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Diversity And Community Assembly Patterns Of Epigean Vs. Troglobiont Spiders In The Iberian Peninsula, Pedro Cardoso
Diversity And Community Assembly Patterns Of Epigean Vs. Troglobiont Spiders In The Iberian Peninsula, Pedro Cardoso
International Journal of Speleology
Cave-obligate organisms usually have smaller ranges and their assemblages have higher beta diversity than their epigean counterparts. Phylogenetic and functional diversity is usually low in cave communities, leading to taxonomic and functional disharmony, with entire groups missing from the subterranean realm. The objective of this work is to compare range, beta diversity, phylogenetic and functional diversity, taxonomic and functional disharmony of epigean versus troglobiont spiders in the Iberian Peninsula.
The median extent of occurrence was found to be 33 times higher for epigean than for cave species. Beta diversity was significantly higher for troglobiont assemblages. Cave assemblages present lower phylogenetic …