Composition and organization of highly speciose Empidoidea (Diptera) communities in tropical montane forests of northern Thailand

Zootaxa ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 4590 (1) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
ADRIAN R. PLANT ◽  
DANIEL J. BICKEL ◽  
PAUL CHATELAIN ◽  
CHRISTOPHE DAUGERON ◽  
WICHAI SRISUKA
Keyword(s):  
Species Abundance ◽  
Phase Iii ◽  
Evergreen Forest ◽  
Taxonomic Distinctness ◽  
Lowland Forest ◽  
Northern Thailand ◽  
Evergreen Forests ◽  
Α Diversity ◽  
Hot Dry Season ◽  
Family Level

This study is based on more than 25,000 specimens of the superfamily Empidoidea (Diptera) collected throughout a full year on a 2000 m elevational habitat succession gradient along a 21 km transect on Doi Inthanon, the highest mountain in Thailand. The samples were sorted to 58 genera and 458 morphospecies (Empididae, 73; Hybotidae, 203; Dolichopodidae, 179; Brachystomatidae, 3).                                                                                                                          The data were used to prepare the first thorough taxon-focussed description of how diversity of a major group of Diptera is structured in tropical forest biotopes. We found significant spatial (elevation / habitat) and temporal (seasonal) variations in richness (α-diversity) and abundance at family-level. α-Diversity of the four families was maximal in damp evergreen forests at higher elevation (1500–2500 m), but Dolichopodidae also had a major subsidiary peak in lowland dry evergreen forest at 500–1000 m. Genus-, tribe- and subfamily level α-diversity / elevation profiles were varied, indicating that overall family-level richness is a composite of many taxa that contribute low, high or mid-elevation specialisms. We provide a detailed analysis of these specialisms for each of the 58 genera. Adult phenology was correlated with the monsoon and had three characteristic phases: (i) pre-monsoon commencement during the latter part of the hot dry season, (ii) a ‘flush’ of maximal richness during the early-monsoon, and (iii) a secondary richness maximum associated with the late-monsoon. Maximum α-diversity occurred in phases (i) and (ii) but communities in phase (iii) had characteristically low evenness in which a few abundant species were dominant. Cluster analysis and ordination resolved three well-founded communities with different species-abundance distributions, high levels of species-level specialism and habitat-fidelity associated with moist hill evergreen forest (MHE) at >2000 m; mid elevation evergreen forests (EM) at 1000–2000 m and dry lowland forest (DL) at <1000 m. The three forest types with which these communities are associated are widespread and typical of northern Thailand and the diversity characteristics of each habitat are likely scalable to larger geographic areas. The transition from lowland DL through to upper montane MHE communities was generally characterised by increasing abundance, lower evenness (higher dominance), slower temporal turnover of community composition (relaxation of seasonality), longer periods of adult flight activity and rare species contributing less to species richness. Oriental biogeographic influences are strong at lower elevations but Palaearctic influences are increasingly important at higher elevations. The mixing of Oriental and Palaearctic elements in MHE forests is thought to explain the greater phylogenetic complexity at higher elevation (as measured by taxonomic distinctness).

Patterns in diversity and composition of the microbenthos of subarctic intertidal beaches with different morphodynamics

2020 ◽  
Vol 648 ◽  
pp. 19-38
Author(s):  
AI Azovsky ◽  
YA Mazei ◽  
MA Saburova ◽  
PV Sapozhnikov
Keyword(s):  
Species Abundance ◽  
Abundance Ratio ◽  
Wave Action ◽  
Coarse Grained ◽  
Sediment Properties ◽  
Β Diversity ◽  
Α Diversity ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Similar Mode ◽  
Abundance And Diversity

Diversity and composition of benthic diatom algae and ciliates were studied at several beaches along the White and Barents seas: from highly exposed, reflective beaches with coarse-grained sands to sheltered, dissipative silty-sandy flats. For diatoms, the epipelic to epipsammic species abundance ratio was significantly correlated with the beach index and mean particle size, while neither α-diversity measures nor mean cell length were related to beach properties. In contrast, most of the characteristics of ciliate assemblages (diversity, total abundance and biomass, mean individual weight and percentage of karyorelictids) demonstrated a strong correlation to beach properties, remaining low at exposed beaches but increasing sharply in more sheltered conditions. β-diversity did not correlate with beach properties for either diatoms or ciliates. We suggest that wave action and sediment properties are the main drivers controlling the diversity and composition of the intertidal microbenthos. Diatoms and ciliates, however, demonstrated divergent response to these factors. Epipelic and epipsammic diatoms exhibited 2 different strategies to adapt to their environments and therefore were complementarily distributed along the environmental gradient and compensated for each other in diversity. Most ciliates demonstrated a similar mode of habitat selection but differed in their degree of tolerance. Euryporal (including mesoporal) species were relatively tolerant to wave action and therefore occurred under a wide range of beach conditions, though their abundance and diversity were highest in fine, relatively stable sediments on sheltered beaches, whereas the specific interstitial (i.e. genuine microporal) species were mostly restricted to only these habitats.

