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Biogeography of arachnofauna of the Alps
Šilhavá, Alena ; Šťáhlavský, František (advisor) ; Řezáč, Milan (referee)
This bachelor thesis gives a summarizing overview of the biogeography of arachnofauna of the Alps. It covers five orders of arachnids residing in the Alps, namely scorpions (Scorpiones), pseudoscorpions (Pseudoscorpiones), palpigrades (Palpigradi), harvestmen (Opiliones) and spiders (Araneae). The work is focused on the distribution of endemic and subendemic species of these orders of arachnids and on factors that can influence their distribution and total diversity in the Alps. It turns out that temperature and humidity are important factors. Pseudoscorpions occur more frequently in warmer areas at lower altitudes, while especially scorpions of the genus Euscorpius (Alpiscorpius) and harvestmen are more tolerant to areas with a lower temperature, while harvestmen especially require sufficient humidity. For spiders in the mountains of the Alps total species richness and density decreases mainly from open land to the forest. Total diversity in the Alps has also been influenced by temperature oscillations during the Quaternary climatic changes and different positions and types of refugia. This is apparent at the species closely related to soil environment, such as palpigrades or cave pseudoscorpions of the family Syarinidae. Key words: biogeography, the Alps, endemic, Scorpiones, Pseudoscorpiones,...
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