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Background
The North Atlantic archipelagos of Madeira and Selvagens present a unique biological diversity including, presently, 56 endemic spider species. Several recent projects provide valuable information on their distribution across most islands and habitats. To date, the only endemic spider assessed according to the IUCN Red List criteria is H...
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In this chapter, we summarize the ecological information available on the species of arthropods, reptiles, terrestrial birds and mammals known to occur at Península Valdés, within the context of the Monte and Patagonia eco-regions. Two hundred species of insects and spiders, 12 species of reptiles, 139 species of birds and 23 species of native mamm...
Citations
... On the Canary Islands and Madeira, wildfires occur annually (European Forest Fire database, 2022). Several Canarian endemic forest plants have been shown to be sensitive to wildfires (Garz on-Machado et al., 2012) and endemic Madeiran spiders are also threatened by wildfires (Cardoso et al., 2017). The IUCN Red List of Threatened species lists 106 species from the Canary Islands and 137 species for Madeira, which are threatened by increasing wildfire frequencies (IUCN, 2022). ...
Wildfires increase globally in frequency and extent as a consequence of climate change. These wildfires may have negative effects on insect populations.
Macaronesia is a global biodiversity hotspot with wildfires occurring annually, but the consequences of these wildfires on endemic insects are poorly understood.
Using bioacoustics monitoring, we studied the consequences of recent wildfires on two endemic silvicolous Macaronesian Bush‐Cricket species, which are listed as threatened on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
Our results show that wildfires had strong negative effects on populations of both species. However, when analysing the effects of fire history and size, we found that one of the species was found on older burnt sites, suggesting a capacity to recolonise smaller burnt areas from adjacent non‐burnt areas.
Reducing wildfire frequency and size will be crucial to conserving the two species. Additionally, restoring native laurel forest vegetation will support the recovery of both species.
... Cardoso et al. (2011) identified seven impediments to effective conservation of invertebrates, among them most have to do with lack of knowledge on the animals and their roles, from lack of scientific knowledge such as true number of species (including lack of funding, species description, distribution etc.), and from knowledge and interest from the public and policy makers. The effort allocated to invertebrate conservation is overshadowed not the least in comparison to popular larger mammals or other´charismatic´species (Cardoso et al., 2011;Cardoso et al., 2017;Milano et al., 2021) who receive so much attention as to cast a´conservation shadow´over the majority of life on earth-a´conservation charisma challenge´. For example, while there are over 50,000 known spider species only 148 are currently listed on the IUCN red list (Milano et al., 2021), the lack of information and conservation effort is likely even poorer for other arachnids. ...
... Such scales go as far as the microhabitat level, as threat might be influenced by it. As an example, classical sampling of Madeiran spiders suggests ground-associated species are at greater risk of local extinction than those from canopy microhabitats (Cardoso, Crespo, Silva, Borges, & Boieiro, 2017;Crespo, Silva, Enguídanos, Cardoso, & Arnedo, 2021). This parallels more general inferences for greater climate change impacts for forest floor arthropod species compared to canopy species in Puerto Rico (Lister & Garcia, 2018). ...
Current understanding of ecological and evolutionary processes underlying island biodiversity is heavily shaped by empirical data from plants and birds, although arthropods comprise the overwhelming majority of known animal species, and as such can provide key insights into processes governing biodiversity. Novel high throughput sequencing (HTS) approaches are now emerging as powerful tools to overcome limitations in the availability of arthropod biodiversity data, and hence provide insights into these processes. Here we explore how these tools might be most effectively exploited for comprehensive and comparable inventory and monitoring of insular arthropod biodiversity. We first review the strengths, limitations and potential synergies among existing approaches of high throughput barcode sequencing. We consider how this can be complemented with deep learning approaches applied to image analysis to study arthropod biodiversity. We then explore how these approaches can be implemented within the framework of an island Genomic Observatories Network (iGON) for the advancement of fundamental and applied understanding of island biodiversity. To this end, we identify seven island biology themes at the interface of ecology, evolution and conservation biology, within which collective and harmonised efforts in HTS arthropod inventory could yield significant advances in island biodiversity research.
