Acridid (Orthoptera: Caelifera) diversity in agriculture ecosystems at three locations in the Mzab valley, Septentrional Sahara, Algeria

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 18-27 ◽  
Author(s):  
YOUCEF ZERGOUN ◽  
OMAR GUEZOUL ◽  
MAKHLOUF SEKOUR ◽  
NOUREDDINE BOURAS ◽  
MICHAEL D. HOLTZ

Caelifera is one of the largest and most diverse group of insects, and they are the dominant Orthoptera in agriculture ecosystems. We present here an inventory of Acridid fauna of the agricultural ecosystems in the Mzab valley (Septentrional Sahara, Algeria). Grasshoppers were sampled with quadrats in Béni Isguen, Ghardaïa and El-Atteuf, and we have expressed the species richness, sampling effort and relative abundance. The method used is that of quadrats sampling. The results revealed the presence of 27 species, divided into three families, Acrididae, Pyrgomorphidae and Tetrigidae. Among these families, we found that Acrididae are most diverse with six subfamilies. The subfamily Oedipodinae with 10 species was the most abundant, while the subfamily Tetriginae was the least abundant (represented by a one species). The value of the diversity index showed that the cultivated area of Béni Isguen is the most favorable for the development of many Caelifera. The abundance of grasses and low intensity of agricultural activity in this environment favors the presence of Acridid. We found that the Acridid community depends mainly on the nature and richness of vegetation cover, the intensity of agricultural activity and the type of irrigation. Keywords: Grasshopper, agricultural ecosystem, biodiversity, North Africa, Sahara

2015 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 119-138
Author(s):  
Harcharan Singh Rumana ◽  
Veliachamy Jeeva ◽  
Sudhir Kumar

Abstract Shannon’s diversity index H’ = pi log2 pi was calculated for 16 fish species. The index was resolved into its components, species richness and relative abundance, to determine which components played a larger role in the determination of diversity pattern. Changes in diversity were correlated with species richness (r), habitat heterogeneity, and hydrological regimes in a longitudinal stretch of 35 km along the river Giri, a major tributary of the Yamuna River system, in Western Himalayas. Abundance differs with change in habitat structures, habitat preference of fish species and water regimes. The decrease in diversity in the lower stretch of about 3-4 km upstream of the barrage was found to be associated with habitat fragmentation and as well as d/s with loss of biotic integrity of aquatic ecosystem due to water scarcity. Species richness was found to be maximum at upper and middle reaches (elevation 650-800 m, msl) of the river, whereas it was low in lower reaches. Change in water chemistry was also noticed at Jatan barrage-low head dam due to impoundment of river water. It is inferred that the regulation of water has an impact on species richness and relative abundance, and on habitat heterogeneity which has decreased due to the change in environmental condition.


2008 ◽  
Vol 98 (2) ◽  
pp. 181-188 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ariovaldo A. Giaretta ◽  
Marcelo Menin ◽  
Kátia G. Facure ◽  
Marcelo N. de C. Kokubum ◽  
Júlio C. de Oliveira Filho

Based on field observations and pitfall sampling, we determined the species richness, relative abundance, and reproductive habitat of terrestrial frogs in three municipalities in the Triângulo Mineiro region, south Cerrado biome, in southeastern Brazil. We found thirty-two species of terrestrial frogs, belonging to the families Brachycephalidae, Bufonidae, Cycloramphidae, Dendrobatidae, Leiuperidae, Leptodactylidae and Microhylidae. Most of the species were found in open areas and reproduced in human-generated environments, such as artificial lakes (10 species) and ponds (14 species). Dominance was high, with Physalaemus cuvieri Fitzinger, 1826 (Leiuperidae) representing 48% of sampled frogs. A larger number of individuals was captured in the wet season, when most of the species were reproducing. Compared to other areas of Cerrado biome, the Triângulo Mineiro sites presented a larger number of species, which may be attributed to the larger sampled area and greater sampling effort, lower altitude and presence of human generated habitats. The richness of terrestrial frogs was also larger than that in some forested localities in southeastern Brazil, indicating that the number of species cannot be explained only by precipitation and type of vegetation cover. The greater abundance of individuals during the wet season may be related to a greater movement of adults to breeding sites and to juvenile recruitment/dispersion. The heterogeneity of environments in the Cerrado biome, including its several isolated highlands, contributes to its high (local and regional) diversity of frogs.


