Egypt. J. Plant Prot. Res. Inst. (2020), 3 (4): 1169-1182 Egyptian Journal of Plant Protection Research Institute www.ejppri.eg.net Spider biodiversity in connection with the vegetation structure and its surrounding soil Zaki, A.Y.; Mona, M. Ghallab; Aida, K. F. Iskandar and Marguerite, A. Rizk Plant Protection Research Institute, Agricultural Research Centre, Dokii, Giza, Egypt. ARTICLE INFO Abstract: Article History Spider activity occurred in four ornamental plants was Received: 8 / 11 /2020 assessed for a whole year using pitfall traps for ground spiders and Accepted: 29 / 12 /2020 sweeping net for vegetation or aerial spiders. A total of 456 individuals of ground and aerial spiders were collected. They Keywords belonged to 38 species, 38 genera of 7 families. Family Lycosidae was found the dominant recorded 158 individuals (61.9%) of Ground spider, ground spider, while family Salticidae of the aerial spiders Acarology, acalypha, recorded 70 individuals (33.3%) of the total aerial collected plumbago, vegetation spiders. By using shannon wiener and simpson indices, results spiders, Orman garden revealed that species diversity were high under Plumbago shrubs and Egypt. for ground spider while the highest diversity of aerial spiders was recorded on red acalypha shrubs. Monthly fluctuation of the total number of spiders should high population between May to August for ground spiders and in August to September for aerial spiders. Introduction stressed (Ghabbour et al., 1999). Few The Orman garden, which was studies have compared differences in founded in 1875, is one of the most the abundance of spiders on foliage of famous and oldest botanical gardens in different shrubs and tree species Egypt (Diwan et al., 2004) and occupies (Souza, 2005). Ghallab (2013) studied an area of 28 feddans. Spiders are an the spiders inhabiting two ornamental important component of most terrestrial plants in Orman garden. Hassan et al. ecosystems. They have conquered all (2016) studied spiders population environments, they are found in forests, inhabiting the ornamental plants at desert regions, and open environments, Cairo and Giza Governorates in four in bodies of water, under stones and on public parks, five plants of each park to the ground, on bushes and in burrows or estimate the effect of different caves. The spiders live in the gardens vegetation’s on the spiders populations. and even the houses (Bourbia et al., El-Hennawy (2017) who listed 2018). True spiders are one of the most the Egyptian spider species (405 abundance predatory groups in species, belonging to 204 genera and 41 terrestrial ecosystems. families) in a checklist which included Spiders have proved to be scientific names of spider species beneficial in regulation of agricultural recorded from Egypt, with their pests and their role as natural enemies distribution localities. Riechert and has recently been more and more Lockley (1984) observed associations 1169 Zaki et al., 2020 between spiders and certain plant Henderson (2000). Three species, in a study on the effect of traps/plant/two weeks was regularly prairie fires on spider distribution. They applied for each of the four plants attributed these associations to chosen. structural characteristics of the plants. Seventy eight traps per plant Habashy et al., (2005) indicated that the were undertaken for a year of total 312 diversity of the spider fauna in each site pitfall collections. The pitfall traps were is often related to the structural remained open for 24 hours to obtain diversity of the habitat. both diurnal and nocturnal species. Indirectly, the surface Obtained spiders were preserved in 70 vegetation affects spider population % ethyl alcohol, counted and identified density and biodiversity, which is to species level as much as possible and influenced by microclimate of the plant. deposited in plant protection research These variations in sun and shade have institute collection. We removed the a marked effect on the horizontal traps between collecting periods, but distribution patterns of many pests these were placed in the same locations affected directly on the growth rate of when sampling again. The recipients spiders. were filled with water and a small The present work study the quantity of detergent added to lower the abundance, spider density and diversity surface tension. It has been shown that in two different communities of four these traps are efficient to assess spider different evergreen shrubs represented, communities (Pearce et al., 2005). aerial spiders and ground spiders 2.2. Sweeping net: inhabiting under those shrubs in Orman A net with a deep mesh bag is garden. used to collected spiders inhabiting Materials and methods foliage by sweeping over foliage or by 1. Study area: shaking the vegetation. Everyone is This work was conducted in kept in a vial so that they do not prey on Orman garden, Giza, Egypt for a whole each other; samples were taken every year. Four evergreen shrubs were two weeks. chosen to study