Publication Date
Spring 2025
Abstract
Cursorial spiders are members of the Araneae order that actively hunt prey instead of using primarily web-based methods. Not only is this group incredibly diverse, but they are also incredibly sensitive to habitat changes and anthropogenic disturbance as a result of their role as widespread predators to arthropods. Consequently , they are widely regarded as effective bioindicators of ecosystem health, allowing land managers to more easily monitor a spaces’ conservation status and health. Despite this, Araneae do not frequently find themselves the focus of study when compared to other taxa, necessitating further research. This study surveyed Araneae -specifically of the superfamily Lycosoidea and family Sparassidae- across a disturbance gradient in the Upper Amazonían region of Ecuador to better understand cursorial spider population dynamics. To accomplish this I established a 200 meter survey transect in each of four different habitat types: Pasture, Edge, Early Secondary Forest, and Old Secondary Forest. A total of twenty hours were spent conducting active nocturnal surveys utilizing hand collection methods, split evenly across the four habitats. I found that measures of population diversity generally increased with decreasing anthropogenic disturbance, with high species turnover accompanying the change from herbaceous-vegetation dominated habitat to that dominated by woody-stemmed plants. Statistically significant bioindicators of high and low levels of anthropogenically disturbed habitat were identified, with two Pisauridae species identified as indicators of less disturbed habitat types and additional Pisauridae and Lycosidae species associated with more highly disturbed habitat. This work primes further investigation of these species as bioindicators for use by land-managers and conservationists.
Disciplines
Life Sciences
Recommended Citation
Cummings, Jacob, "Hunting for Ecosystem Health: Cursorial Spiders as Bioindicators of Anthropogenic Disturbance in the Ecuadorian Upper Amazonía" (2025). Ecuador: Comparative Ecology and Conservation. 11.
https://digitalcollections.sit.edu/ece/11