El bioma de la Pampa en el sur de Brasil tiene pasturas con alta biodiversidad. Dado el rápido crecimiento del cultivo de Eucalyptus sobre estas áreas de pasturas y el poco conocimiento de la fauna de arañas de suelo, se planteó hacer un reconocimiento de las arañas que ocurren allí y una evaluación cuantitativa de las diferencias en esta fauna entre los dos ambientes. Las áreas de estudio incluyeron cinco fincas cada una con los dos ambientes, pasturas nativas y plantaciones de Eucalyptus. La densidad de arañas fue de 6,53 (±1,01d.e.) individuos/m-2 en el silvicultivo y de 3,88 individuos/m-2 (±0,73) en las pasturas. Este resultado podría deberse a que las arañas encontraron más refugios bajo una capa de hojarasca más densa en el silvicultivo que en las pasturas donde pueden estar más expuestas entre otras cosas a sus depredadores. Se capturaron 24 familias de arañas, las más abundantes y diversas fueron Salticidae y Linyphiidae. Diecinueve familias se encontraron en el silvicultivo y 21 en las pasturas. Se identificaron 51 morfoespecies de arañas adultos, la más abundante es Guaraniella mahnerti. La abundancia de adultos fue marginalmente mayor en las áreas de silvicultivo. La densidad de especies no fue diferente entre ambientes o sitios, pero la equitatividad fue significativamente mayor para las pasturas. Este mayor balance en las abundancias de especies de los ensamblajes de arañas en las pasturas sugiere un ambiente más sano comparado con el de un monocultivo. El gremio más abundante fue el de las cazadoras cursoriales. Aun siendo un inventario rápido de la diversidad de arañas, la información obtenida aquí es un aporte significativo a nuestro conocimiento de cómo esta nueva tendencia económica en silvicultura afecta los ambientes nativos.

The Pampa biome in southern Brazil has grassland areas with high biodiversity. Given the fast advance of Eucalyptus silviculture over grassland areas in this biome, and the scant knowledge on the soil spider fauna in these landscapes, we aimed to provide a first view of spiders occurring there and to quantitatively evaluate differences in the spider fauna between the two environments. Study areas included five farms each with the two environments, native grassland and Eucalyptus plantation. Spider densities were 6.53 (±1.01s.e.) individuals/m-2 in silviculture and 3.88 individuals/m-2 (±0.73) in grassland. This could be due to spiders finding more shelter sites underneath a denser silviculture litter than in the grassland where they could be more exposed, for example, to their own predators. Twentyfour spider families were captured; the most abundant and diverse were Salticidae and Linyphiidae. Nineteen families occurred in the silviculture and 21 in the grassland. For adult spiders, 51 morphospecies were determined, the most abundant being Guaraniella mahnerti. Adult abundance was marginally significant for environment, with silviculture areas having more spiders. Species density did not differ between environments or sites, but evenness was significantly higher for the grassland. This better balance in species abundances for spider assemblages in grasslands suggests a healthier environment compared to a monoculture. The most abundant guild was that of the running hunters. Even as a rapid spider diversity inventory, the information gathered here adds considerably to our knowledge on how this new economic upsurge in silviculture affects native environments.

Galling arthropods create plant structures inside which they find shelter. Factors acting on galler diversity are still being discussed, with this fauna considered more diverse in xeric than mesic environments (higrothermic stress hypothesis, HSH), and also in more plant diverse sites. Here we compare galler abundance (N), equitability (E), species richness (S) and composition between adjacent restinga (xeric) and swamp forests (mesic) in Parque Estadual de Itapeva (29°21' S, 49°45' W), Rio Grande do Sul, southern Brazil. Five trails, two in swamp forest and three in restingas, were sampled four times each (January/December 2005). After an effort of 60h/person, 621 galled plant individuals belonging to 104 gall morphotypes were recorded. This suggests a high galler diversity for the Park, comparable to the richest places known. No differences were found for N, E or S between restingas and swamp forests. However, faunal composition differs significantly between the vegetation types. The dominant (most abundant) species are different in either vegetation type, and are rare or absent on the other vegetation type. Such species composition analysis is still largely ignored for gallers, and stresses the fact that the HSH cannot explain this pattern, since the latter is based on preferences by the ovipositing galler for xeric sites instead of mesic ones. The two habitats differ in microclimate, but species richness, as would be predicted by the HSH, does not differ. This small scale pattern can perhaps be attributed to biogeographic processes on larger scales, as suggested by the resource synchronisation hypothesis.

Las arañas son uno de los grupos de depredadores terrestres más numerosos que se encuentran en diversos ambientes tales como agroecosistemas y áreas circundantes. Es importante investigar los cambios en diversidad de arañas en agroecosistemas debidos al manejo agrícola. Este trabajo evaluó riqueza, abundancia, y similitud de arañas en diferentes etapas de desarrollo de un cultivo de arroz y sus áreas adyacentes. El área de estudio fue la estación experimental de Arroz en Cachoeirinha, Rio Grande do Sul state, sur de Brasil. Un total de 50 pases de una red entomológica por transecto se utilizó como muestra; los transectos se dispusieron en un campo de arroz, una pastura (antes era un campo de arroz) y en el borde de un bosque cercano. Se capturaron 2717 arañas, 78,7% fueron juveniles y la mayoría fueron hembras (1,22:1). Se capturaron representantes de 15 familias. Las familias dominantes fueron Oxyopidae (N = 753) y Araneidae (371). Se capturaron 85 morfoespecies (adultos), las especies más abundantes fueron Oxyopes salticus (N = 120) y Alpaida veniliae (62). La mayoría de los adultos se encontraron en el borde de bosque (62), con menores abundancias en el cultivo de arroz (38) y en la pastura (26) respectivamente. Se encontraron diferencias significativas en la composición de especies de arañas tanto entre ambientes como entre las edades del cultivo. Solo ocho morfoespecies fueron comunes a todas las áreas; el borde de bosques tiene el mayor número de especies exclusivas (42). El área de cultivo tiene una composición característica de especies, posiblemente debido a la selectividad ecológica de las arañas. La diversidad fue más alta en el borde de bosque, lo que sugiere que este ambiente es un refugio importante para la fauna que habita en sectores con alta perturbación antropogénica como los agroecosistemas.

Spiders are one of the most numerous groups of terrestrial predators and these are found in diverse environments such as agroecosystems and nearby areas. Research on spider diversity in agroecosystems is important for following changes in fauna brought about by management. This work evaluated spider richness, abundance, and species composition similarity between a rice agroecosystem and adjacent environments at different development stages of the crop. The study area was Estação Experimental do Arroz, in Cachoeirinha, Rio Grande do Sul state, south Brazil. A sweep net was used with 50 passes per transect as a sample; transects were set in a rice field, in a grassland (a former rice field), and in a nearby forest edge. We sampled 2,717 spiders; 78.7% were young and most adults were females (1.22:1). Representatives of 15 families were collected, the most dominant being Oxyopidae (n = 753) and Araneidae (n = 371). Representatives of 85 morphospecies (adults) were sampled, with the most abundant being Oxyopes salticus (n = 120) and Alpaida veniliae (n=62). Most species were found on the forest edge (62), followed by rice crop (38) and grassland (26). There were significant differences in spider species composition among environments and rice culture periods. Only eight morphospecies were common to all areas; forest edge had the higher number of exclusive species (42). Rice had a typical composition of species, probably due to the ecological selectivity of the spiders. Diversity was higher in the forest edge, suggesting this environment as an important refuge for the fauna living in areas with high anthropogenic disturbance as agroecosystems.