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Gavish-Regev E, Armiach Steinpress I, Salman INA, Segev N, Uzan A, Byun Y, Levy T, Aharon S, Zvik Y, Shtuhin R, Shapira Y, Majer M, Ganem Z, Zonstein S, Magalhaes ILF, Lubin Y. Five-Year Monitoring of a Desert Burrow-Dwelling Spider Following an Environmental Disaster Indicates Long-Term Impacts. INSECTS 2022; 13:insects13010101. [PMID: 35055943 PMCID: PMC8780495 DOI: 10.3390/insects13010101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2021] [Revised: 01/04/2022] [Accepted: 01/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Simple Summary Deserts are characterized by unpredictable precipitation, extreme temperatures, and plants and animals that are specialized to live in these habitats. Consequently, desert organisms often recover slowly, if at all, from human-induced environmental disasters. We studied the effects of two nearby oil spills from a broken pipeline, one that occurred in 1975 and another recent one in 2014, on a burrow-dwelling spider in the extreme desert of the ‘Arava valley (Israel). We compared the abundance of spider burrows in plots contaminated by the oil with nearby unaffected plots over a 4-year period. The abundance was significantly lower in plots with oil-contaminated soil, both in the recent (2014) oil spill area and in the area affected by the 1975 spill. In the laboratory, we found that when offered oil-contaminated versus clean desert soil substrates, spiders chose the clean soil substrate. We conclude that the populations of this burrow-dwelling spider were affected negatively by the oil spills and, furthermore, showed long-lasting impacts from a 40-year-old spill. We propose that burrow-dwelling spiders can be used as effective bioindicators of persistent soil pollution in desert habitats. Abstract Deserts are characterized by unpredictable precipitation and extreme temperatures. Their fauna and flora are sensitive to anthropogenic environmental changes, and often recover slowly from environmental disasters. The effects of oil spills on the biota of desert regions, however, have scarcely been studied. We predicted that terrestrial invertebrates suffer long-term negative effects from an oil spill, due to their close association with the substrate. Thus, we investigated the effects of two oil spills that occurred in 1975 and 2014 in the hyper-arid ‘Arava desert (Israel), on a spider that constructs silk-lined nests in burrows in compact, sandy soil in this extreme desert habitat. The spider, Sahastata aravaensis sp. nov. (Filistatidae), is described herein. We assessed spider burrow abundance in plots located in oil-contaminated and nearby uncontaminated clean soil (control) areas over five consecutive years and measured habitat characteristics in these plots. In the laboratory, we determined the preference of individuals for clean vs. oil-contaminated soil as a resting substrate. Finally, as this species was previously undescribed, we added a new species description. The abundance of Sahastata was significantly lower in oil-contaminated plots, and this was the case in the 40-year-old oil spill (1975) as well as in the recent one (2014). In laboratory tests, spiders showed a significant preference for the clean soil substrate over the oil-contaminated substrate. In the field, soil crust hardness and vegetation density did not differ significantly between oil-contaminated and control plots, but these measures were highly variable. The burrows were significantly clustered, suggesting that the young disperse only short distances. In the laboratory adult spiders did not dig burrows, perhaps indicating that adults remain permanently in their natal burrows and that in the field they may use vacant burrows. We conclude that Sahastata populations were affected negatively by the oil spills and these effects were long-lasting. We propose that by monitoring their spatial distribution, burrow-dwelling spiders such as Sahastata can be used as effective bioindicators of soil pollution in desert habitats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Efrat Gavish-Regev
- The National Natural History Collections, Edmond J. Safra Campus, Givat Ram, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 9190401, Israel; (I.A.S.); (A.U.); (Y.B.); (T.L.); (S.A.); (Y.Z.); (R.S.); (Y.S.); (Z.G.)
- Correspondence:
| | - Igor Armiach Steinpress
- The National Natural History Collections, Edmond J. Safra Campus, Givat Ram, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 9190401, Israel; (I.A.S.); (A.U.); (Y.B.); (T.L.); (S.A.); (Y.Z.); (R.S.); (Y.S.); (Z.G.)
- The Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, Edmond J. Safra Campus, Givat Ram, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 9190401, Israel
| | - Ibrahim N. A. Salman
- French Associates Institute for Agriculture and Biotechnology of Drylands, The Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Sede Boqer Campus, Midreshet Ben-Gurion 8499000, Israel;
- Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Midreshet Ben-Gurion 8499000, Israel; (M.M.); (Y.L.)
| | - Nitzan Segev
- Dead-Sea & Arava Science Center, Yotvata 8882000, Israel;
| | - Assaf Uzan
- The National Natural History Collections, Edmond J. Safra Campus, Givat Ram, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 9190401, Israel; (I.A.S.); (A.U.); (Y.B.); (T.L.); (S.A.); (Y.Z.); (R.S.); (Y.S.); (Z.G.)
| | - Yebin Byun
- The National Natural History Collections, Edmond J. Safra Campus, Givat Ram, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 9190401, Israel; (I.A.S.); (A.U.); (Y.B.); (T.L.); (S.A.); (Y.Z.); (R.S.); (Y.S.); (Z.G.)
| | - Tanya Levy
- The National Natural History Collections, Edmond J. Safra Campus, Givat Ram, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 9190401, Israel; (I.A.S.); (A.U.); (Y.B.); (T.L.); (S.A.); (Y.Z.); (R.S.); (Y.S.); (Z.G.)
| | - Shlomi Aharon
- The National Natural History Collections, Edmond J. Safra Campus, Givat Ram, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 9190401, Israel; (I.A.S.); (A.U.); (Y.B.); (T.L.); (S.A.); (Y.Z.); (R.S.); (Y.S.); (Z.G.)
