scholarly journals A comparison between time-constrained counts and line transects as methods to estimate butterfly diversity in tropical habitats

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suman Attiwilli ◽  
Nitin Ravikanthachari ◽  
Krushnamegh Kunte
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Deciduous Forest ◽  
Biodiversity Loss ◽  
Evergreen Forest ◽  
Population Declines ◽  
Butterfly Diversity ◽  
Dry Deciduous Forest ◽  
Feasible Alternative ◽  
Line Transects ◽  
Species Richness And Abundance

Long-term monitoring programmes have revealed catastrophic population declines that are contributing to biodiversity loss. These discoveries and the underlying programmes have been possible because of standardised methods of counting butterflies. Butterflies have been monitored using modified line transects, known in butterfly monitoring schemes as Pollard walks. However, line transects are not feasible in many tropical and mountainous habitats. To tackle this problem, we devised time-constrained (30-min) counts and compared butterfly diversity as estimated through this method with that estimated through line transects (500 m, 10 min) in three tropical habitats in India (evergreen forest, dry deciduous forest and an urban woodland). We tested the efficacy of the two methods to sample species richness and abundance, as well as numbers of rare, endemic and specialist butterflies. We observed greater species richness, and more species of habitat specialists and endemics per sample in time-constrained counts when compared with line transects in evergreen forest, but not in the other two habitats. Thus, time-constrained counts were more efficient at detecting species than line transects in the species-rich evergreen habitat. Apart from this difference, the two sampling methods captured similar levels of species richness and other measures of diversity. Time-constrained counts may thus be viewed as a feasible alternative to line transects to carry out butterfly surveys in tropical and mountainous landscapes. This method is particularly suited for biodiversity assessments and mapping involving citizen science initiatives, which has considerable potential in populous and tech-ready countries such as India.

scholarly journals Variation in butterfly diversity and unique species richness along different habitats in Trishna Wildlife Sanctuary, Tripura, northeast India

Check List ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 432 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joydeb Majumder ◽  
Rahul Lodh ◽  
B. K. Agarwala
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Deciduous Forest ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Northeast India ◽  
Line Transect ◽  
Secondary Forests ◽  
Wildlife Sanctuary ◽  
Butterfly Diversity ◽  
Butterfly Communities ◽  
Unique Species

Quantification of butterfly diversity and species richness is of prime importance for evaluating the status of protected areas. Permanent line transect counts were used to record species richness and abundance of butterfly communities of different habitat types in Trishna wildlife sanctuary. A total of 1005 individuals representing 59 species in 48 genera belonging to five families were recorded in the present study. Of these, 23 species belonged to the family Nymphalidae and accounted for 38.98% of the total species and 45.20% of the total number of individuals. Mature secondary mixed moist deciduous forest showed the maximum diversity and species richness, while exotic grassland showed minimum diversity and species richness. Out of 59 species, 31 are new records for Tripura state, while 21 are unique species and nine are listed in the threatened category. This study revealed that mature secondary forests are more important for butterfly communities, while exotic grasslands have a negative impact on species composition.

scholarly journals Species richness and abundance of Saturniidae (Lepidoptera) in a tropical semi-deciduous forest of Veracruz, Mexico and the influence of climatic variables

2017 ◽  
Vol 88 (1) ◽  
pp. 173-182 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luis A. Lara-Pérez ◽  
Javier Campos-Domínguez ◽  
Francisco Díaz-Fleischer ◽  
Jacel Adame-García ◽  
Antonio Andrade-Torres
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Deciduous Forest ◽  
Climatic Variables ◽  
Species Richness And Abundance

scholarly journals Decline in Aboveground Biomass Due to Fragmentation in Subtropical Forests of China

Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 617
Author(s):  
Chunyu Shen ◽  
Nannan Shi ◽  
Shenglei Fu ◽  
Wanhui Ye ◽  
Lei Ma ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Forest Fragmentation ◽  
Aboveground Biomass ◽  
Biodiversity Loss ◽  
Average Diameter ◽  
Forest Fragments ◽  
Biomass Storage ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Fragmented Forests ◽  
Species Richness And Abundance