scholarly journals Complex community responses underpin biodiversity change following invasion

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alessandra R. Kortz ◽  
Anne E. Magurran
Keyword(s):  
Invasive Species ◽  
Species Richness ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Species Abundance ◽  
Ecological Systems ◽  
Multi Scale ◽  
Mechanistic Approach ◽  
Α Diversity ◽  
Biodiversity Change ◽  
Insight Into

AbstractHow do invasive species change native biodiversity? One reason why this long-standing question remains challenging to answer could be because the main focus of the invasion literature has been on shifts in species richness (a measure of α-diversity). As the underlying components of community structure—intraspecific aggregation, interspecific density and the species abundance distribution (SAD)—are potentially impacted in different ways during invasion, trends in species richness provide only limited insight into the mechanisms leading to biodiversity change. In addition, these impacts can be manifested in distinct ways at different spatial scales. Here we take advantage of the new Measurement of Biodiversity (MoB) framework to reanalyse data collected in an invasion front in the Brazilian Cerrado biodiversity hotspot. We show that, by using the MoB multi-scale approach, we are able to link reductions in species richness in invaded sites to restructuring in the SAD. This restructuring takes the form of lower evenness in sites invaded by pines relative to sites without pines. Shifts in aggregation also occur. There is a clear signature of spatial scale in biodiversity change linked to the presence of an invasive species. These results demonstrate how the MoB approach can play an important role in helping invasion ecologists, field biologists and conservation managers move towards a more mechanistic approach to detecting and interpreting changes in ecological systems following invasion.

Relationships between rainfall, fog and throughfall at a hill evergreen forest site in northern Thailand

2010 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 384-391 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nobuaki Tanaka ◽  
Koichiro Kuraji ◽  
Chatchai Tantasirin ◽  
Hideki Takizawa ◽  
Nipon Tangtham ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Evergreen Forest ◽  
Forest Site ◽  
Northern Thailand

scholarly journals Using birds to set conservation priorities for Pantanal wetland forests, Brazil

2011 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 155-169 ◽  
Author(s):  
JOÃO BATISTA DE PINHO ◽  
MIGUEL ÂNGELO MARINI
Keyword(s):  
Bird Species ◽  
Dry Forest ◽  
Evergreen Forest ◽  
Conservation Priorities ◽  
Forest Types ◽  
Dry Forests ◽  
Point Counts ◽  
Evergreen Forests ◽  
Local Species Richness ◽  
Bird Richness

SummaryThe Pantanal of Brazil, one of the largest wetlands in the world, is suffering severe threats, such as forest and grassland clearance on the surrounding plateau, conversion of forests and savannas for cattle ranching and effects of large development projects. We used richness, abundance and composition of bird species in four forest types to propose conservation priorities for the northern Pantanal. Birds from 11 sites (a total of 41 points) were sampled through point counts and mist-netting. In total 215 species were recorded in the forests. Two evergreen forest types (cambarazal and landi) had higher estimates of bird richness and abundance than two dry forest types (carvoeiro and cordilheira). The evergreen forests also had more species exclusive to them and were more similar to each other than the dry forests. Selection of forests to be conserved in the northern Pantanal should give priority to evergreen forests and secondarily to dry forests. Cambarazal should be the first forests to be conserved. If the Pantanal inundation cycle is altered by the construction of hydroelectric dams or the Paraguay-Paraná waterway, cambarazal and landi may no longer become flooded, decreasing local species richness. Before our recommendations are considered for conservation and management decisions, more studies on other groups of organisms should also be taken into consideration, and similar studies should be conducted in other regions of the Pantanal. Conservation of Pantanal forest birds depends on a deeper understanding of their use of several habitats, stronger protection of the forests with higher diversity, and public policies that guarantee the long term maintenance of natural flooding cycles.

scholarly journals Climatic effects on turnover of lowland forest bird communities across a precipitation gradient

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan Pablo Gomez ◽  
José Miguel Ponciano ◽  
Scott K. Robinson
Keyword(s):  
Community Composition ◽  
Species Abundance ◽  
Environmental Filtering ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Biotic Interactions ◽  
Dry Forest ◽  
Precipitation Gradient ◽  
Climatic Effects ◽  
Lowland Forest ◽  
Abundance And Distribution

