scholarly journals Aposematic Coloration of Moths Decreases Strongly along an Elevational Gradient in the Andes

Insects ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (10) ◽  
pp. 903
Author(s):  
Konrad Fiedler ◽  
Gunnar Brehm
Keyword(s):  
Light Trap ◽  
Elevational Gradient ◽  
Montane Forest ◽  
Taxonomic Composition ◽  
Tropical Andes ◽  
Tropical Mountains ◽  
Aposematic Coloration ◽  
The Andes ◽  
High Elevations ◽  
Trap Catches

On tropical mountains, predation pressure decreases with elevation. Accordingly, one expects an elevational decay in the prevalence of costly defensive traits such as aposematic coloration. Using light-trap catches of Arctiinae moths (353 species, 4466 individuals), assembled along a forested gradient in the megadiverse tropical Andes of southern Ecuador, we show that the incidence of aposematic coloration decreases strongly between 1040 and 2670 m asl. While over 60% of Arctiinae moths were warningly colored at lowest sites, this fraction decreased to less than 20% in montane forest, yet increased slightly again at the highest sites in the very open Purdiaea nutans forest. In parallel, the incidence of hymenopteran mimics and of species that mimic chemically defended beetles decreased with elevation. Hymenopteran mimics accounted for less than 5% of Arctiinae moths at sites above 2100 m, and beetle mimics were essentially lacking at high elevations. These patterns coincide with a change in gross taxonomic composition of Arctiinae ensembles and with an increase in average body size towards higher elevations. Representatives of Euchromiina and Ctenuchina became scarce with altitude, whereas the prevalence of Lithosiinae increased. Our findings suggest that the variable selective pressures along the elevational gradient favor warning coloration primarily at lower sites, whereas cryptic appearance of adult moths dominates in the tropical upper montane forest.

scholarly journals Avian community structure and habitat use of Polylepis forests along an elevation gradient

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
C Steven Sevillano-Rios ◽  
Amanda D. Rodewald
Keyword(s):  
Elevation Gradient ◽  
Elevational Gradient ◽  
High Elevation ◽  
Bird Diversity ◽  
Avian Community ◽  
Forest Patches ◽  
The Andes ◽  
High Conservation ◽  
Conservation Concern ◽  
High Elevations

Background. As one of the highest and most unique systems in the world, Polylepis forests are recognized both as center of endemism and diversity along the Andes and as a system under serious threat from human activities, fragmentation, and climate change. Effective conservation efforts are limited, in part, by our poor understanding of the habitat needs of the system’s flora and fauna. Methods. In 2014-2015, we studied bird communities and 19 associated local and landscape attributes within five forested glacial valleys within the Cordillera Blanca and Huascaran National Park, Peru. Birds were surveyed in dry (May-August) and wet (January-April) seasons at 130 points distributed along an elevational gradient (3,300-4,700 masl) and analyzed using Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA). Results. A total of 50 species of birds, including 13 species of high conservation concern, were associated with four basic habitat types: (1) Polylepis sericea forests at low elevations, (2) P. weberbaueri forests at high elevations, (3) Puna grassland and (4) shrublands. Four species of conservation priority (e.g., Poospiza alticola) were strongly associated with large forest patches (~10-ha) dominated by P. sericea at lower elevations (<3,800 masl), whereas another four (e.g., Anairetes alpinus) were associated with less disturbed forests of P. weberbaueri at upper elevations (>4,200 masl). Discussion. Results suggest that, in addition to conserving large (>10-ha) P. sericea forests at lower elevations as the cornerstone for maintaining bird diversity, any high elevation (>4,200 masl) relicts of P. weberbaueri, irrespective of size, should be prioritized for conservation.

scholarly journals Avian community structure and habitat use of Polylepis forests along an elevation gradient

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
C Steven Sevillano-Rios ◽  
Amanda D. Rodewald
Keyword(s):  
Elevation Gradient ◽  
Elevational Gradient ◽  
High Elevation ◽  
Bird Diversity ◽  
Avian Community ◽  
Forest Patches ◽  
The Andes ◽  
High Conservation ◽  
Conservation Concern ◽  
High Elevations

