Naslov
Party in the dry riverbed! How spiders use different intermittent river habitats

Autori
Ružanović, Lea ; Rebrina, Fran ; Vilenica, Marina ; Medak, Kristian ; Entling, Martin H ; Brigić, Andreja

Vrsta, podvrsta i kategorija rada
Sažeci sa skupova, sažetak, znanstveni

Izvornik
Book of Abstracts of the 7th Faculty of Science PhD Student Symposium / - , 2023, 99-99

ISBN
978-953-6076-01-7

Skup
7th Faculty of Science PhD Student Symposium

Mjesto i datum
Zagreb, Hrvatska, 21.04.2023. - 22.04.2023

Vrsta sudjelovanja
Poster

Vrsta recenzije
Domaća recenzija

Ključne riječi
spiders ; intermittent rivers ; Krčić

Sažetak
Dry riverbeds are seasonally occurring habitats in most intermittent rivers, yet terrestrial invertebrates are still rarely considered in their ecological status assessment. Spiders play a vital role in the ecological dynamics of riparian habitats [1] and are among dominant taxa in dry riverbed communities alongside ants and beetles [2, 3]. This study aimed to identify the dispersal patterns of spiders during the terrestrial phase of the intermittent karst river Krčić. The study was conducted in July 2021 using cross- vane window traps set up in the dry riverbed and riparian habitats to examine spider dispersal by air, while ground-dwelling spiders were sampled by pitfall traps in the dry riverbed, riparian, and upland karst habitats. Wind speed and directionality were continuously recorded using wind loggers. The abundance of ground-dwelling spiders was significantly higher in the dry riverbed and riparian habitats than in the upland karst habitat. We assume that the higher moisture in the riverbed compared to the surrounding habitat was attractive to spiders, either directly by fulfilling their humidity requirements, or indirectly by sustaining high prey availability. Taxa richness and diversity indices of spiders collected by both trap types did not differ significantly between studied habitats. There was a positive correlation between wind speed and the abundance of spiders caught in window traps, which implies that spiders colonize dry riverbeds as a part of aerial plankton. Daily average windspeed was considered optimal for spider ballooning behavior [4]. The results show that dry riverbeds, although frequently disregarded in intermittent river ecology, contribute substantially to the overall biodiversity.

Izvorni jezik
Engleski

Znanstvena područja
Biologija

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