Effects of mowing on body size patterns in spider assemblages of mesic meadows.

Habitat disturbance affects not only the abundance, species richness and species composition of the local fauna, but also the body size of specific individuals and body size patterns in animal assemblages. Particularly large disturbances occur in agroecosystems, where many agricultural treatments are carried out. One of them, which is most commonly applied to grasslands and which significantly damages the habitat structure, is mowing.

Spider Assemblages of Tree Trunks and Tree Branches in Three Developmental Phases of Primeval Oak-Lime-Hornbeam Forest in the Białowieża National Park.

The study was conducted in the Białowieża Forest, which is the only place in Europe where the full development cycle of forests takes place on a large scale. The objective of this study was to compare spider assemblages inhabiting tree trunks and tree branches in the optimal, terminal and regeneration phases of a primeval oak-lime-hornbeam stand, in terms of their abundance, species diversity and species richness. Spiders of tree branches were sampled using a sweep net into which branches were shaken, while spiders inhabiting tree trunks were collected using traps made of corrugated cardboard placed around the trunks.

Changes in Biomass and Diversity of Soil Macrofauna along a Climatic Gradient in European Boreal Forests.

Latitudinal gradients allow insights into the factors that shape ecosystem structure and delimit ecosystem processes, particularly climate. We asked whether the biomass and diversity of soil macrofauna in boreal forests change systematically along a latitudinal gradient spanning from 60° N to 69° N. Invertebrates (3697 individuals) were extracted from 400 soil samples (20 × 20 cm, 30 cm depth) collected at ten sites in 2015-2016 and then weighed and identified.

Xerophilic Alopecosa sulzeri (Pavesi, 1873) (Araneae: Lycosidae)-a new wolf spider species in Poland.

There are 44 species and subspecies of the genus Alopecosa known in Europe, and 13 of them have so far been listed as occurring in Poland. Alopecosa sulzeri (Pavesi, 1873) is a xero- and thermophilic species distributed in the western Palearctic. In Europe, it occurs primarily in the south-east, while it is rare in Central Europe.

β-diversity decreases with increasing trophic rank in plant - arthropod food chains on lake islands.

Contrasting trophic theories of island biogeography try to link spatial patterns in species distribution and richness with dietary preferences, arguing that the spatial turnover of species among habitat patches changes with trophic rank causing a systematic change in the proportion of plants, herbivores, and predators across habitats of different size. Here we test these predictions using quantitative surveys of plants, spiders, and herbivores as well as of omnivorous and predatory ground beetles on undisturbed Polish lake islands. We found decreased proportions of predators and habitat generalists on larger islands.