scholarly journals The influence of vegetation structure on spider species richness, diversity and community organization in the Apšuciems calcareous fen, Latvia

2016 ◽  
Vol 39 (2) ◽  
pp. 221-236 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Štokmane ◽  
◽  
V. Spuņģis ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Vegetation Structure ◽  
Community Organization ◽  
Spider Species ◽  
Calcareous Fen

scholarly journals Revision of the calcareous fen arachnofauna: habitat affinities of the fen-inhabiting spiders

ZooKeys ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 802 ◽  
pp. 67-108 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maija Štokmane ◽  
Inese Cera
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Northern Hemisphere ◽  
Ecological Groups ◽  
Pitfall Traps ◽  
Calcareous Fens ◽  
Spider Species ◽  
Calcareous Fen ◽  
Alkaline Environments ◽  
Habitat Affinities ◽  
Sweep Net

Calcareous fens are one of the most species-rich habitats of the temperate zone of the Northern Hemisphere. In spite of this species richness, however, calcareous fens are still rather poorly investigated. Consequently, the data of the fen-associated spider fauna are also largely lacking. The aim of the research was to study the spider fauna of the calcareous fens of Latvia and to draw conclusions about what kind of spider species and ecological groups typically inhabit calcareous fen habitats. Spiders were sampled in the summer months of 2010, 2011, and 2012 at nine different calcareous fens of the coastal lowland of Latvia. The spider collection was performed by pitfall traps and a sweep net. The examined material comprised 6631 adult spider individuals representing 21 families and 149 species. The main spider ecological groups that dominated in the studied calcareous fens were hygrophilous and photophilous species which largely reflect the main properties of our studied habitats, all of which were wet, open mire habitats. Nevertheless, the fen arachnofauna consisted also of spider groups which are less typical for moist, sun-exposed, and alkaline environments, like xerophilous, sciophilous, and sphagnophilous species, respectively. Finally, several spider species collected in this study have not been previously reported for the spider fauna of Latvia, and many more might still be undiscovered in these unique and poorly investigated habitats. Therefore, it is suggested that calcareous fens deserve special attention and they should definitely be investigated further.

Habitat use by stream-breeding frogs in south-east Sulawesi, with some preliminary observations on community organization

2004 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 439-448 ◽  
Author(s):  
Graeme R. Gillespie ◽  
David Lockie ◽  
Michael P. Scroggie ◽  
Djoko T. Iskandar
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Habitat Use ◽  
Community Organization ◽  
Habitat Associations ◽  
Habitat Partitioning ◽  
Tropical Stream ◽  
Frog Species ◽  
Oviposition Sites ◽  
Selection Of ◽  
Spatial Habitat

The habitat associations of stream-breeding frogs were examined along a series of stream transects on Buton Island in south-east Sulawesi, Indonesia. Of the eight frog species located along streams, four were observed breeding in stream habitats. We examined spatial habitat partitioning among these species. Three of the four species were found to be associated with a non-random selection of the available perch sites. Strong partitioning between species in habitat associations was found; partitioning of the available habitat space was primarily associated with differences in proximity to stream features, and in the height of perch sites. General observations indicated that oviposition sites of most species were associated with the microhabitats in which the adult frogs were found. All four stream-breeding species appear to have synchronous breeding phenologies and the spatial relationships of these species within the habitat space appear to reflect partitioning of calling sites and oviposition sites. The stream-breeding frog community in this region of Sulawesi has much lower species richness and less specialized habitat use compared with other tropical stream-breeding frog communities in the region.

Plant species richness mediates the effects of vegetation structure, but not soil fertility, on insect gall richness in a savanna in Brazil

2017 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 197-204 ◽  
Author(s):  
Walter Santos de Araújo
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Species Richness ◽  
Soil Organic Matter ◽  
Plant Height ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Vegetation Structure ◽  
Plant Species Richness ◽  
Plant Abundance ◽  
Insect Galls ◽  
Insect Gall

Abstract:The present study aims to investigate the effects of vegetation structure (plant abundance and height) and soil characteristics (soil organic matter and macronutrients) on insect gall richness, and determine the extent to which these effects are mediated by the indirect effects of plant species richness. The study was performed in forty-nine 100-m2 savanna plots in Parque Nacional das Emas (Brazil) and sampled a total of 985 individual plants of 71 plant species and 97 insect gall morphotypes. Cecidomyiidae (Diptera) induced the most insect galls (38.1%), and the plant family Myrtaceae had the greatest richness of insect gall morphotypes (16). Path analysis of plant abundance, plant height, soil macronutrients, soil organic matter and plant species richness explained 73% of insect gall richness. The results show that soil macronutrient quantity has a direct positive effect on insect gall richness, whereas plant abundance and plant height had only indirect positive effects on insect gall richness via the increase in plant species richness. These findings showed that both plant-related and environment-related factors are important to induce insect gall richness in Neotropical savannas, and that plant species richness should be taken into account to determine the richness of insect galls.

