scholarly journals Diversity of Flower Visiting Beetles at Higher Elevations on the Yulong Snow Mountain (Yunnan, China)

Diversity ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 604
Author(s):  
Kai-Qin Li ◽  
Zong-Xin Ren ◽  
Qiang Li
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Habitat Type ◽  
Plant Species Richness ◽  
Bipartite Networks ◽  
Plant Insect Interactions ◽  
Insect Interactions ◽  
Flower Visiting ◽  
Yulong Snow Mountain

Background: Flowers are one of the important microhabitats promoting beetle diversity, but little is known about variation in the diversity of these insects at higher elevations. We do not know how divergent habitats influence the distribution of beetles among montane flora. Methods: We sampled beetles systematically in angiosperm flowers at 12 sites at two elevations (2700 m and 3200 m) and in two habitats (meadows and forests) for two consecutive years (2018 and 2019) on the Yulong Snow Mountain in Yunnan, southwestern China. Beetle diversity among sites were compared. Their interactions with flowers of identified plant species were analyzed using bipartite networks approach. Results: We collected 153 species of beetles from 90 plant species recording 3391 interactions. While plant species richness was lower at the higher, 3200 m elevation regardless of habitat type, beetle species richness was not significantly different among sites. Plant-beetle interaction networks were strongly modular and specialized. The structure of networks showed greater differences between elevations than between habitats. The turnover of networks was determined by species composition showing a weak influence by interaction rewiring. Conclusion: Our study showed a high diversity of beetles in flowers at higher elevations within this mountain complex. The role of beetles in plant–insect interactions within some sections of temperate, montane sites appear to be underestimated and warrant further study.

Spatio-temporal patterns along a primary succession on alluvial sediments

2013 ◽  
Vol 8 (9) ◽  
pp. 888-897
Author(s):  
Maša Ignjatović ◽  
Mitja Kaligarič ◽  
Sonja Škornik ◽  
Danijel Ivajnšič
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Primary Succession ◽  
Riparian Forest ◽  
Habitat Type ◽  
Plant Species Richness ◽  
Anthropogenic Pressures ◽  
Artificial Lake ◽  
White Willow ◽  
Successional Stages

AbstractDynamic alluvial landscapes offer many possibilities to study primary succession processes on newly developed habitats. However, within the Central European environmental conditions, where watercourses and their riparian spaces are under severe anthropogenic pressures — water regulation, deforestation, lowering of groundwater — natural processes are limited. We studied primary succession on alluvial stream deposits in an artificial lake, where we aimed to follow the terrestrialisation rate and habitat turnover, along with plant species richness and composition across successional stages. In 30 years, a pristine white-willow riparian forest developed. One half of the initially aquatic habitat became terrestrial. The frequency of change, studied on 11250 quadrats 10×10 m each (on a scale from “no change” to 8 changes) and the mean of change per habitat type (most of the habitats changed 2 to 3 times) revealed only one successional trajectory. The percentage flow chart showed a deterministic pathway of succession. The “time since formation” of a terrestrial habitat shows that more than 20% of the lake was terrestrialised within in the first ten years. We studied species richness and composition along three composed transects, following successional stages. We found that the newly assembled riparian white willow woodland has a surprisingly low colonisation rate of plant species.

scholarly journals Area modulates the effect of elevation but not of land use or canopy on tropical plant species richness

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andreas Hemp ◽  
Corina Del Fabbro ◽  
Markus Fischer
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Species Richness ◽  
Tropical Forests ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Habitat Type ◽  
Plant Species Richness ◽  
Tropical Regions ◽  
Tropical Plant ◽  
Set Up ◽  
Elevational Range

AbstractOne of the few general patterns in ecology is the increase of species richness with area. However, factors driving species-area relationship (SAR) are under debate, and the role of human-induced changes has been overlooked so far. Furthermore, SAR studies in tropical regions, in particular in multilayered rain forests are scarce. On the other side, studies of global change-induced impacts on biodiversity have become increasingly important, particular in the tropics, where these impacts are especially pronounced. Here, we investigated if area modulates the effect of land use, elevation and canopy on plant species richness. For the first time we studied SAR in multilayered tropical forests considering all functional groups. We selected 13 natural and disturbed habitats on Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, distributed over an elevational range of 3700 m. In each habitat type, we set up three to six modified Whittaker plots. We recorded all plant species in 64 plots and 640 subplots and described SAR using the power function. Area consistently modulated effects of elevation on plant species richness, partly effects of land use but not effects of plant canopy. Thus, area needs to be taken into account when studying elevational plant species richness patterns. In contrast to temperate regions open and forest habitats did not differ in SAR, probably due to a distinct vertical vegetation zonation in tropical forests. Therefore, it is important to consider all vegetation layers including epiphytes when studying SAR in highly structured tropical regions.

