Forest Spider Communities Diversity

Dear Colleagues,

A substantial part of global spider species richness (currently over 48,000 species described) is harbored in forests. Spiders, being predators of other arthropods, play a significant role in forest ecosystems. With their specific but also varied biology and behavior, they interact with the biotic and abiotic features of the forest environment. The most prominent example of this is the various uses of spider silk. Capture webs determine spiders’ prey spectrum but also make use of the vegetation’s structural features and the physical properties of the abiotic environment. Importantly, spiders also use their silk for ballooning, which allows them to disperse across habitat patches and to be pioneers in newly created or converted areas. The ecological significance, extensive range of adaptations and high species, and taxon diversity make spiders an exciting group to study in natural forests. Tropical and subtropical forests, as well as remote areas, still hold many undescribed taxa and keys to phylogenetical questions. Getting a clear picture of spider diversity can contribute to our global understanding of biodiversity and biogeographical patterns. On more local scales, studying spider communities and meta-communities can provide insights into community dynamics and community assembly in the interaction with the dynamism of habitat changes. However, most habitat changes are now driven by human actions. Climate change and the ensuing transformation of forest ecosystems, intensive management, fragmentation, as well as large-scale deforestation and habitat alteration all seriously affect the forest biota, including spiders. A huge part of the forests are managed, and issues on how that management prioritizes production, conservation or recreation have a complex bearing on forest spiders. Altered forests, such as plantations, urban forests, and parks, create special biological interactions and spider communities. These complex issues also require complex methodologies to study. Molecular methods, including environmental DNA studies, are gaining ground, and the technical difficulties of collecting from canopies, high trees, and special microhabitats continue to be a challenge. Forest spiders do not just represent a diverse group, but also a huge diversity of research questions and approaches, which we intend to sample in the forthcoming Special Issue of Diversity, for which we now await submissions.

Dr. Ferenc Samu
Guest Editor

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