Tj. Martin et Re. Major, Changes in wolf spider (Araneae) assemblages across woodland-pasture boundaries in the central wheat-belt of New South Wales, Australia, AUSTRAL EC, 26(3), 2001, pp. 264-274
The abundance of wolf spiders (Lycosidae) was measured across woodland-past
ure boundaries in the wheat-belt of New South Wales, Australia, to determin
e the nature and magnitude of any edge effect. Spiders were collected by sp
otlighting along sample plots in woodlands located at distances of 5, 20, 3
5 and 200 m from the edge, and along sample plots in paddocks located at di
stances of 5 and 20 m from the edge. The wolf spider assemblage changed sig
nificantly across the edge, but the difference could be accounted for only
by a change between the woodland and the paddock and not by any changes wit
hin the woodland at different distances from the edge. Ground cover (wolf s
pider microhabitat) changed significantly between the paddock and the woodl
and, but there were no consistent differences in microhabitat with distance
from edge within either paddocks or woodlands. There was a significant cor
relation between an ordination of sites based on spider species abundance a
nd an ordination based on microhabitat variables, suggesting that the wolf
spider assemblage was responding to differences in microhabitat. Fine-scale
selection of microhabitat by most wolf spider species was non-random, with
most species preferring locations with grass cover, rather than more open
locations. The present study indicates that wolf spiders are mostly unaffec
ted by edge conditions at the woodland-paddock boundary. Accordingly, small
and/or linear remnants with high edge-to-area ratios may constitute suitab
le faunal habitat for wolf spiders and perhaps other terrestrial arthropod
species, despite the fact that this configuration is unsuitable for many ve
rtebrate species.