Spiders, spinifex, rainfall and fire: Long-term changes in an arid spider assemblage

Langlands, Peter; Brennan, Karl E. C.; Pearson, David

doi:10.1016/j.jaridenv.2006.01.018

Cited by 41 publications

(32 citation statements)

References 50 publications

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“…We suggest that in the Exuma Cays, bottomup eVects of high rainfall via increased primary productivity led to more spider prey and consequently larger spider populations, as found by Frampton et al (2000) and Langlands et al (2006). However, Carrel (2001) found no evidence that rainfall inXuenced abundance of the red widow spider, possibly because the overriding controlling factor of the spider population was predation by birds and wasps.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 67%

Climatic control of trophic interaction strength: the effect of lizards on spiders

Spiller

Schoener

2007

Oecologia

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We investigated how temporal variation in rainfall influences the impact of lizards on spiders inhabiting small islands in Abaco, Bahamas. Annual censuses of web spiders were conducted on nine lizard islands and on eight no-lizard islands 1994-2003. Repeated-measures ANOVA showed that annual variation in spider density (time) and in the lizard effect on spider density (lizard x time) were both significant. Correlation coefficients between the lizard effect (ln ratio of no-lizard to lizard spider densities) and number of rainfall days were generally negative, and strengthened with length of the time period during which rainfall was measured prior to annual spider censuses. Spider density was also negatively correlated with rainfall days and strengthened with length of the prior time period. Longer time intervals included the hurricane season, suggesting that the strong negative correlations were linked to high rainfall years during which tropical storms impacted the region and reduced spider and lizard densities. Split-plot ANOVA showed that rainfall during the hurricane season had a significant effect on the lizard effect and on spider density. Results in this study are opposite to those found in our previous 10-year study (1981-1990) conducted in the Exuma Cays, a moderately xeric region of the Bahamas, where the relation between rainfall and the lizard effect on spider density was positive. Combined data from the Exuma and Abaco studies produce a unimodal relation between trophic interaction strength and rainfall; we suggest that the negative effect of storms associated with rainfall was paramount in the present study, whereas the positive bottom-up effect of rainfall prevailed in our previous study. We conclude that climatic variability has a major impact on the trophic interaction and suggest that a substantial change in precipitation in either direction may weaken the interaction significantly.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 67%

Climatic control of trophic interaction strength: the effect of lizards on spiders

Spiller

Schoener

2007

Oecologia

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“…Similarly, a weak (but significant) positive correlation occurs between the number of spider species and depth of the leaf litter layer following logging, then burning, in the Jarrah forest . Additionally, Langlands et al (2006) show compositional shifts in desert spider species correlate with declining proportions of bare ground with time since burning. In all studies, changes in the habitat during the post-fire vegetation succession represent a mechanism that may account (in part) for the reassembly trajectory for spider assemblages following burning.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 90%

Simplifying assessment of forest management practices for invertebrates: How effective are higher taxon and habitat surrogates for spiders following prescribed burning?

Brennan

Ashby

Majer

et al. 2006

Forest Ecology and Management

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“…Some spiders vary in abundance in relation to rainfall, but with lag periods of about a year that probably reflect antecedent rain (Langlands et al, 2006). Sources of C-rich food, such as fruits for birds, may be more reliable than other food sources (Prinzinger and Schleucher, 1998;Reid, 1991).…”

Section: Clarificationmentioning

confidence: 99%

A fresh framework for the ecology of arid Australia

Morton

Smith

Dickman

et al. 2011

Journal of Arid Environments

313

247

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Spiders, spinifex, rainfall and fire: Long-term changes in an arid spider assemblage

Cited by 41 publications

References 50 publications

Climatic control of trophic interaction strength: the effect of lizards on spiders

Climatic control of trophic interaction strength: the effect of lizards on spiders

Simplifying assessment of forest management practices for invertebrates: How effective are higher taxon and habitat surrogates for spiders following prescribed burning?

A fresh framework for the ecology of arid Australia

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