Background. As one of the highest and most unique systems in the world, Polylepis forests are recognized both as center of endemism and diversity along the Andes and as a system under serious threat from human activities, fragmentation, and climate change. Effective conservation efforts are limited, in part, by our poor understanding of the habitat needs of the system’s flora and fauna. Methods. In 2014-2015, we studied bird communities and 19 associated local and landscape attributes within five forested glacial valleys within the Cordillera Blanca and Huascaran National Park, Peru. Birds were surveyed in dry (May-August) and wet (January-April) seasons at 130 points distributed along an elevational gradient (3,300-4,700 masl) and analyzed using Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA). Results. A total of 50 species of birds, including 13 species of high conservation concern, were associated with four basic habitat types: (1) Polylepis sericea forests at low elevations, (2) P. weberbaueri forests at high elevations, (3) Puna grassland and (4) shrublands. Four species of conservation priority (e.g., Poospiza alticola) were strongly associated with large forest patches (~10-ha) dominated by P. sericea at lower elevations (<3,800 masl), whereas another four (e.g., Anairetes alpinus) were associated with less disturbed forests of P. weberbaueri at upper elevations (>4,200 masl). Discussion. Results suggest that, in addition to conserving large (>10-ha) P. sericea forests at lower elevations as the cornerstone for maintaining bird diversity, any high elevation (>4,200 masl) relicts of P. weberbaueri, irrespective of size, should be prioritized for conservation.

Two distinctive new species of Pristimantis (Anura: Strabomantidae) from the Cordillera Oriental with a distributional synopsis of strabomantids in Central Peru

Zootaxa ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 1918 (1) ◽  
pp. 12-25 ◽  
Author(s):  
WILLIAM E. DUELLMAN ◽  
JUAN CARLOS CHAPARRO
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
Montane Forest ◽  
Southern Peru ◽  
The Andes ◽  
Andean Cordillera ◽  
Two New Species ◽  
High Elevations

Two new species of the genus Pristimantis (Pristimantis) that are tentatively placed in the Pristimantis unistrigatus Group are described from the Yanachaga-Chemillén region in Departamento Pasco, Peru, where 24 species of strabomantid frogs are known. Both new species inhabit the humid montane forest on the slopes of the Andean Cordillera Oriental, and one of the new species apparently is a cryptic relative of another inhabitant of the region. Among 60 species of strabomantids recorded in a two-degree wide transect from the Amazonian lowland to the crest of the Cordillera Oriental, only three of the species restricted to mid-elevations are known from transects in northern or southern Peru. High elevations are dominated by terrestrial Phrynopus, whereas the lowlands and forested slopes of the Andes are dominated by arboreal Pristimantis. Within clades there is no elevational correlation with the presence or absence of a tympanum.

scholarly journals Avian community structure and habitat use ofPolylepisforests along an elevation gradient

PeerJ ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. e3220 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Steven Sevillano-Ríos ◽  
Amanda D. Rodewald
Keyword(s):  
Elevation Gradient ◽  
Elevational Gradient ◽  
Avian Community ◽  
Forest Patches ◽  
The Andes ◽  
High Conservation ◽  
Conservation Concern ◽  
High Elevations ◽  
Avian Community Structure ◽  
Landscape Attributes

BackgroundAs one of the highest forest ecosystems in the world,Polylepisforests are recognized both as center of endemism and diversity along the Andes and as an ecosystem under serious threat from habitat loss, fragmentation, and climate change due to human activities. Effective conservation efforts are limited, in part, by our poor understanding of the ecology and habitat needs of the ecosystem’s flora and fauna.MethodsIn 2014–2015, we studied bird communities and 19 associated local and landscape attributes within five forested glacial valleys within the Cordillera Blanca and Huascaran National Park, Peru. We surveyed birds during the dry (May–August) and wet (January–April) seasons at 130 points distributed along an elevational gradient (3,300–4,700 m) and analyzed our data using Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA).ResultsWe associated a total of 50 species of birds, including 13 species of high conservation concern, with four basic habitat types: (1)Polylepis sericeaforests at low elevations, (2)P. weberbaueriforests at high elevations, (3) Puna grassland and (4) shrublands. Four species of conservation priority (e.g., Microspingus alticola) were strongly associated with large forest patches (∼10-ha) ofP. sericeaat lower elevations (<3,800 m), whereas another four (e.g., Anairetes alpinus) were associated with less disturbed forests ofP. weberbaueriat higher elevations (>4,200 m).DiscussionResults suggest two key strategies form the cornerstones of conservation efforts: (a) protect large remnant (>10-ha)P. sericeaforests at lower elevations and (b) maintain all relicts ofP. weberbaueri, irrespective of size, at high elevations (>4,200 m).

