Species distribution models and climatic niche comparisons provide clues on the geographic origin of a spider invasion in the Americas

Authors

Laura Segura‑Hernandez, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
Gilbert Barrantes, Universidad de Costa RicaFollow
Eduardo Chacon‑Madrigal, Universidad de Costa RicaFollow
Adrián Garcia‑Rodriguez, University of ViennaFollow

ORCID IDs

Laura Segura‑Hernandez http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1165-3889

Gilbert Barrantes http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8402-1930

Eduardo Chacon‑Madrigal http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8328-5456

Adrián Garcia‑Rodriguez http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9831-2963

Date of this Version

9-15-2022

Citation

Published in Biological Invasions, 2022

doi:10.1007/s10530-022-02904-5

Comments

Copyright © 2022 the Authors, under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2022. Used by permission.

Abstract

Identifying the source population of alien species is important to assess the distribution and potential effects in the invaded area. The araneid spider Cyrtophora citricola is widely distributed in Europe, Asia, and Africa; however, in the last 26 years, it has been reported in several countries across the Americas. To date, the geographic origin of the populations established in the Americas remains unclear, but considering the successful colonization after its recent arrival, assessing climatic similarities between the invaded and native geographic ranges could be useful to address this question. In this study, we used a combination of Species Distribution Models and Ordination Methods to assess the climatic match between the invaded region (the Americas) and two potential origins (southern Africa and the Mediterranean) aiming to determine the more likely origin for the populations established in the Americas. We found that the American populations of C. citricola occupy sites with climatic conditions more similar to those occupied by southern African populations, than to those occupied by the Mediterranean populations. Therefore, our results suggest a southern African rather than a Mediterranean origin for the populations established in America. In addition, our results also show that populations in America are spreading into sites that differ in climate conditions from those occupied by native populations. Further studies assessing intrinsic (e.g., physiological tolerances, plasticity, behavior, reproduction) and extrinsic (physical barriers, predator release) factors could provide further information to disentangle the mechanisms behind the geographic and climatic niche expansion of this species.