... For example, only one species among the nearly 4,500 spider species known from Europe, is listed in the EU Habitats Directive, whereas 50 butterflies out of 496 and 16 dragonflies out of 143 feature, demonstrating a remarkable taxonomic bias even within invertebrates (Cardoso, 2011). Furthermore, extinction risk has been assessed for fewer than 100 European species in the Global Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), mostly from the Macaronesian archipelagos of Madeira and Selvagens (Cardoso et al., 2017). By comparison, the extinction risk of 97% of European butterflies (van Swaay et al., 2010) and dragonflies (Kalkman et al., 2010) has been assessed. ...
Despite their ecological importance and diversity, spiders (Arachnida: Araneae) are underrepresented in conservation policies in comparison to other groups. We review all extant conservation tools focusing on spiders in Europe, highlighting general patterns, limitations, gaps, and future directions. We assembled a comprehensive online database reporting all available information concerning the legal protection and conservation status of 4,154 spider species. Existing international legislation has limited coverage, with only one species listed in the Bern Convention and EU Habitats Directive. At the national and subnational levels, 178 species are formally mentioned in the legislation of 19 European countries. Moreover, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) includes assessments for 301 species worldwide, 164 of these threatened and eight native to Europe. In addition, spiders are mentioned in Regional Red Lists and Red Books in 28 out of 42 European countries considered in this review. Northern and Central European countries have the highest percentage of species assessed at the regional level in Red Lists and Red Books. The Mediterranean basin has the highest spider diversities in Europe but conservation efforts are lacking, both in terms of assessments and national or subna-tional legislation. Among European species, Dolomedes plantarius, Argyroneta aquatica and Eresus kollari are the most frequently mentioned in European conservation measures, possibly due to their ecological traits and their strict association with declining habitats. Considering the current threats to spiders in Europe, the protection of large areas of suitable habitat should be considered as the most effective approach to spider conservation.
... Conservation: Given its observed range in Madeira island, coupled with the presence of native forest throughout the north coast of the island, we can assume that as long as efforts are made to maintain the patches of laurel forest, we will be able to find large populations of D. coiffaiti [see detailed conservation profile in Cardoso et al. (2017)]. The populations that live in Deserta Grande and Bugio inhabit a completely different habitat, devoid of any tree cover. ...
... The data is too sparse to provide accurate insights on the actual range of the species; however, we can assume that as long as efforts to maintain the patches of laurel forest are made, we will be able to find specimens of D. diversa. See detailed conservation profile in Cardoso et al. (2017). ...
... The rugged and steep geomorphology also creates a physical impediment for a good inventory of Madeira island, with many inaccessible slopes and secluded valleys left to sample. Both species mainly occur in the area inside the Madeira laurel forest Unesco World Heritage Site (Unesco World Heritage Committee, 1999), a conservation rank which should safe keep the native habitats where both species are found (Cardoso et al., 2017). ...
Dysdera is a highly speciose genus of mid-sized, nocturnal hunting spiders, mostly circumscribed to the Mediterranean. The genus managed to colonize all Macaronesian archipelagos, and underwent major diversification in the Canary Islands. Here, we report on an independent diversification event on the Madeira archipelago. Based on the integration of morphological and molecular evidence, we describe 8 new species to science, Dysdera dissimilis sp. nov., Dysdera exigua sp. nov., Dysdera isambertoi sp. nov., Dysdera precaria sp. nov., Dysdera recondita sp. nov., Dysdera sandrae sp. nov., Dysdera teixeirai sp. nov., Dysdera titanica sp. nov. and redescribe Dysdera coiffaiti, Dysdera diversa and Dysdera portisancti. We synonymize Dysdera longibulbis and Dysdera vandeli under D. coiffaiti and D. diversa, respectively. Additionally, we use a multilocus target gene phylogeny to support a single colonization event of the archipelago followed by in situ diversification. We further discuss the discovered diversity patterns and their drivers. We conclude to that many of the species inhabit disturbed or fragile habitats and should be considered of high conservation concern.
