Search

Traditional woodland management created a mosaic of differently aged patches providing favorable conditions for a variety of arthropods. After abandonment of historical ownership patterns and traditional management and the deliberate transformation to high forest after World War II, large forest areas became darker and more homogeneous. This had significant negative consequences for biodiversity. An important question is whether even small-scale habitat structures maintained by different levels of canopy openness in abandoned coppiced forest may constitute conditions suitable for forest as well as open habitat specialists. We investigated the effect of canopy openness in former traditionally coppiced woodlands on the species richness, functional diversity, activity density, conservation value, and degree of rareness of epigeic spiders. In each of the eight studied locations, 60-m-long transect was established consisting of five pitfall traps placed at regular 15 m intervals along the gradient. Spiders were collected from May to July 2012. We recorded 90 spider species, including high proportions of xeric specialists (40%) and red-listed threatened species (26%). The peaks of conservation indicators, as well as spider community abundance, were shifted toward more open canopies. On the other hand, functional diversity peaked at more closed canopies followed by a rapid decrease with increasing canopy openness. Species richness was highest in the middle of the canopy openness gradient, suggesting an ecotone effect. Ordinations revealed that species of conservation concern tended to be associated with sparse and partly opened canopy. The results show that the various components of biodiversity peaked at different levels of canopy openness. Therefore, the restoration and suitable forest management of such conditions will retain important diversification of habitats in formerly coppiced oak forest stands. We indicate that permanent presence of small-scale improvements could be suitable conservation tools to prevent the general decline of woodland biodiversity in the intensified landscape of Central Europe.

Th e aim of this study was to investigate the eff ect of selective logging on species richness, composition, and conservation value of epigeic spider community. We studied an initial stage of abandoned coppice restoration in the Děvín National Nature Reserve (Czech Republic). We sampled experimental plots in forest stands with three canopy thinning intensities: strong, moderate, and nonintervention as a control. Altogether, we collected 3,683 adult spiders representing 21 families, 70 genera, and 116 species including 23 red-listed and threatened species. Th e species richness and degree of rareness signifi cantly increased with the intensity of canopy thinning. Ordination analyses showed that species of conservation concern inclined towards plots with strong canopy thinning. However, some conservation-valuable species tended to be associated with non-intervention plots. Our results suggest that the best silviculture practice for spider diversity conservation is a combination of various thinning intensities on a small scale. Such management would support high species richness with the presence of rare and threatened species. Accordingly, we argue that using selective logging and a partial return to traditional coppicing management can be an appropriate strategy for biodiversity conservation in lowland woodlands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Th e aim of this work was to assess the eff ect of stand age and type of forest management on the species richness and abundance of spiders, ground beetles, centipedes, millipedes and woodlice. Th e arthropods were sampled in four treatments – clearings, young, middle-aged and old forest stands. Th e eff ect of management was evaluated for clearings and old forest stands. Clearings and older stands hosted the highest species richness for most of the studied groups of arthropods. On the contrary, the lowest species richness was found mainly in young stands. Our results emphasized the high importance of uneven-aged silviculture. Most species were found in clearings without mechanical soil preparation. Th erefore, mechanical soil preparation is not suitable for the studied groups of arthropods. Responses to the management of the old stands varied for diff erent arthropod groups. It is necessary to limit the large-area milling of clearings and maintain continuity of both commercial and non-interventional old forest stands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Among the genera of the family Scorpiopidae Kraepelin, 1905 Alloscorpiops remains yet rather discrete. New species were added to this genus only recently, increasing its number from two to six. Therefore, species of Alloscorpiops can be considered rare and uncommonly collected. One particular new species, Alloscorpiops viktoriae sp. n., is described based on two females and one pre-adult male collected from the northern part of central Myanmar (Burma). The new species presents most features exhibited by scorpions of the genus Alloscorpiops, but it is characterised by a moderate to small size, very strongly marked granulation, and a particular trichobothrial pattern. Aspects of the ecology and distribution of the new species are discussed and compared with those of other species of genus Alloscorpiops. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spiders (Araneae) are a classic indicator taxon for evaluating the health of natural environments. Here, spiders from the forest ecosystems in Špraněk National Nature Reserve (Olomoucký Region) were investigated. A total of 1195 specimens were collected by pitfall traps, individual collection, sweeping herb vegetation, beating shrubs and trees, and shifting leaf litters. Currently, 126 species from 23 families from April to October 2013 were recorded. The species diversity in the Špraněk area is rather high, representing approximately 14 % of Czech araneofauna. The most abundant species were Pardosa alacris and Xerolycosa nemoralis from the family Lycosidae. Of the identified species, 15 species were found listed in the Red List of Threatened Species in the Czech Republic (EN -- 1 species, VU -- 5 species, LC -- 9 species). Several findings represent the northernmost occurrences of rare thermophilic spiders in Moravia and even the