biostudies-literatureKelly SPPuerto Rico-Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority ParticipationPuerto Rico Center for Environmental Neurosciencee1324https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC4614906biostudies-literatureUnknown3Web-spinning spiders that inhabit stream channels are considered specialists of aquatic ecosystems and are major consumers of emerging aquatic insects, while other spider taxa are more commonly found in riparian forests and as a result may consume more terrestrial insects. To determine if there was a difference in spider taxa abundance between riverine web-spinning spider assemblages within the stream channel and the assemblages 10 m into the riparian forest, we compared abundances for all web-spinning spiders along a headwater stream in El Yunque National Forest in northeast Puerto Rico. By using a nonmetric dimensional scaling (NMDS) abundance analysis we were able to see a clear separation of the two spider assemblages. The second objective of the study was to determine if aquatic insecPeerJStable isotope analyses of web-spinning spider assemblages along a headwater stream in Puerto Rico.PMC4614906NSF-HRD-1139888NSF CREST HRD-1137725Cuevas ERamirez AKelly SPfalseStable isotope analyses of web-spinning spider assemblages along a headwater stream in Puerto Rico.Web-spinning spiders that inhabit stream channels are considered specialists of aquatic ecosystems and are major consumers of emerging aquatic insects, while other spider taxa are more commonly found in riparian forests and as a result may consume more terrestrial insects. To determine if there was a difference in spider taxa abundance between riverine web-spinning spider assemblages within the stream channel and the assemblages 10 m into the riparian forest, we compared abundances for all web-spinning spiders along a headwater stream in El Yunque National Forest in northeast Puerto Rico. By using a nonmetric dimensional scaling (NMDS) abundance analysis we were able to see a clear separation of the two spider assemblages. The second objective of the study was to determine if aquatic insec2015-01-01T00:00:00Z20152026-04-08T10:18:09.799Z2019-03-27T02:00:31ZS-EPMC46149062650083010.7717/peerj.1324