Epigeic Spider (Araneae) Diversity and Habitat Distributions in Kings Mountain National Military Park, South Carolina
Stellwagen SD, Culin JD, Benson E, Bridges W. 2011. Epigeic Spider (Araneae) Diversity and Habitat Distributions in Kings Mountain National Military Park, South Carolina
This study examined the epigeic spider fauna in Kings Mountain National Military Park. The aim of this study is to make this information available to park management for use in the preservation of natural resources. Pitfall trapping was conducted monthly for one year in three distinct habitats: riparian, forest, and ridge-top. The study was conducted from August 2009 to July 2010. One hundred twenty samples were collected in each site. Overall, 289 adult spiders comprising 66 species were collected in the riparian habitat, 345 adult comprising 57 species were found in the forest habitat, and 240 adults comprising 47 species were found in the ridge-top habitat. Eight species richness estimators were used to analyze the data: ACE, ICE, Chao 1, Chao 2, first-order jackknife, second-order jackknife, bootstrap, and Michaelis-Menton means. Based on the 8 species richness estimators, the riparian habitat is predicted to have between 76 and 98 total species, the forest 67 to 96 total species, and the ridge-top has 55 to 72 total species. Species accumulation curves based on the 8 species richness estimators and sampling completeness indices suggest that the realized species richness of the riparian and ridgetop habitats are closer to the actual species richness than is the forest habitat.
- Type
- Academic
- Authors
- Stellwagen, Sarah; Culin, Joseph; Benson, Eric; Bridges, William
- Date of Issue
- 2011-05
- Units
- KIMO
- Keywords
- Araneae, CUPN, KIMO, Kings Mountain, Spiders, thesis
- Subjects
- Ecological Framework: Biological Integrity | Focal Species or Communities | Terrestrial Invertebrates