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Effects of reconstruction of a pre-European vertebrate assemblage on ground-dwelling arachnids in arid Australia

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Abstract

Species loss can result in changes in assemblage structure and ecosystem function through ecological cascades. Australian vertebrate assemblages changed significantly following European colonisation, which resulted in the establishment of invasive vertebrates and the loss of native marsupials, many of which consume invertebrates. Conservation focusses on the removal of invasive carnivores and the reintroduction of regionally extinct species to fenced sites, resulting in what could be considered a reconstruction of pre-European vertebrate assemblages. In semi-arid Australian spinifex mallee ecosystems, we asked: (1) what is the effect of reconstructed pre-European vertebrate assemblages on native arachnid assemblages? and (2) what direct or indirect mechanisms (predation, disturbance and/or competition) could plausibly be responsible for these effects? We compared sites with reconstructed vertebrate assemblages with paired control sites. Arachnids were sampled using pitfall trapping and direct searching. Hypotheses regarding mechanisms were tested using scat analysis (predation) and by comparing burrow depth (disturbance) and scorpion mass (competition) between control and reconstructed sites. The dominant dune scorpion, Urodacus yaschenkoi, was less abundant and a wolf spider (Lycosa gibsoni species group) more abundant in reconstructed sites. Differences in spider assemblage composition were marginally non-significant. Scat analysis confirmed native vertebrate predation on scorpions and we found no evidence that competition or disturbance affected scorpions. We, thus, suggest that changes in spider assemblages may have resulted from ecological cascades via decreases in dune scorpions. The loss of omnivorous mammals and other changes associated with the invasion of carnivores may, therefore, have had broad-reaching consequences for native arachnid assemblages in Australian ecosystems.

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Acknowledgments

We thank the Australian Wildlife Conservancy (AWC) staff, in particular, Jennifer Cathcart, Tony Cathcart, Felicity L’Hotelier and Joe Stephens, for their hospitality and assistance at Scotia Sanctuary. We are grateful to Graham Milledge from the Australian Museum, Sydney, for his assistance with the identification of spiders. We thank Rhian Bonnici for assistance with the scorpion counting and identification. Gratitude is also extended to Dr. Pat Woolley of La Trobe University for the suggestion of using ultraviolet light for scat examination, and to Angus Clayton and Melbourne Museum’s Live Exhibits Department for assistance in the field. This research was funded by a grant from the Australia and Pacific Science Foundation (APSF 0904) and a Future Fellowship to HG (FT130100821). Ethics approval (TRIM 08/8469) was granted by the Animal Care and Ethics Committee, Department of Primary Industries, NSW.

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  1. Department of Zoology, La Trobe University, Melbourne, VIC, 3068, Australia

    Colin J. Silvey & Heloise Gibb

  2. Australian Wildlife Conservancy, Scotia Sanctuary, CARE P.O., Wentworth, NSW, 2648, Australia

    Matthew W. Hayward

  3. School of Environment, Natural Resources and Geography, Bangor University, Bangor, Gwynedd, LL57 2UW, UK

    Matthew W. Hayward

  4. Museum Victoria, GPO Box 666, Melbourne, VIC 3001, Australia

    Colin J. Silvey

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Silvey, C.J., Hayward, M.W. & Gibb, H. Effects of reconstruction of a pre-European vertebrate assemblage on ground-dwelling arachnids in arid Australia. Oecologia 178, 497–509 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-014-3189-y

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