scholarly journals Mechanisms of diversity maintenance in dung beetle assemblages in a heterogeneous tropical landscape

PeerJ ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. e9860
Author(s):  
Jose D. Rivera ◽  
Benigno Gómez ◽  
Darío A. Navarrete-Gutiérrez ◽  
Lorena Ruíz-Montoya ◽  
Leonardo Delgado ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Tropical Forest ◽  
Beta Diversity ◽  
Deep Understanding ◽  
Biosphere Reserve ◽  
Dung Beetle ◽  
Conservation Strategies ◽  
Percent Cover ◽  
Diversity Patterns ◽  
Second Growth ◽  
Beetle Assemblages

Background Anthropized landscapes play a crucial role in biodiversity conservation, as they encompass about 90% of the remaining tropical forest. Effective conservation strategies require a deep understanding of how anthropic disturbances determine diversity patterns across these landscapes. Here, we evaluated how attributes and assembly mechanisms of dung beetle communities vary across the Selva El Ocote Biosphere Reserve (REBISO) landscape. Methods Community attributes (species diversity, abundance, and biomass) were assessed at the landscape scale, using spatial windows and vegetation classes. Windows were categorized as intact, variegated, or fragmented based on their percent cover of tropical forest. The vegetation classes analyzed were tropical forest, second-growth forest, and pastures. Results We collected 15,457 individuals and 55 species. Variegated windows, tropical forests, and second-growth forests showed the highest diversity values, while the lowest values were found in intact windows and pastures. Landscape fragmentation was positively and strongly related to dung beetle diversity and negatively related to their abundance; biomass was positively associated with forest cover. Beta diversity was the primary driver of the high dung beetle diversity in the landscape analyzed. Discussion The landscape heterogeneity and its biodiversity-friendly matrix facilitate the complementarity of dung beetle assemblages in the Selva El Ocote Biosphere Reserve. Random processes govern beta diversity patterns in intact and variegated windows. Therefore, vegetation cover in the region is sufficient to maintain a continuous flow of dung beetles between forested landscape segments. However, intense anthropic disturbances acted as deterministic environmental filters in fragmented windows and pastures sites, leading to biotic homogenization processes. Our results suggest that increasing habitat variegation in highly fragmented sites is an effective strategy to prevent or buffer homogenization processes in the REBISO landscape.

Composition and diversity patterns of Eunicida and Amphinomida (Annelida) associated to dead coral in the Chinchorro Bank Biosphere Reserve, Caribbean Sea

2019 ◽  
Vol 99 (7) ◽  
pp. 1547-1555
Author(s):  
Pablo Hernández-Alcántara ◽  
Ismael Narciso Cruz-Pérez ◽  
Vivianne Solís-Weiss
Keyword(s):  
Beta Diversity ◽  
Central Zone ◽  
Biosphere Reserve ◽  
Caribbean Sea ◽  
Dominant Factor ◽  
Dead Coral ◽  
Diversity Patterns ◽  
Mexican Caribbean ◽  
The Family ◽  
Northern Zone

AbstractThe present study is the first attempt to describe beta-diversity patterns in polychaetes of the Caribbean Sea, analysing depth changes in species composition of the Eunicida and Amphinomida inhabiting dead coral in Chinchorro Bank, southern Mexican Caribbean. In April 2008, dead coral fragments were collected by scuba diving in eight stations along two bathymetric gradients (4–9 m and 7–16.2 m depth); 755 individuals from 53 species of the families Amphinomidae, Dorvilleidae, Eunicidae, Lumbrineridae, Oenonidae and Onuphidae were identified. The highest number of species (32) and individuals (514) were found in the family Eunicidae. The Northern transect harboured 36 species, on average 18.75 ind. L−1, which decreased linearly with depth; the Central transect had 43 species, on average 19.01 ind. L−1, which increased at middle depths. The species inhabiting both these zones were moderately different (βsor = 0.603): 49.06% of the fauna occurred on both transects, but the components of beta-diversity, turnover and nestedness, displayed distinct patterns: in the Northern one replacement was the dominant factor (βsim = 0.3–1; βnes = 0–0.091), practically representing all faunal differences (βsor = 0.391–1); in the Central, dissimilarity due to nestedness increased (βnes = 0.031–0.829), mainly at the shallowest stations, but from 5 m depth, beta-diversity was almost completely explained by species replacement (βsim = 0.417–0.5; βnes = 0.031–0.318). Faunal differences were mostly related to higher abundances of Lysidice caribensis, Eunice goodei and Lumbrineris floridana in the Northern zone, and Lumbrineris perkinsi, Nicidion obtusa, Lysidice caribensis, Lumbrineris floridana, Lysidice unicornis and Eunice mutilata in the Central zone.

scholarly journals Historical signatures in the alpha and beta diversity patterns of Atlantic Forest harvestman communities (Arachnida: Opiliones)

2019 ◽  
Vol 97 (7) ◽  
pp. 631-643 ◽  
Author(s):  
A.A. Nogueira ◽  
C. Bragagnolo ◽  
M.B. DaSilva ◽  
T.K. Martins ◽  
E.P. Lorenzo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Protected Areas ◽  
Atlantic Forest ◽  
Beta Diversity ◽  
Alpha Diversity ◽  
Influential Factor ◽  
Conservation Strategies ◽  
Diversity Patterns ◽  
Alpha And Beta Diversity ◽  
Historical Factors ◽  
Compositional Changes