Fragmentation has long been considered the primary cause for ecosystem degradation and biodiversity loss worldwide. Forest fragmentation affects ecosystem functioning and biodiversity in multiple ways. Here, we ask how forest fragmentation influences aboveground biomass storage (AGB) in sub-tropical forests in China. We established 207 20 m × 20 m plots within 69 forest fragments of varying size. Forest fragmentation process simulation was carried out via repeated quadrat sampling using different sized quadrats in two non-fragmented stands. AGB was estimated and compared across forest fragments and quadrats with different sizes within two non-fragmented stands. Our results indicate that AGB is significantly lower in forest fragments than in quadrats within two non-fragmented forests. In addition, species richness and abundance were lower in fragmented stands, respectively. In fragmented forests, the average diameter at breast height (DBH) increased with decreasing patch size, while declined for non-fragmented plots. Species richness, abundance, and mean DBH have strongly positive effects on AGB. This was the case both in forest fragments and quadrats within two non-fragmented forests. Forest fragmentation leads to lower richness, lower abundance, and higher mean DBH in forest fragments than in the two non-fragmented forests. Our results suggest that forest fragmentation increases edge habitats, which drastically decreases forests aboveground biomass storage. These results show that land degradation not only reduces the area of forests, but also reduces the aboveground biomass carbon density of forests.

The cetoniine fauna of the Upper Guinean forests and savannas of Ghana (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Cetoniinae)

2012 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 113-174 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alan D. Mudge ◽  
Jesús Orozco ◽  
T. Keith Philips ◽  
Philippe Antoine
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
National Park ◽  
Deciduous Forest ◽  
Common Species ◽  
Habitat Associations ◽  
Data Matrix ◽  
Evergreen Forest ◽  
Additional Species ◽  
Guinea Savanna ◽  
Total Species Richness

The cetoniine fauna of Ghana (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Cetoniinae, excluding the tribes Valgini and Trichiini) is presented based on results from the Ghana Insect Project (GIP). Data from 1,571 specimens including the species and number found at each of 16 collecting sites, collecting methods, months collected, ‘common’ species and habitat associations are presented. The fauna now consists of 109 species in 51 genera. Previously known distributions and specimen label data are given for 31 species (including Genuchina, a subtribe of Cremastocheilini) recorded from Ghana for the first time.Comparisons with the works of Endrödi (1973, 1976) and Joly (2001) are made and several misidentifications are annotated and corrected. GIP results suggest moist evergreen/semi-deciduous forest and Guinea savanna/semi-deciduous forest are species-rich habitats. Faunal lists for four protected areas (Ankasa Resource Reserve, Atewa Range Forest Reserve, Bia National Park and Mole National Park) sampled by both the GIP and Joly (2001, 2011) are presented.PAST (Hammer et al., 2001) was used to estimate GIP inventory completeness through individual rarefaction. EstimateS (Colwell, 2009) was used to estimate total species richness using several classic nonparametric species richness estimators. Based on a data matrix of species abundances from each of the 16 GIP sites, the Chao 2 estimator stabilizes at ca. 113 taxa, and the jackknife 2 estimator at ca. 130 taxa. Richness estimates based on a broader, incidence-based matrix from all three sources GIP, Endrödi (1973, 1976) and Joly (2001, 2011) were: Chao 2 = 153, jackknife 1 = 157, jackknife 2 = 173. Additional sampling in under-sampled habitats such as wet and moist evergreen forest and Guinea savanna, and during the dry and early wet seasons should yield additional species.

Tropical Forests of the Lowlands

2007 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter A. Furley
Keyword(s):  
Tropical Forests ◽  
Amazon Basin ◽  
Drainage Basin ◽  
Deciduous Forest ◽  
Evergreen Forest ◽  
Lowland Forest ◽  
Atmospheric Circulation Patterns ◽  
Alexander Von Humboldt ◽  
Dry Deciduous Forest ◽  
The Tropics

