How Do Humans Negatively Affect the Biodiversity of Spiders?
WouterSpiders play a crucial role in many ecosystems. They increase plant diversity, help control pest insects, and attract predators. However, the majority of conservationists have focused on other organisms, such as birds and mammals, while leaving spiders behind.
Generally, conservationists have been unable to produce robust scientific evidence on how humans affect spiders. This has been a result of a lack of information, such as distribution, taxonomy, life-history, and threat, on this important group of invertebrates.
Despite the importance of these factors, most spider studies have been regionally specific. Several of these studies focus on the effect of human land-use activities on spiders, which can be problematic.
The most obvious way to limit human impacts is to protect wildlife-friendly agroforestry practices. But it is also important to understand how humans impact biodiversity on a larger scale. It is estimated that humans have negatively impacted species across the globe since the industrial revolution.
To evaluate how humans affect spiders, scientists conducted a two-year study. Their results showed that human land-use activities have a negative effect on spider numbers. Among the most prominent of these effects is habitat fragmentation. These fragments strand spider populations and leave them vulnerable to existential threats. Moreover, wildfires have been shown to have a negative effect on spiders.
In addition to studying the effects of human land-use activities on spiders, researchers studied other threats to spider conservation. For example, climate change has been linked to species loss.
