Track 2-15: Biodiversity and Conservation of Grasslands
Description
In Uruguay natural grasslands sustain cattle ranching and are the country’s main renewable resource. This ecosystem not only serves a productive function, but also functions in geophysical processes of soils and sustaining the nation’s biodiversity through complex trophic webs (Berretta 2009). Increased pressure from human activities that exploit natural resources makes it necessary to possess tools for detecting disturbances in ecosystems and assessing their conservation status. Identifying indicator taxa is essential for evaluating the degree of impact on natural grasslands and for applying this in the development of management plans for this habitat type (Avalos et al. 2007; Cardoso et al. 2004). Terrestrial arthropods are convenient biological indicators due to their sensitivity and fast response to changes in their environment. Additionally, they can be studied through cheap and simple surveys (Gardner et al. 2008). The order Araneae is the seventh most diverse group in the animal kingdom (Coddington and Levi 1991). Spiders are the most abundant generalist predatory arthropods in most terrestrial ecosystems; they regulate herbivore populations and occupy a key position in food webs (Lawrence and Wise 2000, Ferris et al. 2000). They are involved in important biological processes in most habitats (Ziesche and Roth 2008; Van Hook 1971). In addition to the fact that this group is poorly known in Uruguayan grasslands, this study tries to gain knowledge and compare the structure and composition of the spider fauna of natural grassland in two nearby areas under different cattle management.
Included in
Spider Fauna (Araneae: Araneomorphae) in Natural Grasslands of Uruguay with Different Livestock Management
In Uruguay natural grasslands sustain cattle ranching and are the country’s main renewable resource. This ecosystem not only serves a productive function, but also functions in geophysical processes of soils and sustaining the nation’s biodiversity through complex trophic webs (Berretta 2009). Increased pressure from human activities that exploit natural resources makes it necessary to possess tools for detecting disturbances in ecosystems and assessing their conservation status. Identifying indicator taxa is essential for evaluating the degree of impact on natural grasslands and for applying this in the development of management plans for this habitat type (Avalos et al. 2007; Cardoso et al. 2004). Terrestrial arthropods are convenient biological indicators due to their sensitivity and fast response to changes in their environment. Additionally, they can be studied through cheap and simple surveys (Gardner et al. 2008). The order Araneae is the seventh most diverse group in the animal kingdom (Coddington and Levi 1991). Spiders are the most abundant generalist predatory arthropods in most terrestrial ecosystems; they regulate herbivore populations and occupy a key position in food webs (Lawrence and Wise 2000, Ferris et al. 2000). They are involved in important biological processes in most habitats (Ziesche and Roth 2008; Van Hook 1971). In addition to the fact that this group is poorly known in Uruguayan grasslands, this study tries to gain knowledge and compare the structure and composition of the spider fauna of natural grassland in two nearby areas under different cattle management.