Czech Republic. In addition, the author proposed management methods of the locality and suggests management efforts which can improve conditions for biodiversity within the studied area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents spider faunistics from abandoned coppice oak forest stands located along the South Moravia region. Spiders were collected from May to July 2012 by pitfall trapping at eight different localities. We collected 1945 adult spiders representing 20 families, 53 genera, and 90 species. More than one-third of all the species are known to be xerothermophilous with ecological restrictions to open and partly shaded habitats such as forest-steppe and sparse forests which belong to endangered habitats along central Europe. The most abundant species were Pardosa alacris, P. lugubris and Arctosa lutetiana from the family Lycosidae. In the surveyed area, 24 species were found listed in the Red List of Threatened Species in the Czech Republic (CR -- 1 species, EN -- 2 species, VU -- 15 species, LC -- 6 species). In general, we discovered a substantially diversified spider community with a large presence of rare and endangered species characteristic for open and xeric habitats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coppice abandonment had negative consequences for the biodiversity of forest vegetation and several groups of invertebrates. Most coppicing restoration studies have focused only on a single trophic level despite the fact that ecosystems are characterized by interactions between trophic levels represented by various groups of organisms. To address the patterns of functional diversity in the perspective of coppicing restoration, we studied the short-term effects of conservation-motivated tree canopy thinning in an abandoned coppice with standards in Central Europe, a region where such attempts have been rare so far. The functional diversity of vascular plants and spiders, chosen as two model trophic groups within the forest ecosystem, was compared between thinned and control forest patches. To characterize functional patterns, we examined several functional traits. These traits were assigned to two contrasting categories: response traits reflecting a change of environment (for both vascular plants and spiders) and effect traits influencing the ecosystem properties (only for vascular plants). Functional diversity was analysed by CCA using two measures: community-weighted means (CWM) and Rao's quadratic diversity (RaoQ). CCA models revealed that the canopy thinning had a positive effect on the diversity of the response traits of both trophic groups and negatively influenced the diversity of effect traits. In addition, we found distinct seasonal dynamics in functional diversity of the spider communities, which was probably linked to leaf phenology of deciduous trees. We conclude that canopy thinning affected functional diversity across trophic groups during the initial phase of coppicing restoration. With necessary precautions, careful canopy thinning can be effectively applied in the restoration of functional diversity in abandoned coppices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Faunistic records of spiders in dry dipterocarp forests of Thailand are presented. Spiders were surveyed from November 2008 to December 2012. A total of 1,926 spider individuals were collected from 16 locations by visually searching, sweeping grasses and herb vegetation, beating shrubs and trees, and shifting leaf litters. Spiders were identified to 106 species in 86 genera of 29 families. The families Araneidae, Salticidae, Thomisidae, Tetragnathidae, and Theridiidae exhibited higher species richness. Several families that are rare and poorly known in Thailand were recorded, such as Stenochilidae, Eresidae, Idiopidae, Theraphosidae, and Nemesiidae. A faunistic overview of the spiders found in dry dipterocarp forest is presented. In general, the diverse composition of spiders and their guilds and the occurrence of rare and poorly known species in the Thai region confirm the high biotic value of dry dipterocarp forests. Continuing to maintain dry dipterocarp forest functions should be considered in future studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Renewable energy production is gaining momentum globally as a way to combat climate change without drastically reducing human energy consumption. Solar energy offers the fastest developing solution. However, ground-mounted solar panels have a high land requirement, which leads to conflicts with other land use types, particularly agriculture and biodiversity conservation. The dual land use of agrivoltaics, i.e., continuing agricultural production under and between solar panels, may alleviate farmers' concerns, but less effort has been made to reconcile solar development with biodiversity conservation. Here we provide a framework for creating a win-win situation for this growing challenge using recent literature on solar park habitats complemented with ecological theories. We also highlight important knowledge gaps that future research should address. Our framework uses a unique land-sharing approach and is based on five pillars that cover key aspects of solar park planning and maintenance: (1) eco-smart siting in the landscape, which considers ecological interactions with the landscape matrix and trade-offs between multiple small vs. fewer large solar parks; (2) eco-smart park layout to address the ecological aspects of the spatial configuration of solar park infrastructure; (3) creation of diverse, novel grassland ecosystems with high ecosystem service provisioning capacity using a trait-based ecosystem design approach; (4) management of the novel ecosystem throughout the lifespan of the solar parks; and (5) ensuring stakeholder engagement to integrate this in a viable business model with high community acceptance. With this framework, we open the way for a new multifunctional land use type: the ecovoltaic park. • Solar power is the prevailing renewable worldwide. • Solar park development leads to conflicts with biodiversity conservation. • Solar park siting and infrastructure design should consider ecological aspects. • Species-rich novel grassland should be created and managed in the parks. • The resulting ecovoltaic parks may represent a win-win situation for all stakeholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]