Surface-Active Spiders (Araneae) in Ley and Field Margins
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Norw. J. Entomol. 51, 57–66. 2004 Surface-active spiders (Araneae) in ley and field margins Reidun Pommeresche Pommeresche, R. 2004. Surface-active spiders (Araneae) in ley and field margins. Norw. J. Entomol. 51, 57-66. Surface-active spiders were sampled from a ley and two adjacent field margins on a dairy farm in western Norway, using pitfall traps from April to June 2001. Altogether, 1153 specimens, represent- ing 33 species, were found. In total, 10 species were found in the ley, 16 species in the edge of the ley, 22 species in the field margin “ley/forest” and 16 species in the field margin “ley/stream”. Erigone atra, Bathyphantes gracilis, Savignia frontata and Collinsia inerrans were the most abun- dant species in the ley. C. inerrans was not found in the field margins. This species is previously recorded only a few times in Norway. Diplocephalus latifrons, Tapinocyba insecta, Dicymbium tibiale, Bathyphantes nigrinus and Diplostyla concolor were most abundant in the field margin “ley/ forest”. D. latifrons, D. tibiale and Pardosa amentata were most abundant in the field margin “ley/ stream”, followed by E. atra and B. gracilis. The present results were compared to results from ley and pasture on another farm in the region, recorded in 2000. A Detrended Correspondence Analyses (DCA) of the data sets showed that the spider fauna from the leys were more similar, independent of location, than the fauna in ley and field margins on the same locality. The interactions between cultivated fields and field margins according to spider species composition, dominance pattern and habitat preferences are discussed. Key words: Araneae, biodiversity, organic farming. Reidun Pommeresche, Norwegian Centre for Ecological Agriculture (NORSØK) N– 6630 Tingvoll, Norway. E-mail: [email protected] INTRODUCTION Small pioneer species that have good ability of In cultivated areas, a mosaic landscape of small- dispersal, are characteristic for frequently distur- sized cultivated fields and semi-natural habitats bed areas like ley and cereal fields, and have been increases and maintains a higher arthropod called agrobiont species (Luczak 1979). The most diversity as compared to larger cultivated fields important disturbances in cultivated fields influ- with less areas for field margins (Duelli et al. 1990, encing the spider fauna are soil tillage, use of Dennis et al. 2000). Species richness has also been pesticides, harvesting and grazing. Differences in shown to decrease with increased intensity of land the spider fauna between cultivated fields and use, such as numbers and types of grass cuttings, adjacent field margins or other habitats have been grazing intensity, tillage intensity and pesticide studied in various systems (Bishop & Riechert use (Downie et al. 1998, Marc et al. 1999). Increa- 1990, Kromp & Steinberger 1992, Sunderland & sed spider diversity was found in cultivated fields Samu 2000). When the spider fauna in the culti- by use of non-cropped stripes, intercropping, vated fields is disturbed, e.g. because of soil til- undergrowth, partial weediness, mulching and lage, a re-establishment of the fauna may occur reduced tillage in various studies, reviewed by by species and individuals surviving in the field Sunderland & Samu (2000). margins. Hence, the field margins serve as a source of re-invading species. Both for insects and spi- 57 Pommeresche: Surface-active spiders (Araneae) in ley and field margins Figure 1: The location of the study area at Aasprang (2001 data set) and at Tingvoll (2000 data set), western Norway. ders, the adjacent field margins have been shown other arthropods. Organic farming systems are to contribute to a higher biodiversity in the field, dependent on the local conditions to a much larger with the diversity declining from the field margins extent than conventional systems. As a conse- into the cereal fields (Dennis et al. 2000). Habitats quence, basic biological knowledge is of large im- in which the vegetation cover is structurally com- portance in organic farming, which aims at a high parable to the cultivated fields, are often better biodiversity and well balanced self-regulating sources of spider species abundant in the main agroecosystems. Organic farming has been shown fields, than habitats that are structurally more to have positive effects on floral and faunal different (Stevenson & Dindal 1980, Duelli et al. diversity, as reviewed by Stoltze et al. (2000). In 1990). A study of the importance of long-distance general, the knowledge of spiders in Norwegian (aerial dispersal by ballooning) versus short- cultivated areas is scarce, and only one study of distance (walking on the ground) dispersal of spiders in organically managed ley and pasture spiders re-colonising the cultivated fields, has been conducted (Pommeresche 2002). indicated that ballooning was