Urbanization and spider diversity: Influence of human modification of habitat structure and productivity
Abstract
As a part of the Central Arizona–Phoenix Long-Term Ecological Research project, we determined how land-use alteration influenced spider and harvestman diversity. We sampled spiders in six habitat types (desert parks, urban desert remnants, industrial, agricultural, xeric- and mesic-residential yards) and tested how habitat type and productivity affected spider diversity and abundance. As expected, agricultural fields and mesic yards were more productive than the other, xeric habitats. These more productive habitats were characterized by higher abundances but lower spider diversity and were dominated by Lycosidae (wolf spiders), followed by Linyphiidae (sheet-web weavers). The increase in wolf spider abundance was positively correlated with habitat productivity and negatively correlated with the abundance of other predatory arthropods that might compete with, or prey upon, wolf spiders.
Shochat E., Stefanov W.L., Whitehouse M.E.A., and Faeth S. H., (2004) Urbanization and spider diversity: Influence of human modification of habitat structure and productivity. Ecological Applications 14, pp. 268-280.
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