scholarly journals The effect of fragmentation on spider richness (Arachnida: Araneae) in montane semideciduous seasonal forest

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Flávio Eduardo Vilas Boas Júnior ◽  
Amanda Da Silva Ferreira ◽  
Marcos Magalhães De Souza
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Atlantic Forest ◽  
Minas Gerais ◽  
Fragmentation Process ◽  
Natural Environments ◽  
Forest Fragments ◽  
Spider Species ◽  
Semideciduous Seasonal Forest ◽  
Agricultural Areas ◽  
Environmental Functions

The fragmentation process that has altered natural environments has been widely discussed, as it causes changes in communities and compromises different environmental functions. In this sense, this study was based on the evaluation of fragmentation on araneofauna of semideciduous seasonal forest fragments, phytophysiognomy belonging to the Atlantic Forest. The study was conducted in three fragments in the municipality of Inconfidentes, southern Minas Gerais, from April 2014 to March 2015. The results showed that there is a similarity in the composition of spider species among the sampled fragments and that the size of the fragment is positively correlated with species richness. Our data show that smaller fragments must be preserved and that agricultural areas maintain the integrity of adjacent forest areas to benefit from the predation dynamics that spiders exert on pests that affect plantations.

Bird species richness, composition and abundance in pastures are affected by vegetation structure and distance from natural habitats: a single tree in pastures matters

2017 ◽  
Vol 118 (2) ◽  
pp. 201-211 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mauricio Neves Godoi ◽  
Rudi Ricardo Laps ◽  
Danilo Bandini Ribeiro ◽  
Camila Aoki ◽  
Franco Leandro de Souza
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Vegetation Structure ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Natural Habitats ◽  
Bird Species Richness ◽  
Single Tree

Farmed landscapes, trees and forest conservation in Saint Lucia (West Indies)

2012 ◽  
Vol 40 (3) ◽  
pp. 211-221 ◽  
Author(s):  
BRADLEY B. WALTERS ◽  
LISA HANSEN
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Species Richness ◽  
Vegetation Structure ◽  
West Indies ◽  
Collaborative Management ◽  
Secondary Forests ◽  
Marginal Lands ◽  
Watershed Protection ◽  
Crop Farming ◽  
Saint Lucia

SUMMARYIslands of the West Indies are among the most historically impacted by agriculture, yet agricultural influences on forests there have been little studied. This research compared tree species richness and vegetation structure between farmed lands, post-agriculture secondary forests and mature remnant forests in two watersheds in Saint Lucia, and sought to understand the current distribution of these habitats in terms of land use and watershed topography. Farms devoted to annual crops had few trees and much exposed soil. By contrast, agroforests had abundant (mostly planted) trees and vegetation structure comparable to secondary forests. Secondary forests had highest overall species richness, but mature forests had the most developed vegetation structure. Variations in habitat distribution reflected different land use histories, with the more rugged west coast long dominated by tree crop farming and the east coast experiencing a recent boom-bust cycle in bananas. Mature and secondary forests were more likely found at higher altitude, further from roads and at sites more difficult to access, the combined result of government protection of key forest and watershed reserves and farmers’ preferential abandonment of marginal lands. For conservationists, this return of forests is reason for optimism and it presents strategic opportunities for public land acquisition or collaborative management to further forest and watershed protection objectives.

Distance effect from cloud forest fragments on plant community structure in abandoned pastures in Veracruz, Mexico

2006 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 431-440 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miguel Angel Muñiz-Castro ◽  
Guadalupe Williams-Linera ◽  
José María Rey Benayas
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Vegetation Structure ◽  
Forest Restoration ◽  
Cloud Forest ◽  
Distance Effect ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Woody Species ◽  
Primary Forest ◽  
Forest Fragments ◽  
Forest Region

Secondary succession was studied in a Mexican cloud forest region along a chronosequence of 15 abandoned pastures (0.25–80 y). Our objective was to determine the effects of distance from the forest border on successional vegetation structure and woody species richness along the chronosequence. Vegetation structure similar to that of mature forests recovered over 40–50 y, both close to (0–10 m) and away from (40–50 m) the border. Total woody species richness was similar for both distances but species composition differed significantly. When primary forest species were analysed separately, basal area, height, abundance and richness were all significantly higher close to the forest border. Primary species such as Quercus spp. (barochorous-synzoochorous) and Carpinus caroliniana (anemochorous) had lower basal area, density and height away from the border than close to it. Secondary species such as Lippia myriocephala (anemochorous) and Myrsine coriacea (endozoochorous) did not differ in their rate of colonization between distances. The limitation of seed dispersal and establishment for primary woody species away from forest borders suggests that propagules need to be introduced to accelerate forest restoration.

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