scholarly journals Microclimatic effects on alpine plant and flower visitor communities and their interactions

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa-Maria Ohler ◽  
Martin Lechleitner ◽  
Robert R. Junker
Keyword(s):  
Plant Species ◽  
Climate Warming ◽  
Plant Cover ◽  
Trophic Levels ◽  
Flowering Plant ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Plant Insect Interactions ◽  
Insect Interactions ◽  
Flower Visiting ◽  
Flowering Plant Species

AbstractHigh-alpine ecosystems are commonly assumed to be particularly endangered by climate warming. Recent research, however, suggests that the heterogeneous topography of alpine landscapes provide microclimatic niches for alpine plants, which may buffer negative effects. Whether the microclimatic heterogeneity also affects higher trophic levels remains unknown. This study shows that the variation in mean seasonal soil temperature within a single alpine pasture is within the same range as in plots differing in nearly 500 m in elevation. This pronounced heterogeneity affected the spatial distribution of plant cover, richness of flowering plant species and plant species composition. These microclimatic effects on plant communities also affected richness of flower visiting insects and the frequency and structure of plant-insect interactions suggesting an effect of microclimate also on higher trophic levels. Our results may stimulate a re-evaluation of the consequences of climate warming on ecosystems that may compensate warming by microclimatic refuges.

Correlates of vascular plant species richness in fragmented indigenous forests: assessing the role of local and regional factors

2004 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-54 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Ohlemüller ◽  
P. Bannister ◽  
K.J.M. Dickinson ◽  
S. Walker ◽  
B.J. Anderson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Vascular Plant ◽  
Plant Species Richness ◽  
Vascular Plant Species ◽  
Regional Factors

scholarly journals Determinants of Termite Assemblages’ Characteristics within Natural Habitats of a Sudano-Guinean Savanna (Comoe National Park, Côte d’Ivoire)

Insects ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 189
Author(s):  
N’golo Koné ◽  
Kolotchèlèma Silué ◽  
Souleymane Konaté ◽  
Karl Linsenmair
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Environmental Variables ◽  
National Park ◽  
Woody Plant ◽  
Habitat Type ◽  
Plant Species Richness ◽  
Natural Habitats ◽  
Termite Species ◽  
Woody Plant Species

Termites are one of the major components of tropical ecosystems. However, the ecological and biological variables determining the structure of their communities within natural habitats are less documented in general and especially in the Comoe National Park, a Sudano-Guinean savanna zone located in the north-eastern part of Côte d’Ivoire (West Africa). Using a standardized method of belt transects, the structure of termite’s communities was estimated within habitats differing in the structure of their vegetation, soil characteristics, and the disturbance level caused by annual occurrences of bushfires. The effect of a set of environmental variables (habitat type, occurrence of annual bushfire, woody plant density, woody plant species richness, and soil physicochemical parameters) was tested on the habitat-specific recorded termite species. Sixty species of termites belonging to 19 genera, seven subfamilies and two families, namely Rhinotermitidae (Coptotermitinae and Rhinotermitinae) and Termitidae (Apicotermitinae, Cubitermitinae, Macrotermitinae, Nasutitermitinae, and Termitinae) were sampled. These species were assigned to the four feeding groups of termites: fungus growers (18 species), wood feeders (17 species), soil feeders (19 species) and the grass feeders (6 species). The highest diversity of termites was encountered in forest habitats, with 37 and 34, respectively, for the gallery forest and the forest island. Among savanna habitats, the woodland savanna was identified as the most diversified habitat with 32 recorded species, followed by the tree savanna (28 species) and the grassy savanna (17 species). The distribution of termite species and their respective feedings groups was determined by the habitat type and a set of environmental variables such as Woody Plant Diversity (WPD), Woody plant Families Diversity (WPFD), and Organic Carbon (OC). The annual Fire Occurrence (FO) was found to indirectly impact the characteristics of termite assemblages within natural habitats via their respective Herbaceous Species Richness (HSR) and Woody Plant Species Richness (WPSR). In summary, the spatial heterogeneity of the Comoe National Park, modeled by the uncontrolled annual bushfire, offers a diversified natural habitat with an important variety of termite-habitat-specific species, probably due to the food preference of these organisms and its relatively good conservation status.

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