Distribution patterns and environmental factors influencing Nymphalidae and Salticidae diversity in the Wuzhishan area of Hainan.

Terrestrial arthropods, essential providers of ecological services, are valuable eco-indicators because of their environmental sensitivity, although their diversity remains less studied than that of plants and vertebrates. In this study, we conducted a four-year survey of arthropod diversity in three areas representing rainforest, farmland, and shrubland in Hainan, a tropical island included in a biodiversity hotspot, to investigate the arthropod distribution and influencing factors by sampling Nymphalidae butterflies and Salticidae spiders. Our results showed that butterflies are more sensitive than spiders to ecological changes, such as changes in temperature and vegetation. Notably, the abundance and diversity of butterflies clearly decreased in areas with greater human disturbance, whereas spiders presented a more consistent distribution across sites and years. Our study established a research paradigm by integrating arthropod taxa from different trophic levels for biodiversity monitoring and highlighted the importance of arthropod surveys for effective conservation strategies.