Community characteristics of forest understory birds along an elevational gradient in the Horn of Africa: A multi-year baseline

The Condor ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kyle D Kittelberger ◽  
Montague H C Neate-Clegg ◽  
Evan R Buechley ◽  
Çağan Hakkı Şekercioğlu
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Species Turnover ◽  
Survival Rates ◽  
Elevational Gradient ◽  
Forest Understory ◽  
Bird Abundance ◽  
Tropical Mountains ◽  
Demographic Rates ◽  
Understory Birds ◽  
Over Time

Abstract Tropical mountains are global hotspots for birdlife. However, there is a dearth of baseline avifaunal data along elevational gradients, particularly in Africa, limiting our ability to observe and assess changes over time in tropical montane avian communities. In this study, we undertook a multi-year assessment of understory birds along a 1,750 m elevational gradient (1,430–3,186 m) in an Afrotropical moist evergreen montane forest within Ethiopia’s Bale Mountains. Analyzing 6 years of systematic bird-banding data from 5 sites, we describe the patterns of species richness, abundance, community composition, and demographic rates over space and time. We found bimodal patterns in observed and estimated species richness across the elevational gradient (peaking at 1,430 and 2,388 m), although no sites reached asymptotic species richness throughout the study. Species turnover was high across the gradient, though forested sites at mid-elevations resembled each other in species composition. We found significant variation across sites in bird abundance in some of the dietary and habitat guilds. However, we did not find any significant trends in species richness or guild abundances over time. For the majority of analyzed species, capture rates did not change over time and there were no changes in species’ mean elevations. Population growth rates, recruitment rates, and apparent survival rates averaged 1.02, 0.52, and 0.51 respectively, and there were no elevational patterns in demographic rates. This study establishes a multi-year baseline for Afrotropical birds along an elevational gradient in an under-studied international biodiversity hotspot. These data will be critical in assessing the long-term responses of tropical montane birdlife to climate change and habitat degradation.

scholarly journals Bluetongue virus in a Nigerian dairy cattle herd: 1. Serological studies and correlation of virus activity to vector population

1983 ◽  
Vol 90 (2) ◽  
pp. 177-193 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. A. J. Herniman ◽  
J. P. T. Boorman ◽  
W. P. Taylor
Keyword(s):  
Bluetongue Virus ◽  
Light Trap ◽  
Survival Rates ◽  
Virus Transmission ◽  
Neutralizing Antibody ◽  
Decay Rates ◽  
Vector Population ◽  
Virus Activity ◽  
Serological Studies ◽  
Trap Catches

SUMMARYNewborn calves were bled at monthly intervals and examined for serum antibodies to bluetongue virus (BTV). Maternal immunity persisted for 3 months and it was possible to calculate decay rates for virus neutralizing antibody. Calves were subclinically infected with BTV within a few months of becoming susceptible and neutralization tests were used to deduce the serotype responsible. A profile of virus activity was built up over a 12 month period. Frequent light trap catches were used to examine the population dynamics of suspected Culicoides vector species. Two species, imicola and schultzei were present throughout the wet and dry seasons and survival rates were sufficiently long to account for virus transmission at any time of the year.

scholarly journals Light trap catches of blackflies in southern part of Kyushu, Japan

1978 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 107-115
Author(s):  
Hiroyuki TAKAOKA ◽  
Sinichi NODA ◽  
Susumu YAMAMOTO
Keyword(s):  
Light Trap ◽  
Trap Catches

Southern Potato Wireworms: Light-Trap Catches of Adults in an Isolated Agricultural Area123

1973 ◽  
Vol 66 (3) ◽  
pp. 757-760 ◽  
Author(s):  
Augustine Day ◽  
J. M. Stanley ◽  
J. C. Webb ◽  
J. G. Hartsock
Keyword(s):  
Light Trap ◽  
Trap Catches

scholarly journals High turn-over rates at the upper range limit and elevational source-sink dynamics in a widespread songbird

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin U. Grüebler ◽  
Johann von Hirschheydt ◽  
Fränzi Korner-Nievergelt
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Gradients ◽  
Elevational Gradient ◽  
High Elevation ◽  
Range Limit ◽  
Apparent Survival ◽  
Breeding Sites ◽  
Mobile Species ◽  
Source Sink ◽  
Turn Over ◽  
High Elevations

AbstractThe formation of an upper distributional range limit for species breeding along mountain slopes is often based on environmental gradients resulting in changing demographic rates towards high elevations. However, we still lack an empirical understanding of how the interplay of demographic parameters forms the upper range limit in highly mobile species. Here, we study apparent survival and within-study area dispersal over a 700 m elevational gradient in barn swallows (Hirundo rustica) by using 15 years of capture-mark-recapture data. Annual apparent survival of adult breeding birds decreased while breeding dispersal probability of adult females, but not males increased towards the upper range limit. Individuals at high elevations dispersed to farms situated at elevations lower than would be expected by random dispersal. These results suggest higher turn-over rates of breeding individuals at high elevations, an elevational increase in immigration and thus, within-population source-sink dynamics between low and high elevations. The formation of the upper range limit therefore is based on preference for low-elevation breeding sites and immigration to high elevations. Thus, shifts of the upper range limit are not only affected by changes in the quality of high-elevation habitats but also by factors affecting the number of immigrants produced at low elevations.

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