Spiders (Araneae) as a component of ground-dwelling animal assemblages of the energy crop fields in northern Bukovyna (Ukraine)

Abstract

Energy cropping has positive effect only if considering and mitigating potential biodiversity loss in agroecosystems. While investigating ground-dwelling animal assemblages in experimental fields of miscanthus and switchgrass in comparison with a legume-grass mixture and an abandoned field, we found low abundance and taxon diversity of the energy crops assemblages. Spiders comprised 3.3‒3.8% of collected arthropods in the switchgrass and miscanthus and 8.3‒10.1% in the abandoned field and grass mixture. Forty-seven spider species were collected: 14 species in the miscanthus field, 18 in the switchgrass, 23 in the grass mixture and 31 in the abandoned field. Spider diversity was the lowest in the miscanthus, while the number of specimens was minimal in the switchgrass. According to our findings, energy crops hosted poor spider assemblages with no species found exclusively in these habitats. To mitigate the negative impact of biofuel production on biodiversity, we recommend preserving areas of semi-natural vegetation in the agricultural landscape.

Keywords

• spider diversity
• habitat preference
• bioindicators
• biofuel
• agroecosystems