Temporal changes in spider communities – Biodiversity Exploratories

Background

Many scientific studies, including those from the Biodiversity-Exploratories, have now shown that insect populations have declined in recent decades. While “insect decline” has been relatively well studied, spiders (Araneae) have been little studied in this respect.

Goals

The aim is to compare all spiders (and possibly other arthropods) between the 2015 and the current samples and to document changes in diversity and community composition.

The European garden spider (Araneus diadematus) is a common native spider species that is also occurring in the grassland sites of the Biodiversity-Exploratories.

Methods

Comprehensive sampling using a biocenometer was already done on the grassland sites of the Biodiversity Exploratories in 2015. In principle, a biocenometer is an oversized vacuum cleaner that is used to extract all arthropods from a defined area in order to subsequently count and identify them. The sampling in 2015 focused on other taxa, the spiders were not processed. As part of this cooperation project, the sampling was now repeated.

Publications

The influence of canopy opening on interactions of vertebrates with small carrion

Der Einfluss der Kronendachöffnung auf Interaktionen von Vertebraten mit Kleinaas

Totzki J. (2025): Der Einfluss der Kronendachöffnung auf Interaktionen von Vertebraten mit Kleinaas. Bachelor thesis, TU Dresden

Decomposition rates and vertebrate scavenger communities of carrion

Abbauraten und Zersetzergemeinschaften von Aas durch Wirbeltiere

Boeck F. (2025): Decomposition rates and vertebrate scavenger communities of carrion. Master thesis, TU Dresden

Impact of forest-management intensity on arthropods

Einfluss der Bewirtschaftungsintensität von Wäldern auf das Vorkommen bodenlebender Arthropoden

Flemming A. (2025): Impact of forest-management intensity on arthropods. Bachelor thesis, TU Dresden

Datasets

Non-public datasets

Cooperations are projects financed by the cooperation partners’ own funds and thus financially independent of the DFG-funded infrastructure priority program ‟Biodiversity Exploratories (BE)”. They complement the BE with further interesting research content on biodiversity research and in return benefit from the infrastructure of the Biodiversity Exploratories.

Scientific assistants

Project manager

Prof. Dr. Martin Entling

Rheinland-Pfälzische Technische Universität Kaiserslautern-Landau

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