Matrix habitat and species richness in tropical forest remnants

Large areas of tropical forest now exist as remnants scattered across agricultural landscapes, and so understanding the impacts of forest fragmentation is important for biodiversity conservation. We examined species richness and nestedness among tropical forest remnants in birds (meta-analysis of published studies) and insects (field data for fruit-feeding Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths) and ants). Species–area relationships were evident in all four taxa, and avian and insect assemblages in remnants typically were nested subsets of those in larger areas. Avian carnivores and nectarivores and predatory ants were more nested than other guilds, implying that the sequential loss of species was more predictable in these groups, and that fragmentation alters the trophic organization of communities. For butterflies, the ordering of fragments to achieve maximum nestedness was by fragment area, suggesting that differences among fragments were driven mainly by extinction. In contrast for moths, maximum nestedness was achieved by ordering species by wing length; species with longer wings (implying better dispersal) were more likely to occur at all sites, including low diversity sites, suggesting that differences among fragments were driven more strongly by colonization. Although all four taxa exhibited high levels of nestedness, patterns of species turnover were also idiosyncratic, and thus even species-poor sites contributed to landscape-scale biodiversity, particularly for insects.

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Floristic composition of the Montane Forest in the Almadina-Barro Preto axis, Southern Bahia, Brazil

Biota Neotropica ◽

10.1590/s1676-06033878 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 14 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Macielle Macedo Coelho ◽

André Márcio Amorim

Keyword(s):

Species Richness ◽

Tropical Forests ◽

Atlantic Forest ◽

Floristic Composition ◽

Woody Species ◽

Life Forms ◽

Montane Forest ◽

Forest Remnants ◽

Southern Bahia ◽

Arboreal Habit

The aim of this study is to survey the angiosperms of two montane forest remnants in the southern Bahia, Brazil: Corcovado (SCO) and Pedra Lascada (SPL). Both fragments are located in the municipality of Almadina and Barro Preto, respectively, and are 18 km distant from each other. We sampled 899 species of angiosperms distributed in 437 genera and 116 families. The SCO was the richest area with 678 species, distributed in 367 genera and 100 families. SPL showed 466 species in 269 genera and 88 families. The percentage of species identified was 85.8% and of this total, 37.7% are endemic to the Atlantic Forest, 11.2% are endemic to southern Bahia and northern Espírito Santo and 7% are disjunct between the Atlantic Forest and Amazon. The remaining percentages (44.3%) were of species widely distributed. The richest families in the two areas were Orchidaceae (10%), Rubiaceae (7%), Bromeliaceae (5.5%), Melastomataceae (4.2%) and Poaceae (4%). The richest genera were Psychotria (2%),Piper (1.8%), Ocotea (1.6%),Vriesea (1.5%) and Peperomia (1.4%). More than half of the recorded species showed non-arboreal habit, regarding life forms documented. That comes against the assertion that many authors in the tropical forests, where species richness in angiosperms is expected for non-woody species, especially in montane forests. Twelve species have been identified as new, but seven others already described from collections previously obtained in these two areas. Orchidaceae, Rubiaceae, Poaceae and Bromeliaceae showed significant richness in this study these families are commonly reported as the richest in other inventories in the Atlantic Forest in southern Bahia reinforcing their importance to the regional flora. The high levels of richness, endemism, and the growing numbers of new taxonomic discoveries from the SPL and SCO sites indicate the biological importance of these two forest remnants. The implementation of parks or other protected environmental reserves would be essential to the conservation of its species.

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Conservation, Management and Expansion of Protected and Non-Protected Tropical Forest Remnants Through Population Density Estimation, Ecology and Natural History of Top Predators; Case Studies of Birds of Prey (Spizaetus taxon)

Tropical Forests ◽

10.5772/30059 ◽

2012 ◽

Author(s):

M. Canuto ◽

G. Zorzin ◽

E.P.M. Carvalho-Filho ◽

C.E.A. Carvalho ◽

G.D.M. Carvalho ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Natural History ◽

Population Density ◽

Tropical Forest ◽

Case Studies ◽

Density Estimation ◽

Conservation Management ◽

Birds Of Prey ◽

Top Predators ◽

Forest Remnants ◽

History Of

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Relationships between Plant Biodiversity and Soil Fertility in a Mature Tropical Forest, Costa Rica

International Journal of Forestry Research ◽

10.1155/2015/732946 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 2015 ◽

pp. 1-13 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Martin B. Nadeau ◽

Thomas P. Sullivan

Keyword(s):