the main mode of The present study presents spider species found dispersal (Bishop & Riechert 1990). In organically in a ley and two adjacent field margins during managed leys in western Norway, Bathyphantes one season. Spider species composition, dominan- gracilis, Erigone atra, Oedothorax fuscus and ce patterns and habitat preferences are discussed Savignia frontata were the most abundant species to reveal possible interactions between the spider (Pommeresche 2002), whereas E. atra, E. den- fauna in field margins and in the cultivated field. tipalpis and O. apicatus were the most abundant The study is one of a series of investigations into in conventionally grown barley fields from the spider fauna in Norwegian agricultural fields, different parts of Norway (Andersen 1990). All adjacent field margins and semi-natural habitats. these species mainly disperse by ballooning. Spiders are an important part of the fauna in cultivated areas, especially because they prey on 58 Norw. J. Entomol. 51, 57–66. 2004 METHODS AND MATERIAL The results are compared to a study from an or- ganic dairy farm located 15 km away, at Tingvoll, Site description conducted in 2000 (Figure 1). At Tingvoll a young The study area was located on the dairy farm ley (YL), established in 1999 and an old ley (OL) Aasprang at Meisingset, western Norway, EIS 85, established in 1997 were studied, in addition to a MRY, Tingvoll (Figure 1). Since 2000, the farm permanent pasture (PA). YL, OL and PA were all is under conversion to organic management. In sampled for spiders in the middle (M) and in the 2001 spiders were collected in a 4 year old ley, edge (E). More details about this study are found and in two of the adjacent field margins. The ley in Pommeresche (2002). was a mixture of timothy (Phelum pratense L.), fescue grass (Festuca pratensis Huds.) and white Sampling and identification clover (Trifolium repens L.). In the year of esta- Spiders were collected in pitfall traps consisting blishment, 1998, herbicide was used once, but no of plastic jars 6.5 cm , 1/3 filled with 50 % pesticides have been used later. Both animal propylene glycol and 1-3 droplets of soap as deter- manure and mineral fertiliser have been used on gent. On each site, seven traps were placed 2 m the ley. Twice a year the ley is harvested for silage, apart in a row. In the sampling period, lasting from and in the autumn grazed by cows. Total 30 April to 18 June 2001, the traps were emptied precipitation in 2001 was 1320 mm, and the yearly twice. Catches from each site were accumulated mean temperature was 5.6 OC (max + 25.5 OC, and treated as one sample. Only few juveniles (1.5 min –17.5 OC). %) were found, and only adult spiders were identified to species and discussed in this paper. The site called “ley middle” (LM) was located in Pitfall trapping is the most commonly used the central part of the ley, and the site called “ley sampling method for spiders (Hänggi et al. 1995). edge” (LE) was in the edge of the ley, 3 m from The method samples mostly surface-active spiders the field margin along a stream. The two field and is a measure of the activity-density of spiders, margins are called “field margin forest” (FMF) rather than of the total density (Tretzel 1955, Uetz and “field margin stream” (FMS). It is a small & Unzicker 1976). The identification keys of stream, about 1.5 m wide, with high and dense Roberts (1993a; 1993b) and Nentwig et al. (2003) vegetation along the stream banks. The water flow were used, and nomenclature and taxonomy are is very low during the summer. Both field margins in accordance with Platnick (2003). The author were 3-5 m wide and located along opposite sides names of the spider species are found in Table 1. of the ley. The vegetation in both field margins consisted of stinging nettle (Urtica dioica L.), Data analysis raspberry (Rubus idaeus L.), meadowsweet (Fili- To detect patterns in the spider fauna from pendula ulmaria (L.) Maxim.), cow-parsley different sites, an ordination technique of (Anthriscus sylvestris (L.) Hoffm.) and high gras- multivariate analysis was used (ter Braak 1995). ses like reed canarygrass (Phalaris arundinacea This “Detrended Correspondence Analysis” L.) and couch grass (Elytrigia repens (L.) Nevski). (DCA) was run by CANOCO 4.5 software. The On FMF also tussock-grass (Deschamsia caes- analysis arranges the data so that sites close to- pitosa (L.) PB.) was found, and on FMS cocksfoot gether in the plots are similar in species com- (Dactylis glomerata L.) and timothy. FMF borders position, while those that are further apart are less a row of large larch trees (Larix sp) undergrown similar. The analysis is based on the spider species with buckthorn (Prunus padus L.), and is more and the number of specimens within each species shady than FMS. Another field margin, and found on each site. another ley are located on the other side of both field margins. Pesticides have never been used in the field margins.