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VOL. 11, ISSUE 4 (2026)
Beyond species inventories: Spider assemblages as bioindicators of urban habitat quality along an urbanization gradient in Jabalpur, Central India
Authors
Dr. Arjun Shukla
Abstract
Urbanization is a major
driver of terrestrial habitat transformation, influencing biodiversity through
habitat fragmentation, vegetation simplification, increased impervious
surfaces, microclimatic modification and changes in ecological interactions.
Spiders (Arachnida: Araneae), as diverse terrestrial predators occupying a
broad range of ecological niches, represent promising biological candidates for
assessing changes in habitat structure and environmental conditions.
Nevertheless, their effectiveness as bioindicators cannot be inferred from
species richness alone; it requires an integrated assessment of taxonomic
diversity, community composition, functional guilds, habitat associations and
independently measured environmental variables. The present critical review
evaluates the ecological basis for using spider assemblages as bioindicators of
urban habitat quality and develops a regional case-study framework for
Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, Central India. Published investigations by Gajbe
(2003, 2004) [3, 5] established an important taxonomic foundation for spider diversity in
Jabalpur. Subsequently, Khare, Shukla and Khapre (2023) [8] reported 18 species representing 15 genera and eight families from
their survey of the Jabalpur division conducted during 2019–2021. These
regional studies provide a foundation for further investigation but do not, by
themselves, establish a validated relationship between spider assemblages and
urban habitat quality. International research demonstrates that urbanization
may alter spider community composition and functional diversity, although its
effects on species richness and abundance are context-dependent. A recent
global meta-analysis reported contrasting responses among ecological guilds,
highlighting the limitations of using total richness as a universal measure of
environmental condition (Guo & Bonebrake, 2026) [7]. The present review therefore proposes a replicated, seasonally
standardized assessment of spider assemblages across natural or semi-natural
habitats, urban green spaces and highly modified urban environments in
Jabalpur. Recommended analytical approaches include diversity indices, species
accumulation, community ordination, functional-guild analysis and statistical
modelling of environmental relationships. The proposed framework aims to
advance regional spider research from descriptive inventories towards
hypothesis-driven ecological assessment. Its practical value lies in
establishing a scientifically testable foundation for urban biodiversity
monitoring, habitat-sensitive landscape management and the future validation of
spider-based environmental indicators in Central India.
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Pages:165-173
How to cite this article:
Dr. Arjun Shukla "Beyond species inventories: Spider assemblages as bioindicators of urban habitat quality along an urbanization gradient in Jabalpur, Central India". International Journal of Entomology Research, Vol 11, Issue 4, 2026, Pages 165-173
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