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Unexpectedly high among-habitat spider (Araneae) faunal diversity from the Arctic Long-Term Experimental Research (LTER) field station at Toolik Lake, Alaska, United States of America

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 March 2013

Derek S. Sikes ,
Michael L. Draney  and
Brandi Fleshman
Derek S. Sikes*
Affiliation:
University of Alaska Museum, 907 Yukon Drive, Fairbanks, Alaska 99775-6960, United States of America
Michael L. Draney
Affiliation:
Department of Natural & Applied Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, 2124 Nicolet Drive, Green Bay, Wisconsin 54311-7001, United States of America
Brandi Fleshman
Affiliation:
University of Alaska Museum, 907 Yukon Drive, Fairbanks, Alaska 99775-6960, United States of America
*
1Corresponding author (e-mail: dssikes@alaska.edu).
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Abstract

A comparison is made between a three-year structured-sampling study that compared spider faunas of two tundra habitats and a single-year unstructured-sampling study, both within the Arctic Long-Term Experimental Research (LTER) field station at Toolik Lake, Alaska, United States of America. The three-year study documented 51 species and predicted a total of 60 species for the area. Our one season study documented 39 species, of which 24, or 62%, are not shared by the three-year study, raising the total count for the LTER to 75 species. These findings emphasise limitations of species richness estimation methods and help dispel the perception that Arctic tundras are homogeneous and species poor.

Résumé

Nous comparons une étude de trois ans sur les faunes d'araignées de deux habitats de toundra basée sur une échantillonnage structuré à une autre étude d'un an basée sur un échantillonnage non structuré; les deux études ont été réalisées dans le cadre de l'Arctic LTER (Long Term Experimental Research – recherche expérimentale à long terme) station de recherche au lac Toolik, Alaska, États-Unis d'Amérique. L’étude de trois ans a découvert 51 espèces et a prédit un total de 60 espèces dans la région. Notre étude d'une saison a découvert 39 espèces dont 24, soit 62%, ne sont pas partagées par l’étude de trois ans, ce qui amène le décompte total pour le LTER à 75 espèces. Ces résultats soulignent les limites des méthodes d'estimation de la richesse spécifique et aident à corriger l'impression que les toundras arctiques sont homogènes et pauvres en espèces.

Type
Biodiversity & Evolution
Information
The Canadian Entomologist , Volume 145 , Special Issue 2: Arctic Entomology in the 21st Century , April 2013 , pp. 219 - 226
Copyright
Copyright © Entomological Society of Canada 2013

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