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Abstract
Spiders are diverse and abundant predators on vegetation in all terrestrial ecosystems, but only a few studies have examined their role in modulating spider–herbivore interactions throughout the year. We tested the hypothesis that spiders may reduce herbivore abundance on vegetation, resulting in lower leaf area loss and increased fitness (seed set production) of plants studied. In the tropics, this relationship will continue throughout the year. Our study was conducted in a cerrado environment in Brazil, using a shrub with glandular trichomes, Chamaecrista neesiana (Leguminosae Caesalpinioideae). We recorded phenological information, as well as the herbivorous insects and spiders present, on two groups of plants: a control group in which spiders were present and an experimental group in which spiders were removed. The results indicated that spiders had a positive indirect effect on plants by reducing leaf area loss and increasing seed set production, confirming our hypothesis. The benefits were higher in the rainy season, coinciding with the peak abundance of the spider species Peucetia flava. Our results indicate that protection against herbivory by spiders in the tropical savanna is conditional on the abundance of predators over time.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
We thank Dr Antônio Brescovit for identifying the spider species and Dr German Antônio Villaneuva Bonilla for the help with the use of circular statistics. We are also grateful to Fapemig (Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de Minas Gerais, L.A.S.; K. Del-Claro), Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior/Programa Nacional de Pós-Doutorado (Pós-Graduação em Ecologia e Conservação em Recursos Naturais/Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, CAPES/PNPD; V. Stefani), and Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq; K. Del-Claro: 301605/2013-0; 473055/2012-0) for the financial support. We also thank two anonymous reviewers for their meticulous reading and insightful suggestions.
DISCLOSURE STATEMENT
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
SUPPLEMENTAL DATA
Supplemental data for this article can be accessed at publisher’s http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03949370.2020.1755372