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

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roberth Fagundes ◽  
Kleber Del-Claro ◽  
Sérvio Pontes Ribeiro

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.

Our Nature ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tilak Prasad Gautam ◽  
Tej Narayan Mandal

Species diversity is a key factor for the stability of ecosystems but the increasing disturbances in tropical forests resulted in the shrinkage of biological diversity. This study was conducted in undisturbed and disturbed stands of Sal (Shorea robusta Gaertn.) dominated moist tropical forest of Sunsari district, eastern Nepal in order to understand the herb, shrub and tree diversity. Present study reported the 47, 16 and 60 species of herbs, shrubs and trees, respectively. The species richness and the Shannon–Wiener index for tree species were higher in undisturbed forest (9.11 and 3.08, respectively), while the Simpson’s index (index of dominance) was higher in disturbed forest (0.11).  On the other hand, reverse case was found for shrubs and herbs where species richness and Shannon–Wiener index were higher but index of dominance was lower in disturbed forest. Changes in species diversity pattern reflect the effect of disturbance.


2012 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 152 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sanna Tarmi ◽  
Terho Hyvönen

<p>Field boundaries with permanent vegetation cover are a key habitat for farmland biodiversity. Buffer zones are wide field boundaries established to prevent nutrient leaching and erosion into waterways and serve as habitats for farmland wildlife. Our main hypothesis was that several years of grazing or cutting management results in greater plant species richness and heterogeneity in buffer zones in comparison with sites managed for only a few years. We also hypothesized that litter cover and soil phosphorus (P) level would decrease after several years of management, in comparison sites with relatively few years of management. Through this study we aimed to gain a better understanding of how to increase biodiversity in buffer zones. The study included 15 buffer zones within a single landscape. Mean species richness was significantly higher in the group of sites grazed over several years (21 species) in contrast to extensively cut sites (14.8 species) and/or grazed sites (18 species). Species heterogeneity did not respond to different management regimes. Management, slope aspect and litter were significant explanatory factors for species composition. The amount of soil phosphorus measured at three different depths was significantly lower in the buffer zones managed by cutting or grazing for a few years in contrast to those that were grazed for several years. Management that positively affected species diversity did not result in the expected decrease in soil phosphorus. Therefore, we propose that the greater species richness at grazed sites results mainly from disturbances caused by grazing.</p>


2011 ◽  
Vol 366 (1578) ◽  
pp. 2703-2711 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jorge A. Ahumada ◽  
Carlos E. F. Silva ◽  
Krisna Gajapersad ◽  
Chris Hallam ◽  
Johanna Hurtado ◽  
...  

Terrestrial mammals are a key component of tropical forest communities as indicators of ecosystem health and providers of important ecosystem services. However, there is little quantitative information about how they change with local, regional and global threats. In this paper, the first standardized pantropical forest terrestrial mammal community study, we examine several aspects of terrestrial mammal species and community diversity (species richness, species diversity, evenness, dominance, functional diversity and community structure) at seven sites around the globe using a single standardized camera trapping methodology approach. The sites—located in Uganda, Tanzania, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Suriname, Brazil and Costa Rica—are surrounded by different landscape configurations, from continuous forests to highly fragmented forests. We obtained more than 51 000 images and detected 105 species of mammals with a total sampling effort of 12 687 camera trap days. We find that mammal communities from highly fragmented sites have lower species richness, species diversity, functional diversity and higher dominance when compared with sites in partially fragmented and continuous forest. We emphasize the importance of standardized camera trapping approaches for obtaining baselines for monitoring forest mammal communities so as to adequately understand the effect of global, regional and local threats and appropriately inform conservation actions.


2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 285-295 ◽  
Author(s):  
MOBOLAJI ADENIYI ◽  
YEMI ODEYEMI ◽  
OLU ODEYEMI