Most of South America lies within the tropics, and lowland tropical ecosystems make up the majority of its landscapes. Although there is great concern for the Amazon ecosystem, the largest of the world’s tropical forests, there are many other fascinating and in some cases more endangered types of lowland forest. Such forests may be defined as lying below 1,000 m above sea level, although it is difficult to set arbitrary limits (Hartshorn, 2001). The two main lowland moist evergreen forests are the Hylea (a term coined by Alexander von Humboldt to denote rain forests of the Amazon Basin) and the much smaller Chocó forest on the Pacific coast between Panama and Ecuador. Two related yet distinctive types of forest are the Mata Atlântica or Atlantic moist evergreen forest and the Mata Decidua or dry deciduous forest, including the caatinga woodland, which is both deciduous and xerophytic (Rizzini et al., 1988). The latter two formations are among the most threatened of all South American forests. Lowland forests vary from dense and multilayered to open and single-layered, from evergreen to deciduous, and from flooded or semi-aquatic to near-arid. Tree heights range from 30 to 40 m with emergent trees reaching over 50 m, to forests where the tallest trees barely attain 20 m (Harcourt and Sayer, 1996; Solorzano, 2001). However, because of its extent and importance, Amazonia will form the principal focus of this chapter. Amazonia covers a vast area (>6 × 106 km2) and contains some 60% of the world’s remaining tropical forest. The Amazon and Orinoco basins influence not only regional climates and air masses, but also atmospheric circulation patterns both north and south of the Equator. The sheer size and diversity of Amazonia exhausts a normal repertoire of grandiose adjectives. The Amazon may or may not be the longest river in the world but it is by far the greatest in terms of discharge, sending around one fifth of the world’s fresh water carried by rivers to the oceans(see chapter 5; Eden, 1990; Sioli, 1984). The drainage basin is twice as large as any other of the world’s catchments.

Ecology of small mammals in tropical forest habitats of southern India

1996 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 561-571 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anjali Chandrasekar-Rao ◽  
Melvin E. Sunquist
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Small Mammal ◽  
Deciduous Forest ◽  
Common Species ◽  
Natural Forest ◽  
Evergreen Forest ◽  
Mammal Species ◽  
Species Richness And Diversity ◽  
Teak Plantation ◽  
Forest Sites

ABSTRACTFive species of rodent (Rattus rattus wroughtoni, Mus platythrix, Funambulus tristriatus, Cremnomys blanfordi and Golunda ellioti) were live-trapped over a period of eight months in three different habitat types (moist evergreen forest, moist deciduous forest and teak plantation) in Anaimalais Wildlife Sanctuary, Tamil Nadu, India. Small mammal densities ranged between 16.3 individuals ha−1 and 20.7 ha−1 for the natural forest sites and were 10.4 ha−1 in the teak plantation. Moist deciduous forest had the highest species richness and diversity scores. Although the teak plantation site had the same mammal species richness as the moist evergreen forest, numbers of individuals and overall small mammal biomass in the plantation was far lower than on the natural forest sites. Compared to moist deciduous forest, species richness and diversity were significantly lower on the teak plantation. R. r. wroughtoni and M. platythrix were the two most common species captured on all three sites. R. r. wroughtoni was the most common small mammal species captured, reaching densities of 14.5 ha−1 in moist evergreen forest. G. ellioti was the least common species, present only in moist deciduous forest. Demographic patterns and microhabitat selection were examined for R. r. wroughtoni, M. platythrix, and F. tristriatus. Only M. platythrix appeared to show any distinct seasonality in reproduction, with an increase in capture of breeding individuals towards the end of the wet season. Discriminant analysis did not reveal any distinct microhabitat preferences for any of the species. However, R. r. wroughtoni showed a significant association with bamboo, and F. tristriatus was associated with areas of higher canopy height and density in moist deciduous forest.

scholarly journals Vegetation structure and ecological characteristics of forest of North Andaman Islands (India)

2009 ◽  
Vol 46 (2) ◽  
pp. 105-121 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Prasad ◽  
A. Sringeswara ◽  
C. Reddy ◽  
P. Kumari ◽  
R. Varalakshmi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Vegetation Structure ◽  
Deciduous Forest ◽  
Evergreen Forest ◽  
Species Number ◽  
Andaman Islands ◽  
Forest Communities ◽  
Forest Types ◽  
Ecological Characteristics ◽  
Girth Class

