Spider Assemblages of Tree Trunks and Tree Branches in Three Developmental Phases of Primeval Oak–Lime–Hornbeam Forest in the Białowieża National Park

Abstract

The study was conducted in the Białowieża Forest, which is the only place in Europe where the full development cycle of forests takes place on a large scale. The objective of this study was to compare spider assemblages inhabiting tree trunks and tree branches in the optimal, terminal and regeneration phases of a primeval oak–lime–hornbeam stand, in terms of their abundance, species diversity and species richness. Spiders of tree branches were sampled using a sweep net into which branches were shaken, while spiders inhabiting tree trunks were collected using traps made of corrugated cardboard placed around the trunks. The three analysed phases did not differ in terms of total species richness. We found that the species diversity of both foliage-dwelling and trunk-dwelling spider assemblages was higher in the terminal phase compared to other phases, which may indicate that the former phase offered the most diverse niches for spiders as a result of the significant disturbance in the stand structure. In addition, we found fewer spider individuals and species in individual samples collected on tree branches from a plot in the regeneration phase compared to the other phases, which may be a consequence of the structure of the stand in this phase (low canopy cover, lush herbaceous vegetation).

Spider Ecology and Behaviour—Spiders as Model Organisms

“…The results showed that while laboratory rearing increased body mass, it reduced behavioural activities, although this reduction could be mitigated by providing litter to the rearing chambers. Marzena Sta ńska and Tomasz Sta ński [28] compared assemblages, including both cursorial and web-building spiders inhabiting the optimal, terminal/decay, and regeneration phases of a primeval forest in Poland. Interestingly, the study suggests that the highest species diversity is found in the terminal/decay phase, possibly due to more niches in that phase, while the regeneration phase had the lowest.…”