechuraba. UPGMA cluster analysis did not show significant differences between established environments. A standard methodology to develop inventories of Theraphosidae was proposed. The distribution of G. rosea and its natural history were reported.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.