Influence of Intercropping Sweet Maize with Different Crops on the Structure of Spider Community

Investigation was conducted to study the influence of sweet maize intercropping with different crops (mung bean, kidney bean, sweet potato or peanut) on the spiders community structure in field by the sampling methods of pitfall, net and full plant investigation. Ten spider families, including 26 species, were found in all maize fields. Composition of spiders community in maize monoculture habitat was similar to those in intercropping habitats, in which the dominant species were Lycosa pseudoannulata and Coleosoma octomaculatum. However, maize intercropping habitats appeared to be helpful to the growth of spider groups.The numbers of spider in maize field intercropped with mung bean and kidney bean were significantly larger than that of monoculture maize habitat. The similar result was also found in maize-sweet potato or maize-peanut intercropping habitat. The results indicated that intercropping habitats could attract more spiders and therefore resulted in a higher spider density due to the increase of crop diversity.