2012 ◽  
Vol 72 (4) ◽  
pp. 813-819 ◽  
Author(s):  
AL. Marsaro Júnior ◽  
DB. Nascimento ◽  
B. Ronchi-Teles ◽  
R. Adaime

The purpose of this work was to describe the population patterns of Anastrepha in three municipalities of the state of Roraima, Brazil, via faunistic analysis. Weekly collections were performed from January through December 2008, using McPhail traps containing 5% hydrolysed protein, in domestic orchards in the municipalities of Boa Vista, Bonfim and Pacaraima. We captured 301 females of Anastrepha in Boa Vista, 212 in Bonfim, and 167 in Pacaraima. Boa Vista presented the highest species richness (S = 10) and Pacaraima the lowest (S = 4). Anastrepha striata was the predominant species in Boa Vista (47.18%) and Pacaraima (65.87%), whereas A. obliqua predominated in Bonfim (46.23%). Boa Vista presented the highest Shannon-Wiener diversity index (H' = 1.19) and Margalef index (α = 1.58), and Bonfim presented the highest Pielou's evenness index (J' = 0.69). In Pacaraima the cumulative curves reached stability, confirming that the observed and expected species richness were the same. In the other two municipalities, the curves showed a moderate growth, suggesting that the sampling effort was not sufficient to produce an accurate depiction of species richness. In this study, Anastrepha zernyi is reported for the first time in Roraima.


2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 385-398 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edita Štefanić ◽  
Vesna Kovačević ◽  
Slavica Antunović

Changes in floristic composition of weed flora were assessed comparing two phytocoenological surveys carried out during vegetation seasons in 2005 and in 2017 on the Istrian Peninsula. A total of 50 fields (row crops, cereals, alfalfa fields, orchards/vineyards and ruderal areas) were surveyed for each of the sampling time using Braun-Blanquet cover-abundance scale. Altogether 175 vascular plant species were recognized in both investigations. The most abundant species in 2005 were Avena fatua, Setaria verticilata, Lolium multiflorum and Veronica persica. In the recent survey these species became very rare or were even not detected in some habitats. In contrast, some species with very low relative abundance or not recorded in the earlier survey were found abundant in 2017. These are: Pastinaca sativa, Conyza canadensis, Picris echioides, Polygonum aviculare, and Heliotropium europaeum. The species richness was significantly higher in the earlier survey when 143 (82%) weeds were detected compared to only 97 species (55%) found in 2017. Only 64 species were found in both surveys, and these were considered frequent weeds. The comparison of weed communities from the earlier to the recent survey reflects the reduction of the weed flora at the regional scale, as well as at the field scale. The mean values of Shannon-Wiener diversity index were also higher in the earlier period and it decreased over time, particularly in row crops, cereals and ruderal habitats. This decrease was related to decline of species richness, and to the increase in inequality in the relative abundance of species. On the whole, canonical correspondence analysis indicated the major variations in species composition between different habitats.


2020 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 33-43
Author(s):  
Praveen Kumar Jha

Nagarjun forest of Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park plays a significant role in the conservation of avifaunal diversity, but there are very few studies on birds of such local biodiversity hotspots in Nepal. The objective of the present study was to obtain information on seasonal diversity, species richness and relative abundance of birds in Nagarjun forest. The study was carried out from August 2019to June 2020 covering two seasons (autumn and spring). A total of 97 species of birds belonging to 10 orders and 42 families were recorded from three trails. Total22 Mackinnon’s lists were produced resulting 97 bird species recorded from entire field survey. Passeriformes was recorded as the most dominating order represented by 69 species. Mackinnon’s listing and direct observation methods were used to survey birds and Shannon-Weiner diversity index was used for data analysis. Relative abundance showed that most of the species were rare (54%) followed by uncommon (20%), very common (15%) and common (11%). Shannon-Weiner diversity index showed higher value for spring (H = 3.895) than autumn (H =3.807) and evenness was also higher in spring (E= 0.899) than autumn (E = 0.887).The result indicated higher species richness in spring with 76 species than autumn with 73 species. Based on the Shannon–Weiner index, the overall species diversity was highest in the trail III.


