The heterogeneity in species assemblages of epigeal spiders was studied in a natural forest and in a managed forest. Additionally the effects of small-scale microhabitat heterogeneity of managed and unmanaged forests were determined by analysing the spider assemblages of three different microhabitat structures (i. vegetation, ii. dead wood. iii. litter cover). The spider were collected in a block design by pitfall traps (n=72) in a 4-week interval. To reveal key environmental factors affecting the spider distribution abiotic and biotic habitat parameters (e.g. vegetation parameters, climate parameters, soil moisture) were assessed around each pitfall trap. A TWINSPAN analyses separated pitfall traps from the natural forest from traps of the managed forest. A subsequent discriminant analyses revealed that the temperature, the visible sky, the plant diversity and the mean diameter at breast height as key discriminant factors between the microhabitat groupings designated by the TWINSPAN analyses. Finally a Redundant analysis (RDA) was done revealing similar environmental factors responsible for the spider species distribution, as a good separation of the different forest types as well as the separation of the microhabitat groupings from the TWINSPAN. Overall the study revealed that the spider communities differed between the forest types as well as between the microhabitat structures and thus species distribution changed within a forest stand on a fine spatial scale. It was documented that the structure of managed forests affects the composition of spider assemblages compared to natural forests significantly and even small scale-heterogeneity seems to influence the spider species composition. / Um die Anpassungsfähigkeit von Organismen, bei sich ändernden Umweltbedingungen, sicher zu stellen, spielt die Erhaltung der Biologischen Vielfalt auf allen ökosystemaren Ebenen eine entscheidende Rolle. Eben diese Anpassungsfähigkeit kann durch waldbauliche Maßnahmen einschränkt werden, und zur Instabilität des Systems führen. Daher kommt der Untersuchung von aus der Nutzung genommenen Naturwaldzellen eine immer größere Bedeutung zu. Einerseits um die potentiell natürliche Diversität in Naturwäldern mit der in Wirtschaftswäldern zu vergleichen, andererseits um die ökologischen Zusammenhänge in einer natürlichen Waldentwicklung zu verstehen. Ziel diese Studie war es eben diese natürlichen Waldynamiken auf das Artengefüge von Spinnen (Araneae) zu untersuchen. Dabei sollte Mithilfe eines experimentellen Fangdesigns, auch der kleinräumige Einfluss von Strukturheterogenität untersucht werden.