Adeniyi M, Odeyemi Y, Odeyemi O. 2018. Ecology, diversity and seasonal distribution of wild mushrooms in a Nigerian tropical forest reserve. Biodiversitas 19: 285-295. This study investigated the ecology, diversity and seasonal distribution of wild mushrooms at Environmental Pollution Science and Technology (ENPOST) forest reserve, Ilesa, Southwestern Nigeria. Mushrooms growing in the ligneous and terrestrial habitats of the forest were collected, identified and enumerated between March 2014 and March 2015. Diversity indices including species richness, dominance, and species diversity were evaluated. Correlation (p < 0.05) was determined among climatic data and diversity indices. A total of 151 mushroom species specific to their respective habitats were obtained. The highest monthly species richness (70) was obtained in October 2014. While a higher dominance was observed in the terrestrial habitat during the rainy and dry seasons (0.072 and 0.159 respectively), species diversity was higher in the ligneous and terrestrial habitats during the rainy season (3.912 and 3.304 respectively). Overall, the highest carpophores in ligneous and terrestrial habitats were recorded in Schizophyllum commune (10,737) and Mycena monticola (760) correspondingly. Correlation analysis revealed that average monthly precipitation positively correlated with the relative abundance of mushrooms in the terrestrial habitat (r = 0.716, p = 0.013). This study shows the diversity of mushrooms at ENPOST forest, thereby necessitating strict and sustainable conservation measures especially those with great economic values.


2014 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 382-391 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vanessa Leite Rezende ◽  
Pedro V. Eisenlohr ◽  
André Luís de Gasper ◽  
Alexander Christian Vibrans ◽  
Ary Teixeira de Oliveira-Filho

Phytotaxa ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 219 (2) ◽  
pp. 174
Author(s):  
Fabiana Firetti Leggieri ◽  
DIEGO DEMARCO ◽  
LÚCIA G. LOHMANN

The Atlantic Forest of Brazil includes one of the highest species diversity and endemism in the planet, representing a priority for biodiversity conservation. A new species of Anemopaegma from the Atlantic Forest of Brazil is here described, illustrated and compared to its closest relatives. Anemopaegma nebulosum Firetti-Leggieri & L.G. Lohmann has been traditionally treated as a morph of Anemopaegma prostratum; however, additional morphological and anatomical studies indicated that A. nebulosum differs significantly from A. prostratum and is best treated as a separate species. More specifically, A. nebulosum is characterized by elliptic and coriaceous leaflets (vs. ovate to orbicular and membranaceous in A. prostratum), smaller leaflet blades (3.6–5.5 x 2.0–3.0 cm vs. 6.7–13.0 x 4.2–8.4 cm in A. prostratum), orbicular prophylls of the axillary buds (vs. no prophylls in A. prostratum), solitary flowers (vs. multi-flowered axillary racemes in A. prostratum) and a gibbous corolla (vs. infundibuliform corollas in A. prostratum). In addition, A. nebulosum differs from A. prostratum anatomically in having thicker leaflet blades composed of two to four layers of palisade parenchyma (vs. one to three layers in A. prostratum), and seven to eight layers in the spongy parenchyma (vs. six to eight layers in A. prostratum). A key for the identification of all species of Anemopaegma from the Atlantic Forest of Brazil is presented.


2021 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 111-122
Author(s):  
Dzung Trung Le ◽  
Yen Thi Do ◽  
Tung Thanh Tran ◽  
Truong Quang Nguyen ◽  
Nikolai L. Orlov ◽  
...  

A new species of Gracixalus is described from northwestern Vietnam based on morphological differences and molecular divergence. Morphologically, the new species, Gracixalus ziegleri sp. nov., is distinguishable from its congeners on the basis of a combination of the following diagnostic characters: (1) size small (SVL 28.1 – 30.5 mm); (2) head slightly wider than long; (3) vomerine teeth absent; (4) upper eyelid and dorsum without spine; (5) supratympanic fold distinct; (6) skin of dorsal and lateral surface of head, body and limbs rough, sparsely scattered with tubercles; (7) ventral skin granular; (8) tibiotarsal projection absent; (9) toes with moderately developed webbing, formula I1 – 11/2 II1 – 2III1 – 2IV2 – 1V; (10) dorsal surface of head and body brown to beige above, with an inverse Y-shaped dark brown marking, extending from interorbital region to central region of dorsum; (11) external vocal sac absent in males; (12) males with a nuptial pad on finger I. Phylogeneticially, the new species is a sister taxon of Gracixalus sapaensis and G. tianlinensis with well-supported values. Currently, the new species is known only from the evergreen montane tropical forest of Yen Bai Province at an elevation of ca. 2200 m a.s.l.


Author(s):  
Mauricio Almeida‐Gomes ◽  
Nicholas J. Gotelli ◽  
Carlos Frederico Duarte Rocha ◽  
Marcus Vinícius Vieira ◽  
Jayme Augusto Prevedello

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