... While not widespread, some species management policies have been applied to spiders. In Portugal, the conservation plan for H. ingens has included ex-situ conservation (Crespo et al., 2014;Cardoso et al., 2017) and in the UK, Dolomedes plantarius (Clerck, 1757) was protected by a species management programme that included monitoring, conservation management and a translocation programme (Dolomedes.org.uk, 2018). ...
... 2018). Ex-situ conservation was also considered for Xysticus grohi (Wunderlich, 1992) (Cardoso et al., 2017) and Vesubia jugorum (Simon, 1881) (Mammola et al., 2016). Ex-situ conservation is traditionally done in zoos and serves multiple purposes: 1) individuals kept in zoos can act as a failsafe in case in-situ populations disappear, 2) on a lesser scale, they can be used to repopulate depleted regions and 3) showcasing threatened species at zoos is an education and awareness measure that raises public consciousness towards neglected spider species. ...
Despite the prominent role of spiders in most ecosystems, these invertebrates are still notably endangered as well as underrepresented in current conservation efforts. We sent a survey to spider experts and enthusiasts belonging to arachnological societies across the globe to determine the general consensus on globally relevant threats to spiders as well as the most relevant conservation measures. We report that respondents found agriculture, livestock farming & forestry, climate change, urbanisation and pollution (including pesticides) to be the most relevant threats to spider species worldwide. Likewise, land protection and education & awareness were considered the most relevant conservation measures to avoid species declines and extinctions. Although these results tend to be consistent across the biogeographic regions of expertise of respondents, there was significant variation between regions. We discuss the support and justification for the patterns found, their regional variations, and the relevance of threats and conservation measures. This is the first global roadmap for spider species conservation action and research. In general, land should be set aside for species protection, agroforestry practices should be carefully considered, climate change should be mitigated, and the general public should be made more aware of spiders, their importance and the threats they face.
... The peninsula hosts a large diversity of invertebrates and is of particular interest for the conservation of rock-dwelling arthropods (e.g., the Madeira archipelago wolf spider [Hogna insularum]), endemic to arid areas of the Madeira archipelago. Within the species heavily dependent on the availability and nondisturbance of surface rocks, we highlight the Madeira flower spider (Misumena nigromaculata), an IUCN Data Deficient species with the last confirmed sighting from 1940 (Cardoso et al. 2017) and the peninsula's terrestrial mollusks (Teixeira and Abreu 2003). Regarding the latter, we know of 35 species that inhabit the peninsula, including several narrow-range endemics with areas of occurrence as small as 1 km2 (e.g., São Lourenço's snail [Amphorella tornatellina minor]). ...
This letter to the editor describes the surge of “photo-friendly” stacks of stones as an emerging tourism-associated threat to rock-dwelling biodiversity.
... However, they are flexible enough to vary these two basic units as long as they are analytically comparable, and can select among the traditional collecting methods or incorporate new ones depending on the habitats intended to be sampled (Cardoso et al. 2008a(Cardoso et al. , 2008b(Cardoso et al. , 2009aCarvalho et al. 2012;Castanheira et al. 2016;Coddington et al. 1991;Coddington et al. 1996;Coddington et al. 2009;Muelelwa et al. 2010;Scharff et al. 2003;Silva-Davila & Coddington 1996;Sørensen et al. 2002;Toti et al. 2000). Furthermore, optimized versions have been proposed for several ecosystems along temperate and tropical latitudes (Cardoso 2009;Cardoso et al. 2017a;Emerson et al. 2017;Malumbres-Olarte et al. 2017. ...
... In addition, these optimizations allow to explore larger areas with the same resources, given that sampling per each plot does not need to be so intensive (Malumbres-Olarte et al. 2017). In terms of conservation, they contribute to the rapid acquisition of data regarding how species distributions change in space and time identifying taxa or areas for environmental protection or restoration ( Cardoso et al. 2011Cardoso et al. , 2017a). ...