Vegetation structure and ecological characteristics of forest of North Andaman Islands (India)In this study, 3-ha research plots were established, one each in evergreen, semi-evergreen, and moist deciduous forests of North Andaman Islands. These 3 vegetation types were selected to study the structural aspects of plant diversity in forest communities. Our results showed high species richness and basal area in evergreen forest, high diversity in semi-evergreen forest, and high tree density (trees ha-1) in moist deciduous forest. At family level, the Anacardiaceae and Sterculiaceae dominated all the forest types, and were distributed throughout the North Andaman Islands. In the 3 forest communities, most species exhibited clumped spatial distribution, while random distribution ranked second. Tree girth class distribution revealed a decreasing number of trees with increasing girth class, indicating natural regeneration of these forest types. The species-area curve clearly reached a plateau at 3-ha area in respect of species number, supporting the adequacy of the large plot size selected in the present investigation. The study recorded a total of 136 tree species in the 3 forest communities and was higher than in many other tropical forest sites. The vegetation analysis of 3-ha plot in 3 different forest types substantially contributed data on North Andaman site potentiality, with reference to its species richness and diversity.

scholarly journals Species composition and community structure of dung beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae) compared among savanna and forest formations in the southwestern Brazilian Cerrado

2020 ◽  
Vol 37 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Jorge Luiz da Silva ◽  
Ricardo José da Silva ◽  
Izaias Médice Fernandes ◽  
Wesley Oliveira de Sousa ◽  
Fernando Zagury Vaz-de-Mello
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Species Diversity ◽  
Deciduous Forest ◽  
Dung Beetle ◽  
Dung Beetles ◽  
Gallery Forest ◽  
Brazilian Cerrado ◽  
Habitat Types ◽  
Mato Grosso ◽  
Species Richness And Abundance

Although dung beetles are important members of ecological communities and indicators of ecosystem quality, species diversity, and how it varies over space and habitat types, remains poorly understood in the Brazilian Cerrado. We compared dung beetle communities among plant formations in the Serra Azul State Park (SASP) in the state of Mato Grosso, Brazil. Sampling (by baited pitfall and flight-interception traps) was carried out in 2012 in the Park in four habitat types: two different savanna formations (typical and open) and two forest formations (seasonally deciduous and gallery). A total of 5,400 individuals collected comprised 57 species in 22 genera. Typical savanna had the greatest species richness and abundance, followed by open savanna and deciduous forest, while the gallery forest had the fewest species but high abundance. Tunnelers (one of three main nesting behavior guilds) showed the greatest richness and abundance (except in the gallery forest, where one dweller species was extremely abundant) in all plant formations. We found that species richness and abundance of the dung beetle community are influenced by differences among plant formations. Habitat heterogeneity in the different plant formations along with anthropic influences (fire, habitat fragmentation) are cited as important factors that explain guild and species richness and distribution patterns. These results emphasize the importance of protected areas, such as SASP, for the maintenance and conservation of species diversity in the Brazilian Cerrado.

The influence of the invasive weed Lantana camara on elephant habitat use in Mudumalai Tiger Reserve, southern India

2013 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 199-207 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gaius Wilson ◽  
Ajay A. Desai ◽  
Dalice A. Sim ◽  
Wayne L. Linklater
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Use ◽  
Invasive Plant ◽  
Deciduous Forest ◽  
Lantana Camara ◽  
Food Plants ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Invasive Weed ◽  
Tiger Reserve ◽  
Dry Deciduous Forest ◽  
Line Transects

Abstract:Invasive weeds like Lantana camara have a range of effects on animals such as elephant. These plants are not edible by the Asian elephant (Elephas maximus). They also compete for space with elephant food plants and take over large areas of elephant habitat. We tested whether the addition of L. camara to a model consisting of measured environmental variables improved predictions of habitat use by elephant in Mudumalai Tiger Reserve, India. Elephant dung density was used to assess elephant habitat use from 62 line transects 1-km in length. Results indicated that habitat and impact of human settlements significantly influenced elephant habitat use at a landscape scale. However, we found no evidence for the hypothesis that the addition of L. camara significantly predicted elephant habitat use at the landscape level. We then tested the association of L. camara on elephant habitat use in the dry deciduous forest (DDF) where there was a significant interaction between DDF and L. camara. In the DDF, L. camara significantly predicted elephant habitat use. We conclude that while no significant effects of L. camara were seen at the level of an entire reserve, at a finer scale and in specific habitats negative effects of this invasive plant on elephant habitat use were observed.

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