Comparative Study of Spider Communities in Alfalfa and Soybean Ecosystems: Foliage-Dwelling Spiders

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Abstract
Spider communities were characterized using several ecological parameters to determine whether a more persistent community structure developed over a three-year period in a perennial crop (alfalfa) than in an annual crop (soybean). In alfalfa, seasonal trends in species richness, evenness, and guild structures were distinctly different during the initial growing season when compared to the two subsequent seasons. In soybean, seasonal patterns of species richness were similar among years, while those of evenness and guild structures varied. By the second year following planting, the alfalfa foliage spider community had become established. In soybean, the development of a stable community structure is impossible due to the transitory nature of the habitat, which results in a “new” assemblage of spiders in the soybean foliage during each growing season.