Four-year study of arthropod taxonomic and functional responses to a forest wildfire: Epigeic ants and spiders are affected differently

•The short-term effects of a forest fire on epigeic ants and spiders were analyzed.•Fire affected the structure and composition of both ant and spider communities.•Taxonomic and functional diversity mostly showed parallel responses to fire.•Fire had a greater influence on ants than spiders.•Fire effects were largely constant for ants, whereas spiders displayed recovery.