Author(s):  
M. A. Gondal ◽  
S. Iqbal ◽  
U. Atique ◽  
N. U. Saher ◽  
N. A. Qureshi ◽  
...  

Abstract The primary objective of this study was to investigate the seasonal fish and crustacean variations concerning taxonomic composition, species richness, and diversity in sandy beach habitat. For this purpose, we investigated the Sonmiani Hor lagoon area during four distinct seasons, i.e., northeast (NE) monsoon, pre-monsoon, south-west (SW) monsoon, and post-monsoon for one year. During each haul, the net was pulled about 100m along the beach in 0.5m depth. The results showed a strong linear correlation between the diversity index and equitability in fishes (r = 0.978). The diversity index was strong negatively correlated with the abundance and biomass (r = -0.978, -0.972, respectively). The physical attributes like sea surface water temperature and salinity showed a strong negative effect on species assemblages (r = -0.981 and -0.943, respectively). The mean air and water temperature illustrated approximately 3°C difference during NE and pre-monsoon seasons. However, salinity, pH, and electrical conductivity did not show any significant seasonal variabilities. Under the ecological indices, the fish species displayed higher diversity (H’ = 3.19) during SW monsoon, whereas the lowest diversity was observed during pre-monsoon (H’ = 1.58). The equitability and species richness, however, remained more noticeable during SW monsoon (J’ = 0.81). The total number of individuals of fish and crustaceans reached 4799 with 3813 fish individuals and 986 individuals of crustaceans. A total of 27 families of fish while five crustacean families comprising of 30 genera and 38 fish species while ten genera and 17 species of crustaceans were recorded. Liza subviridis displayed the highest abundance among the sampled fish species. In conclusion, fish species constituted a significant part of the coastal fauna in the study area. The seasonal variations displayed distinct variations in fish species composition and diversity.


2017 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
Noor Nasuha Abd Aziz ◽  
Siti Khairiyah Mohd Hatta ◽  
Idris Abd Ghani ◽  
Saiyid Jalaluddin Saiyid Shaifuddin

A study on abundance and diversity of Hymenoptera was conducted in Gunung Datuk, Rembau. Samplings were conducted from November 2014 to February 2015 using six Malaise traps. Three traps were placed at Site 1 at 700m height for high elevation and the remaining traps were placed at Site 2 at 200m height for low elevation. A total number of 221 Hymenopteran were collected which consist of nine families namely Ichneumonidae, Formicidae, Braconidae, Bethylidae, Evaniidae, Tiphiidae, Vespidae, Pompilidae and Apidae. In this study, 93 individuals were obtained from Site 1, comprising nine families and 43 morphospecies while 127 individuals were obtained from Site 2 with nine families and 45 morphospecies. Formicidae was the most dominant family collected from both sites with a total of 104 individuals while the least family recorded was Apidae with only one individual. Shannon’s Weiner Diversity Index (H’) showed Site 1 had the higher diversity value with H’ = 3.17 compared to Site 2 with value H’ = 3.12. For Evenness Index, Site 1 had higher value compared to Site 2 with E’ = 0.84 and E’ = 0.82 respectively. Moreover, for Margalef Richness Index, Site 1 recorded R’ = 9.24 while site two recorded R’ = 9.08 which concluded that Site 1 had higher species richness compared to Site 2. Paired t-test showed that both sites had no significant difference with p>0.05. Overall study showed that the diversity and abundance of Hymenoptera in Gunung Datuk were low since the value of H’ is less than 3.50.