Species Richness ◽

Costa Rica ◽

Soil Fertility ◽

Tropical Forest ◽

Tree Species ◽

Plant Biodiversity ◽

Total N ◽

Fertility Index ◽

Tree Species Richness ◽

Soil Fertility Index

We aimed to study relationships between plant biodiversity and soil chemical fertility in a mature tropical forest of Costa Rica. Soil samples were collected in nine sampling plots (5 m by 25 m) in order to identify P, K, Ca, Mg, Fe, Zn, Mn, Cu, and Al and total N contents, soil fertility index, CEC, pH, and C/N ratio. Furthermore, species richness, Shannon-Wiener and Simpson’s species diversities, structural richness, and structural diversity were calculated for each plot. Simple linear regression analyses were conducted. Tree species richness was inversely related to concentration levels of K, Ca, and P, CEC, and soil fertility index. Therefore, higher tree species richness tended to be found on sites with lower soil fertility, which is the complete opposite of temperate forests. As a result, tropical and temperate forest ecology should be considered separately. Shannon-Wiener tree species diversity was positively correlated to C/N ratio. Herb structural richness was positively correlated with soil fertility index and P concentration. Therefore, herb structural richness may be a good indicator of soil fertility. This study gives important insights on ecological relationships between plant biodiversity and soil chemical fertility in a primary tropical forest.

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Bats in forest remnants of the Cerrado savanna of eastern Mato Grosso, Brazil

Biota Neotropica ◽

10.1590/s1676-06032013000200023 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 13 (2) ◽

pp. 236-241 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Ricardo Firmino de Sousa ◽

Paulo Cesar Venere ◽

Karina de Cassia Faria

Keyword(s):

Species Richness ◽

Rainy Season ◽

Anthropogenic Impact ◽

Wiener Index ◽

Progressive Increase ◽

Ecological Diversity ◽

Mato Grosso ◽

Cerrado Savanna ◽

Forest Remnants ◽

Marked Decline

In the state of Mato Grosso, studies aiming to investigate the diversity and richness of bats are still scarce. In the present study, the chiropteran fauna of eastern Mato Grosso (Brazil) was investigated at four sites representing the Cerrado savanna biome with different degrees of anthropogenic impact, in the municipality of Nova Xavantina. Surveys were conducted between January and December, 2010, with a total of 48 nights of mist-netting. A total of 423 bats were captured, representing 25 species distributed in five families. A greater abundance of individuals was recorded at all sites during the rainy season, with considerable variation being observed over the course of the year in species richness and composition, and the abundance of bats. Species richness and bat abundance were higher in the better preserved habitats in comparison with the impacted areas. The timing of foraging activities appeared to vary among the specimens and there was a progressive increase in activity until 19:30 h, with a marked decline after 22:30 h. The ecological diversity (Shannon-Wiener index) of the bat community within the study area was H′ = 2.37.

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Species richness and community composition of songbirds in a tropical forest-agricultural landscape

Animal Conservation ◽

10.1017/s1367943003001185 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 7 (1) ◽

pp. 93-105 ◽

Cited By ~ 68

Author(s):

Robin Naidoo

Keyword(s):

Species Richness ◽

Tropical Forest ◽

Community Composition ◽

Agricultural Landscape

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Matrix habitat restoration alters dung beetle species responses across tropical forest edges

Biological Conservation ◽

10.1016/j.biocon.2013.12.006 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 170 ◽

pp. 28-37 ◽

Cited By ~ 30

Author(s):

Andrew D. Barnes ◽

Rowan M. Emberson ◽

Hazel M. Chapman ◽

Frank-T. Krell ◽

Raphael K. Didham

Keyword(s):

Tropical Forest ◽

Habitat Restoration ◽

Dung Beetle ◽

Beetle Species ◽

Forest Edges ◽

Matrix Habitat ◽

Species Responses

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Effects of the Trophobiont HerbivoreCalloconophora pugionata(Hemiptera) on Ant Fauna Associated withMyrcia obovata(Myrtaceae) in a Montane Tropical Forest

Psyche A Journal of Entomology ◽

10.1155/2012/783945 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 2012 ◽

pp. 1-8 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Roberth Fagundes ◽

Kleber Del-Claro ◽

Sérvio Pontes Ribeiro

Keyword(s):

Species Richness ◽

Species Diversity ◽

Tropical Forest ◽

Host Plant ◽

Atlantic Forest ◽

Main Hypothesis ◽

Ant Assemblages ◽

Montane Tropical Forest ◽

Positive Effect ◽

Dominant Ant

Many studies have investigated the mechanisms behind the structure of arboreal ant assemblages. In this study, the objective was to evaluate the effect of availability of honeydew-producing colonies ofCalloconophora pugionata(Membracidae) on the structure of ant assemblages associated with the host plantMyrcia obovata(Myrtaceae) in an Atlantic forest of Minas Gerais (Brazil). Our experiment consisted in a gradual exclusion of hemipteran colonies out of the host plant crown and further record of the ant assemblage response (species richness, composition, and occurrence) to the presence and density of treehopper colonies. The hypothesis was that an increase in the number of trophobiont herbivores results in an increase in tending ant occurrence but a reduction in ant species diversity. Results corroborated our main hypothesis: membracids had a positive effect on the occurrence of ants but negative on species richness. Overall insect occurrence was also reduced with increasing inC. pugionatacolonies, probably due to strengthening dominant ant species territory sizes and intensification of patrolling.

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