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Big and aerial invaders: dominance of exotic spiders in burned New Zealand tussock grasslands

Biological Invasions volume 16, pages 2311–2322 (2014)Cite this article

Abstract

As post-disturbance community response depends on the characteristics of the ecosystem and the species composition, so does the invasion of exotic species rely on their suitability to the new environment. Here, we test two hypotheses: exotic spider species dominate the community after burning; and two traits are prevalent for their colonisation ability: ballooning and body size, the latter being correlated with their dispersal ability. We established spring burn, summer burn and unburned experimental plots in a New Zealand tussock grassland area and collected annual samples 3 and 4 years before and after the burning, respectively. Exotic spider abundance increased in the two burn treatments, driven by an increase in Linyphiidae. Indicator analysis showed that exotic and native species characterised burned and unburned plots, respectively. Generalised linear mixed-effects models indicated that ballooning had a positive effect on the post-burning establishment (density) of spiders in summer burn plots but not in spring plots. Body size had a positive effect on colonisation and establishment. The ability to balloon may partly explain the dominance of exotic Linyphiidae species. Larger spiders are better at moving into and colonising burned sites probably because of their ability to travel longer distances over land. Native species showed a low resilience to burning, and although confirmation requires longer-term data, our findings suggest that frequent fires could cause long lasting damage to the native spider fauna of tussock grasslands, and we propose limiting the use of fire to essential situations.

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Acknowledgments

We are thankful to the staff and volunteers that helped collect and process the samples. Gwénaël Leday, Takayoshi Ikeda, James Ross, Richard Sedcole and Tasha Shelby provided advice for and suggestions on the manuscript. We also thank two anonymous reviewers for their useful comments. JMO was advised and funded by the Miss E.L. Hellaby Indigenous Grasslands Research Trust and the Department of Ecology, Lincoln University; BIPB, CMF and DMB were funded by the Department of Conservation (Science Investigation No. 3667), and BIPB, CMF and DMB were jointly, and CJV partially funded by New Zealand’s Foundation for Research, Science and Technology (contract CO2X0501, the Better Border Biosecurity (B3) programme, www.b3nz.org).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate, Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 15, 2100, Copenhagen E, Denmark

    Jagoba Malumbres-Olarte

  2. AgResearch Invermay, Private Bag 50034, Mosgiel, 9053, New Zealand

    Barbara I. P. Barratt, Colin M. Ferguson & Diane M. Barton

  3. Better Border Biosecurity http://b3nz.org/

    Barbara I. P. Barratt, Colin M. Ferguson & Diane M. Barton

  4. Canterbury Museum, Rolleston Avenue, Christchurch, 8013, New Zealand

    Cor J. Vink

  5. Entomology Research Museum, Lincoln University, Lincoln, 7647, New Zealand

    Cor J. Vink

  6. Department of Ecology, Faculty of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Lincoln University, Lincoln, 7647, New Zealand

    Adrian M. Paterson & Robert H. Cruickshank

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  1. Jagoba Malumbres-Olarte
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Correspondence to Jagoba Malumbres-Olarte.

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Malumbres-Olarte, J., Barratt, B.I.P., Vink, C.J. et al. Big and aerial invaders: dominance of exotic spiders in burned New Zealand tussock grasslands. Biol Invasions 16, 2311–2322 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-014-0666-5

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