2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (13) ◽  
pp. 12792-12799
Author(s):  
Anupama Saha ◽  
Susmita Gupta

Aquatic and semiaquatic Hemiptera bugs play significant ecological roles, and they are important indicators and pest control agents.  Little information is currently available concerning its populations in southern Assam.  This study assessed hemipterans in four sites of Sonebeel, the largest wetland in Assam (3458.12 ha at full storage level), situated in Karimganj District.  The major inflow and outflow of the wetland are the rivers Singla and Kachua, respectively (the Kachua drains into the Kushiyara River).  Samples were trapped with pond nets and were seasonally recorded.  This study recorded a total of 28 species of aquatic and semiaquatic hemipterans belonging to 20 genera under nine families.  Population, geographical and environmental data (e.g., rainfall) were used to assess the relative abundance of species, species richness and different diversity indices, and species distribution. 


2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Halvarsson ◽  
Johan Höglund

Abstract Background A novel way to study the species composition and diversity of nematode parasites in livestock is to perform deep sequencing on composite samples containing a mixture of different species. Herein we describe for the first time the nematode community structures (nemabiomes) inhabiting Swedish sheep and how these are/were affected by host age and recent anthelmintic treatments. Methods A total of 158 fecal samples were collected (n = 35 in 2007 and n = 123 in 2013–2016) and cultured from groups of sheep on 61 commercial farms in the south-central part of the country where most animals are grazed. Among the samples, 2 × 44 (56%) were paired collections from the same groups pre- and post-treatment with anthelmintics such as macrocyclic lactones, benzimidazoles or levamisole. Samples were analyzed for their nemabiome using the PacBio platform followed by bioinformatic sequence analysis with SCATA. Species richness and diversity were calculated and analyzed in R. Results Nematode ITS2 sequences were found in all larval culture samples except two, even though the fecal egg counts were below the McMaster threshold in 20 samples. Sequencing yielded, on average, 1008 sequences per sample. In total, 16 operational taxonomical units (OTU), all with ≥ 98 % identity to sequences in the NCBI database, were recognized. The OTUs found represented nematode species of which ten are commonly associated with sheep. Multiple species were identified in all pre-anthelmintic treatment larval culture samples. No effects on nematode diversity were found in relation to host age. On the other hand, recent anthelmintic treatment lowered species richness, especially after use of ivermectin and albendazole. Interestingly, despite zero egg counts after use of levamisole, these samples still contained nematode DNA and especially H. contortus. Conclusions Our findings provide evidence that nemabiome analysis combined with diversity index analysis provides an objective methodology in the study of the efficacy of anthelmintic treatment as both high and low abundant species were detected.


2017 ◽  
Vol 63 (2) ◽  
pp. 8-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Corrado Battisti ◽  
Marco Giardini ◽  
Francesca Marini ◽  
Lorena Di Rocco ◽  
Giuseppe Dodaro ◽  
...  

We reported a study on breeding birds occurring inside an 80 m-deep karst sinkhole, with the characterization of the assemblages recorded along its semi-vertical slopes from the upper edge until the bottom. The internal sides of the sinkhole have been vertically subdivided in four belts about 20 m high. The highest belt (at the upper edge of the cenote) showed the highest values in mean number of bird detections, mean and normalized species richness, and Shannon diversity index. The averaged values of number of detections and species richness significantly differ among belts. Species turnover (Cody’s β-diversity) was maximum between the highest belts. Whittaker plots showed a marked difference among assemblages shaping from broken-stick model to geometric series, and explicited a spatial progressive stress with a disruption in evenness towards the deepest belts. Bird assemblages evidenced a nested subset structure with deeper belts containing successive subsets of the species occurring in the upper belts. We hypothesize that, at least during the daytime in breeding season, the observed non-random distribution of species along the vertical stratification is likely due to (i) the progressive simplification both of the floristic composition and vegetation structure, and (ii) the paucity of sunlight as resources from the upper edge to the inner side of the cenote.


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