Spider community inventories have relatively well-established standardized collecting protocols. Such protocols set rules for the orderly acquisition of samples to estimate community parameters and to establish comparisons between areas. These methods have been tested worldwide, providing useful data for inventory planning and optimal sampling allocation efforts. The taxonomic counterpart of biodiversity inventories has received considerably less attention. Species lists and their relative abundances are the only link between the community parameters resulting from a biotic inventory and the biology of the species that live there. However, this connection is lost or speculative at best for species only partially identified (e. g., to genus but not to species). This link is particularly important for diverse tropical regions were many taxa are undescribed or little known such as spiders. One approach to this problem has been the development of biodiversity inventory websites that document the morphology of the species with digital images organized as standard views. Their main contributions are the dissemination of phenotypic data for species difficult to identify or new with the assignment of species codes, allowing species comparisons between areas regardless of their taxonomic status. The present paper describes a protocol to produce these websites almost automatically. This protocol was successfully applied to 237 species from a tropical primary forest in Mexico. The time and infrastructure required for the documentation of these species are discussed. Taxonomic information in terms of identification challenges, possible new species, and potential nomenclatural issues is described. In addition, the conventional community parameters (e. g., inventory completeness, species richness estimations, sampling intensity) are also calculated and compared through time and between methods. An optimized version for sampling allocation effort per season is presented and compared with protocols optimized for other tropical forests.
... Moreover, if these surveys are repeated through time, reliable trends in distributional range and population size can be measured. Cardoso et al. (2017) suggested that most endemic spiders from Madeira are in a favourable situation as laurel forests are well preserved. As the spider assemblage in the Canary laurel forest highlights for its richness and endemicity, conservation efforts should be focused on the protection of this habitat in order to preserve its biota. ...
During a survey of spiders in the protected area of Montaña de La Breña (La Palma, Canary Islands), a total of 54 species from 24 families were recorded. Porrhoclubiona minor, Leptodrassus albidus, Macarophaeus varius, Silhouettella loricatula and Ballus chalybeius are reported for the first time for La Palma.
... On the other hand, contractions in the distribution range can be expected within most restricted cryophilic taxa(Mammola, Goodacre, & Isaia., 2017). Ecological hypotheses about the effect of climate change on organisms dwelling in stable habitats, such as caves, represent a challenging and fast-moving field of research.The status of conservation of most subterranean spiders is unknown,given that a few species have been assessed according to the IUCN criteria(Borges, Crespo, & Cardoso, 2016;Cardoso, 2010;Cardoso, Crespo, Silva, Borges, & Boieiro, 2017;Cardoso & Hilton-Taylor, 2015;IUCN, 2017;Mammola, Hormiga, & Isaia, 2017). Of these, most assessments are now outdated, having been made before the adoption of the current criteria in 2001, and thus not comparable with the current criteria. ...
... Of these, most assessments are now outdated, having been made before the adoption of the current criteria in 2001, and thus not comparable with the current criteria. Therefore, there is an urgent need for IUCN assessments of European subterranean species and the development of specific conservation programmes(Borges et al., 2012;Cardoso, 2012b;Cardoso, Stoev, Georgiev, Senderov, & Penev, 2016;Cardoso et al., 2011Cardoso et al., , 2017Mammola & Isaia, 2017a;Mart ın et al., 2010).F I G U R E 6 Proportion of epigean and cave-obligate spider species per family in Europe7 | CONCLUSIONSIn a recent review on the status of biodiversity studies in subterranean habitats, Culver and colleagues argued that (2013:49) "[. . .] perhaps the time is right for a large-scale global assessment of subterranean biodiversity." ...
We provide the first overview on spiders living in subterranean habitats in Europe, including the first European subterranean spider checklist. In Europe, there are 486 spider species known to dwell in caves and other subterranean habitats, distributed across 22 families. Despite a few species being able to colonize caves across the whole continent, approximately 90% of the species show a restricted distribution, occurring exclusively in one or two countries. From a biogeographic perspective, southern Europe emerges as the main hot spot of subterranean spider diversity, showing the highest richness of endemic species. Compared to other temperate regions of the world, some families appear to be well represented and other poorly represented (or lacking) in European subterranean habitats. Overall, it appears that the taxonomical knowledge on subterranean spiders in Europe is sufficient, but not evenly distributed. As this checklist represents a useful baseline for advances in this field, we point out specific areas of interest for future research.
