Dominance structure and guild composition of spider assemblages in the Purna Wildlife Sanctuary, Gujarat, India.

Purna Wildlife Sanctuary is a protected area situated in the northern most tip of one of the hottest hotspots - Western Ghats. Knowledge of the biodiversity structure of such important areas is essential for conservation planning and management. Besides being an excellent indicator of species diversity and health of terrestrial ecosystems, spiders still remain almost a neglected group of animals in conservation point of view. Aim of this paper is to study the dominance structure and guild composition of spiders of Purna Wildlife Sanctuary, as these compositions indicate the quality of biodiversity of this protected area. Dominance structure was measured using Tischler's scale and guild structure analysis that was done based on ecological attributes of each spider family. Eudominant species in Purna Wildlife Sanctuary was found to be Argiope pulchella (Family Araneidae). Dominant guild was Orbweb weavers. This paper also attempts to update the spider diversity in Purna Wildlife Sanctuary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]