The integration of ecology and historical biogeography is fostering the investigation of diversity patterns. We studied alpha and beta diversity patterns of Brazilian Atlantic Forest harvestman (Arachnida: Opiliones) communities and related them to environmental and historical factors. Our data bank contains 508 species from 63 sites, encompassing almost the entire latitudinal range of Atlantic Forest. Alpha diversity was higher in coastal sites in the south and southeast regions and decreased in sites inland, as well as in sites in the coastal northeast region, especially in northern Bahia state. Alpha diversity was positively influenced by precipitation and altitudinal range, but the low number of species in northeastern coastal sites seems to be more related to the historical distribution of Neotropical harvestman lineages than to recent environmental factors. Geographic distance was the most influential factor for beta diversity. Compositional changes were also remarkably congruent with areas of endemism delimited for Atlantic Forest harvestmen. The percentage of protected areas for each area of endemism was very unbalanced, and Espírito Santo and Pernambuco states were the least protected areas. The turnover process observed in the compositional changes indicates that conservation strategies should include as many reserves as possible because every community presents a unique set of species.

scholarly journals Disentangling the correlates of species and site contributions to beta diversity in dung beetle assemblages

2018 ◽  
Vol 24 (11) ◽  
pp. 1674-1686 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pedro Giovâni da Silva ◽  
Malva Isabel Medina Hernández ◽  
Jani Heino
Keyword(s):  
Beta Diversity ◽  
Dung Beetle ◽  
Beetle Assemblages

scholarly journals Wood Pastures: A Transitional Habitat between Forests and Pastures for Dung Beetle Assemblages

Forests ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 25
Author(s):  
László Somay ◽  
Viktor Szigeti ◽  
Gergely Boros ◽  
Réka Ádám ◽  
András Báldi
Keyword(s):  
Functional Group ◽  
Animal Health ◽  
Habitat Type ◽  
Dung Beetle ◽  
Dung Beetles ◽  
Livestock Grazing ◽  
Pitfall Traps ◽  
Assemblage Composition ◽  
Beetle Assemblages

Wood pastures are home to a variety of species, including the dung beetle. Dung beetles are an important functional group in decomposition. Specifically, in terms of livestock manure, they not only contribute to nutrient cycling but are key players in supporting human and animal health. Dung beetles, however, are declining in population, and urgent recommendations are needed to reverse this trend. Recommendations need to be based on solid evidence and specific habitats. Herein, we aimed to investigate the role of an intermediate habitat type between forests and pastures. Wood pastures are key areas for dung beetle conservation. For this reason, we compared dung beetle assemblages among forests, wood pastures, and grasslands. We complemented this with studies on the effects of dung type and season at three Hungarian locations. Pitfall traps baited with cattle, sheep, or horse dung were used in forests, wood pastures, and pasture habitats in spring, summer, and autumn. Dung beetle assemblages of wood pastures showed transient characteristics between forests and pastures regarding their abundance, species richness, Shannon diversity, assemblage composition, and indicator species. We identified a strong effect of season and a weak of dung type. Assemblage composition proved to be the most sensitive measure of differences among habitats. The conservation of dung beetles, and the decomposition services they provide, need continuous livestock grazing to provide fresh dung, as well as the maintenance of wood pastures where dung beetle assemblages typical of forests and pastures can both survive.

scholarly journals Site‐specific impacts of a major hurricane on alpha and beta diversity in tropical forest seedling communities

Ecosphere ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (7) ◽  
Author(s):  
Samantha J. Worthy ◽  
Vanessa E. Rubio ◽  
Kirstin Staiger ◽  
Boris Ngouajio ◽  
Jie Yang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Tropical Forest ◽  
Beta Diversity ◽  
Site Specific ◽  
Alpha And Beta Diversity ◽  
Major Hurricane

Tree density, basal area and species diversity in a disturbed dry tropical forest of northern India: implications for conservation

2006 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 256-262 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. SAGAR ◽  
J.S. SINGH
Keyword(s):  
Species Diversity ◽  
Tropical Forest ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Tree Density ◽  
Dry Forest ◽  
Conservation Strategies ◽  
Stem Density ◽  
Dry Tropical Forest ◽  
Number Of Species ◽  
Northern India

Dry tropical forest communities are among the world's most threatened systems and urgent measures are required to protect and restore them in degraded landscapes. For planning conservation strategies, there is a need to determine the few essential measurable properties, such as number of species and basal area, that best describe the dry forest vegetation and its environment, and to document quantitative relationships among them. This paper examines the relationships between forest basal area and diversity components (number of species and evenness) for a disturbed dry tropical forest of northern India. Data were collected from five sites located in the Vindhyan dry tropical forest of India, selected on the basis of satellite images and field observations to represent the entire range of conditions in terms of canopy cover and disturbance regimes. These sites represented different communities in terms of species composition. The forest was poorer in species richness, and lower in stem density and basal area than wet forests of the tropics. Across sites (communities), the diversity components and tree density were positively related with total tree basal area. Considering basal area as a surrogate of biomass and net production, diversity is found to be positively associated with productivity. A positive relationship between basal area, tree density and species diversity may be an important characteristic of the dry forest, where recurring disturbance does not permit concentration of biomass or stems in only a few strong competitors. However, the relationships of basal area with density, alpha diversity and evenness remain statistically significant only when data from all sites, including the extremely disturbed one, are used in the analysis. In some sites there was a greater coefficient of variation (CV) of basal area than in others, attributed to patchy distribution of stems and resultant blanks. Therefore, to enhance the tree diversity of these forests, the variability in tree basal area must be reduced by regulating local disturbances. Conservation activities, particularly fuelwood plantations near human settlements, deferred grazing and canopy enrichment through multi-species plantations of nursery-raised or wild-collected seedlings of desirable species within the forest patches of low basal area, will be needed to attain restoration goals, but reforestation programmes will have to be made attractive to the forest-dwelling communities.

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