Effects of a fast-burning spring fire on the ground-dwelling spider assemblages (Arachnida : Araneae) in a central South African grassland habitat

dc.contributor.authorHaddad, Charles R.
dc.contributor.authorFoord, Stefan Hendrik
dc.contributor.authorFourie, Rene
dc.contributor.authorDippenaar-Schoeman, Anna S. (Anna Sophia), 1948-
dc.date.accessioned2016-02-12T11:39:13Z
dc.date.issued2015-12
dc.description.abstractFire is widely used as a management strategy in grasslands to maintain vegetation structure and improve grazing quality for large herbivores. The impacts of burning on invertebrates in South Africa remain poorly understood. A study was initiated in spring 2005 to determine the impact of a fast hot burn on ground-dwelling spider assemblages in a grassland habitat in the central Free State. Pitfall traps were set out at six sites in the reserve, with three sites each in the burnt and unburnt areas, to sample spiders over a 12-month period. A total of 5 253 spiders were collected, representing 33 families and 120 species. Spider abundance was significantly lower in the burnt (n = 1 956) than unburnt sites (n = 3 297), and burnt sites had, on average, considerably fewer species than unburnt sites. The dominant families in the burnt sites were Lycosidae (29.5%), Gnaphosidae (16.9%), Ammoxenidae (9.6%) and Zodariidae (5.7%), whereas Ammoxenidae (22.7%), Lycosidae (20.6%), Gnaphosidae (15.3%) and Amaurobiidae (10.2%) dominated the unburnt sites. Of the nine most abundant families collected, only Caponiidae were more abundant in the burnt than unburnt sites. Our data suggest that fast-burning hot spring fires cause a considerable initial post-fire decline in spider abundance, and have a negative influence on the abundance as well as the resistance of assemblages to disturbances other than fire (e.g. rain). However, most of the dominant families had abundances comparable to unburnt areas within a year post-burn.en_ZA
dc.description.embargo2016-12-31
dc.description.librarianhb2015en_ZA
dc.description.urihttp://www.tandfonline.com/loi/tafz20en_ZA
dc.identifier.citationCharles R Haddad, Stefan H Foord, René Fourie & Anna S Dippenaar-Schoeman (2015) Effects of a fast-burning spring fire on the ground-dwelling spider assemblages (Arachnida: Araneae) in a central South African grassland habitat, African Zoology, 50:4, 281-292 DOI:10.1080/15627020.2015.1088400.en_ZA
dc.identifier.issn1562-7020 (print)
dc.identifier.issn2224-073X (online)
dc.identifier.other10.1080/15627020.2015.1088400
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/2263/51349
dc.language.isoenen_ZA
dc.publisherTaylor and Francis and NISC (Pty) Ltden_ZA
dc.rights© Zoological Society of Southern Africa. This is an electronic version of an article published in African Zoology, vol.50, no. 4, pp. 281-292, 2015. doi : 10.1080/15627020.2015.1088400. African Zoology is available online at : http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/rasr20 10.1080/15627020.2015.1088400.en_ZA
dc.subjectAbundanceen_ZA
dc.subjectFree Stateen_ZA
dc.subjectManagementen_ZA
dc.subjectResistanceen_ZA
dc.subjectSeasonen_ZA
dc.subjectSpecies richnessen_ZA
dc.titleEffects of a fast-burning spring fire on the ground-dwelling spider assemblages (Arachnida : Araneae) in a central South African grassland habitaten_ZA
dc.typePostprint Articleen_ZA

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