2023/06/20 by Conti, Mia, Johnson, Bryce, Tadd Kraft +1
#Agelenidae #Gnaphosidae #Plectreuridae #microhabitat #rocky chaparral #spider
paper · doi:10.21973/n3jq1w
Different ground-dwelling spiders are commonly presumed to perform the same function as dominant predators within their ecosystems. However, the possibility that they have distinct effects on their communities based on varying microhabitat preferences has been understudied. In California, common ground-dwelling spiders include Gnaphosidae (ground spiders), Agelenidae (funnel weavers), and Plectreuridae (plectreurid spiders). Although these ground-dwelling spider families can occupy the same general habitat, namely rocky chaparral, they differ in natural history and lifestyle. We investigated the effect of two specific microhabitat characteristics of rocks in a chaparral environment – the ability of these rocks to provide thermal control, overall size of the rocks, and the surrounding vegetation – to see if these spiders’ lifestyle and natural history differences impact their choice of microhabitat. We recorded that Gnaphosidae were found under rocks with denser vegetation cover than Plectreuridae; we also found that Gnaphosidae were more commonly found under thinner rocks (which correlates to warmer temperatures) and rocks with smaller imprint surface areas than both Agelenidae and Plectreuridae. Our results align with expected preferences based on the natural histories of these spiders. We believe that the differences in their natural histories and lifestyles cause the variation in microhabitat choice, and thus ground-dwelling spiders have more distinct roles in their ecosystems than previously assumed.