- The Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, Edmond J. Safra Campus, Givat Ram, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 9190401, Israel
| | - Yoram Zvik
- The National Natural History Collections, Edmond J. Safra Campus, Givat Ram, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 9190401, Israel; (I.A.S.); (A.U.); (Y.B.); (T.L.); (S.A.); (Y.Z.); (R.S.); (Y.S.); (Z.G.)
- The Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, Edmond J. Safra Campus, Givat Ram, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 9190401, Israel
- The Scorpion Research Lab, Hoopoe Ornithology & Ecology, Yeroham 8051875, Israel
| | - Raisa Shtuhin
- The National Natural History Collections, Edmond J. Safra Campus, Givat Ram, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 9190401, Israel; (I.A.S.); (A.U.); (Y.B.); (T.L.); (S.A.); (Y.Z.); (R.S.); (Y.S.); (Z.G.)
| | - Yotam Shapira
- The National Natural History Collections, Edmond J. Safra Campus, Givat Ram, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 9190401, Israel; (I.A.S.); (A.U.); (Y.B.); (T.L.); (S.A.); (Y.Z.); (R.S.); (Y.S.); (Z.G.)
| | - Marija Majer
- Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Midreshet Ben-Gurion 8499000, Israel; (M.M.); (Y.L.)
| | - Zeana Ganem
- The National Natural History Collections, Edmond J. Safra Campus, Givat Ram, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 9190401, Israel; (I.A.S.); (A.U.); (Y.B.); (T.L.); (S.A.); (Y.Z.); (R.S.); (Y.S.); (Z.G.)
- The Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, Edmond J. Safra Campus, Givat Ram, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 9190401, Israel
| | - Sergei Zonstein
- Steinhardt Museum of Natural History, Tel Aviv University, 12 Klausner St., Tel Aviv 6139001, Israel;
| | - Ivan L. F. Magalhaes
- División Aracnología, Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales “Bernardino Rivadavia”—CONICET. Av. Ángel Gallardo 470, Buenos Aires C1405DJR, Argentina;
| | - Yael Lubin
- Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Midreshet Ben-Gurion 8499000, Israel; (M.M.); (Y.L.)
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Ferrante M, Möller D, Möller G, Menares E, Lubin Y, Segoli M. Invertebrate and vertebrate predation rates in a hyperarid ecosystem following an oil spill. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:12153-12160. [PMID: 34522367 PMCID: PMC8427564 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.7978] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2021] [Revised: 07/07/2021] [Accepted: 07/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Extreme temperatures and scarce precipitation in deserts have led to abiotic factors often being regarded as more important than biotic ones in shaping desert communities. The presumed low biological activity of deserts is also one reason why deserts are often overlooked by conservation programs. We provide the first quantification of predation intensity from a desert ecosystem using artificial sentinel prey emulating caterpillars, a standardized monitoring tool to quantify relative predation pressure by many invertebrate and vertebrate predators. The study was conducted in a protected natural area affected by oil spills in 1975 and 2014; hence, we assessed the potential effects of oil pollution on predation rates. We found that predation was mostly due to invertebrate rather than vertebrate predators, fluctuated throughout the year, was higher at the ground level than in the tree canopy, and was not negatively affected by the oil spills. The mean predation rate per day (12.9%) was within the range found in other ecosystems, suggesting that biotic interactions in deserts ought not to be neglected and that ecologists should adopt standardized tools to track ecological functions and allow for comparisons among ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco Ferrante
- Mitrani Department of Desert EcologyBlaustein Institutes for Desert ResearchBen‐Gurion University of the NegevMidreshet Ben‐GurionIsrael
- Ce3C ‐ Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental ChangesAzorean Biodiversity GroupFaculty of Agricultural Sciences and EnvironmentUniversity of the AzoresAngra do HeroísmoPortugal
| | - Daniella Möller
- Mitrani Department of Desert EcologyBlaustein Institutes for Desert ResearchBen‐Gurion University of the NegevMidreshet Ben‐GurionIsrael
| | - Gabriella Möller
- Mitrani Department of Desert EcologyBlaustein Institutes for Desert ResearchBen‐Gurion University of the NegevMidreshet Ben‐GurionIsrael
| | - Esteban Menares
- Mitrani Department of Desert EcologyBlaustein Institutes for Desert ResearchBen‐Gurion University of the NegevMidreshet Ben‐GurionIsrael
- Department of EcologyBrandenburg University of Technology Cottbus‐SenftenbergCottbusGermany
| | - Yael Lubin
- Mitrani Department of Desert EcologyBlaustein Institutes for Desert ResearchBen‐Gurion University of the NegevMidreshet Ben‐GurionIsrael
| | - Michal Segoli
- Mitrani Department of Desert EcologyBlaustein Institutes for Desert ResearchBen‐Gurion University of the NegevMidreshet Ben‐GurionIsrael
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