the effect of plant 3. Identification of spiders: structures and compositions on spider All the adults and juveniles biodiversity. were determined to species level or They were red acalypha morpho species. Specimens were (Acalypha wilkesiana marophylla identified to the family and genus levels Mül), twisted acalypha (Acalypha according to (Ubick et al., (2005) and, wilkesiana haffnanni Mül), single green when possible, to the species level with acalypha (Acalypha wilkesiana the taxonomic works of various authors. marginata Mül) and plumbago Scientific names were checked (Plumbago auriculate). Active in the World spider catalogue (2016). population density of spiders fauna was Spiders were identified according to measured for one year through four Kaston (1978), Roberts (1987), Levi seasons from January to December (2002), Oger (2002), Ovtsharenko and 2018. Tanasevitch (2002), Prószyński (2003), 2. Sampling method: Huber (2005), El-Hennawy (2017), and Spiders were collected from the study Platnick (2012). Juvenile spiders were area by two methods: identified to family or genus level, if 2.1. Pitfall trap method: possible. Spiders were collected by pitfall 4. Data analysis: traps as described by Southwood and 1170 Egypt. J. Plant Prot. Res. Inst. (2020), 3 (4): 1169-1182 4.1. Frequency and abundance Where, i = Shannon Diversity Index values: s = Number of Species Recorded n = The frequency values of the most Total Number of Individuals in the abundant species were classified into Sample three classes according to the system Results and discussion adopted by Weis Fogh (1948), 1. Species richness of the collected “Constant species” more than 50% of spiders in ground and leaves the samples, "accessory species" 25-50 inhabiting different plants evergreen % of the samples and "Accidental shrubs: species" less than 25%. 1.1. Ground spiders: On the other hand, the Table (1), showed that a total of classification of dominance values were 45 spiders were collected from red done according to Weigmann (1973) acalypha shrubs. They represented 9 system in which the species were families, 17 genera and 17 species. divided into five groups based on the Juvenile comprised 44.44%; while values of dominance in the sample; adults average 55.55%. The sex ratio eudominant species (> 30% was 5.25♂:1♀. Of the most abundance individuals), dominant species (> 10- species was Hogna ferox (13 30% individuals), subdominant (5-10% individuals) followed by Trochosa individuals) recedent species (1-5% urbana (6 individuals) and prinerigone individuals) and subrecedent species vagans (5 individuals). A total of 50 (1% individuals). spiders were collected from twisted 4.2. Species diversity: acalypha shrubs. The biodiversity of spiders They represented 10 families, collected were estimated by using 14 genera and 14 species. Juvenile equilibrium. Diversity of collected comprised 32%; while adults average spiders was determined for samples 68%. The sex ratio was 2.09♂:1♀. Of pooled over one whole year of four the most abundance species was Hogna different patterns of vegetation’s. It was ferox(18 individuals)followed by measured in each tested vegetation by Plexippus paykulli (5 individuals) and diversity index that reflected the Hasarius adansoni (6 individuals).We number of species (Richness) in the found more spiders at single acalypha samples. Three common indices were of a total of 122 spiders. They computed, shannon-wiener index "H”, represented 7 families, 11 genera and simpson index "S” and species 11 species. Juvenile comprised 80.33%; evenness. They were calculated as while adults average 19.67%. described by Ludwig and Reynolds The sex ratio was 1.67♂:1♀. Of (1988). the most abundance species was H' = -∑ (ni / n) ln (ni/n) and S = ∑ Trochosa urbana (65 individuals) (ni/n)2 followed by Hogna ferox (35 Where ni is the number of individuals individuals).The lowest number of belonging to the ith of "S" taxa in the spiders was collected from Plumbago sample and "n" is the total number of shrubs of a total of 38 spiders. They individuals in the sample. "H" is more represented 8 families, 9 genera and 9 sensitive to changes in number of species. Juvenile comprised 36.84%; species and diversity, while "S" is more while adults average 63.16%. The sex responsive to changes in the most ratio was 2.4♂:1♀. Of the most dominant species (Ludwig and abundance species was Hogna ferox (14 Reynolds 1988). individuals) followed by H. adansoni (8 Species evenness = i / Ln((s-1) / Ln(n)) individuals). 1171 Zaki et al., 2020 1.2. Leave spiders: from vegetation were family Saiticidae Table (2), showed that a total of 70 (33.33 %) and Philodromidae 56 43 spiders were collected from red (26.67%) followed by Linyphidae 17 acalypha shrubs. They represented 5 (6.67%) of ground spider. families, 14 genera and 14 species. Vegetation spiders were more Juvenile comprised 72.09%; while diverse than ground spiders and their adults average 27.91%. The sex ratio families were mor active. Activity was 1♂:1♀.