AbstractOne of the main goals of community ecology is to understand the influence of the abiotic environment on the abundance and distribution of species. It has been hypothesized that dry forests are harsher environments than wet forests, which leads to the prediction that environmental filtering should be a more important determinant of patterns of species abundance and composition than in wet forest, where biotic interactions or random assembly should be more important. We attempt to understand the influence of rainfall on the abundance and distribution of bird species along a steep precipitation gradient in an inter-Andean valley in Colombia. We gathered data on species distributions, abundance, morphological traits and phylogenetic relationships to determine the influence of rainfall on the taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic turnover of species along the Magdalena Valley. We demonstrate that there is a strong turnover of community composition at the limit of the dry forest. The taxonomic turnover is steeper than the phylogenetic turnover, suggesting that replacement of closely related species accounts for a disproportionate number of changes along the gradient. We found evidence for environmental filtering in dry forest as species tend to be more tolerant of higher temperature ranges, stronger rainfall seasonality and lower minimum rainfall. On the other hand, wet forest species tend to compete actively for nest space but not for the resources associated with the axes we measured. Our results suggest that rainfall is a strong determinant of community composition when comparing localities above and below the 2400 mm rainfall isocline.

scholarly journals Diversity of scorpions (Arachnida: Scorpiones) in Polonnaruwa Archaeological Reserve, Sri Lanka

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (15) ◽  
pp. 17121-17128
Author(s):  
Kumudu B. Wijesooriya ◽  
Lakshani S. Weerasekara ◽  
Kithsiri B. Ranawana
Keyword(s):  
Sri Lanka ◽  
Diversity Index ◽  
Species Abundance ◽  
Abundant Species ◽  
Shannon Index ◽  
Habitat Modification ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Α Diversity ◽  
Distribution And Ecology ◽  
The Impact

Sri Lanka harbours 20 scorpion species belonging to four families, of which 15 are endemic.  The distribution and ecology of scorpion fauna in Sri Lanka is poorly known.  In this study, we surveyed the diversity of scorpions in the Polonnaruwa Archaeological Reserve in the dry zone of Sri Lanka.  Microhabitats were thoroughly observed using the direct visual encounter method and UV lights from July to November 2018 for about seven hours (19.00–02.00 h) by two to three observers.  Species, abundance, age/sex, and microhabitat features were recorded.  Diversity indices, including α-diversity and β-diversity, were calculated. Heterometrus swammerdami was the most abundant species recorded, while Isometrus thwaitesi was the rarest.  Reddyanus loebli and R. besucheti were common in both open and forest habitat types.  Charmus laneus was recorded for the first time in Polonnaruwa.  The highest Shannon Index and Margalef Diversity Index values were recorded in open habitats, but species evenness was low compared to forest habitats.  Sørensen index values showed a 58% species similarity between two habitats.  The results presented here contribute to the knowledge of the diversity of scorpions in these historically significant sites.  This can serve as a basis for future research on the impact of habitat modification and fragmentation on populations, distribution and ecology of scorpions.

Understanding and assisting natural regeneration processes in degraded seasonal evergreen forests in northern Thailand

1997 ◽  
Vol 99 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 203-214 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kate Hardwick ◽  
John Healey ◽  
Stephen Elliott ◽  
Nancy Garwood ◽  
Vilaiwan Anusarnsunthorn
Keyword(s):  
Natural Regeneration ◽  
Northern Thailand ◽  
Evergreen Forests ◽  
Regeneration Processes

scholarly journals Phenology of Leaf Flushing, Flower Initiation and Fruit Maturation in Dry Deciduous and Evergreen Forests of Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary, Karnataka, Southern India

Our Nature ◽  
1970 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 89-99 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Nanda ◽  
H.M. Prakasha ◽  
Y.L. Krishna Murthy ◽  
H.S. Suresh
Keyword(s):  
Tree Species ◽  
Dry Forest ◽  
Evergreen Forest ◽  
Flower Initiation ◽  
Forest Types ◽  
Fruit Maturation ◽  
Wildlife Sanctuary ◽  
Leaf Initiation ◽  
Evergreen Forests ◽  
Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary

Varying with altitude and rainfall of two forest types of tropical forest were studied. Community wide pattern in both vegetative and reproductive phenophases among various tree species of Bhadra wildlife sanctuary, Karnataka is reported here. Leaf initiation peaks in the month of April in dry forest, after leaf less period of 1-2 months, in evergreen forest leaf initiation peaks in the month of January simultaneously with leaf senescence. Flower initiation begins from January till June with a peak in April in dry forest. Evergreen forest starts from November to march with a peak in January and February. Fruit maturation in dry forest starts from March to December with a peak in August and November, in evergreen forest from January to July with a peak in April.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/on.v9i1.5738

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