Gamma diversity: derived from and a determinant of alpha diversity and beta diversity. An analysis of three tropical landscapes
Using three taxonomic groups of beetles we examine how alpha and beta diversity influence the species richness of a landscape (gamma diversity), and vice versa. That is, how the species richness of a landscape – which is a historical and biogeographical phenomenon – contributes t...
| Những tác giả chính: | , |
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| Định dạng: | Online |
| Ngôn ngữ: | eng |
| Được phát hành: |
Instituto de Ecología, A.C.
2022
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| Truy cập trực tuyến: | https://azm.ojs.inecol.mx/index.php/azm/article/view/2550 |
| _version_ | 1799770453684781056 |
|---|---|
| author | Arellano, Lucrecia Halffter, Gonzalo |
| author_facet | Arellano, Lucrecia Halffter, Gonzalo |
| author_sort | Arellano, Lucrecia |
| collection | AZM |
| description | Using three taxonomic groups of beetles we examine how alpha and beta diversity influence the species richness of a landscape (gamma diversity), and vice versa. That is, how the species richness of a landscape – which is a historical and biogeographical phenomenon – contributes to the values of alpha diversity (1) at a given site, (2) in a community, (3) in terms of cumulative species richness by community, and also contributes to (4) the intensity of species exchange between communities. To explore this question, we used two subfamilies of Scarabaeoidea: Scarabaeinae and Geotrupinae, and the family Silphidae. In all analyses these three taxonomic groups are considered as a single indicator group: the copronecrophagous beetles. Information is also included on the subfamily Aphodiinae (Scarabaeoidea), coprophagous beetles not included in the indicator group. Several types of vegetation located in three landscapes (tropical, transition and mountain) were studied, and these are located along an altitudinal gradient in the central part of the state of Veracruz, Mexico. We base this study on the following concepts. The alpha diversity of an indicator group reflects the number of species that use a given environment or resource in a given place or community. Spacial beta diversityis related to the response of organisms to spatial heterogeneity. Gamma diversity depends primarily on the historical and geographic processes that operate on the mesoscale level and is also affected by alpha and beta diversity. It is on this scale of landscape that human actions, such as the modification and fragmentation of vegetation, have their most important effects. These are, however, often beyond the scope of ecological analyses carried out on a local scale. In the three landscapes, sampling was carried out regularly at 67 sites, with complementary sampling at another 69 sites. Twenty-six types of vegetation communities were studied. A total of 16,152 specimens representing 60 species were captured (52 species of Scarabaeinae, 4 Geotrupinae and 4 Silphidae). In the tropical landscape the community richest in species was low deciduous forest. In the transition landscape, cloud forest was the richest. Each of these communities is the most representative of their respective altitudinal bands. In contrast, the greatest species richness in the mountain landscape occurred in the mountain grasslands and pastures; types of community favoured by or even created by human intervention. This is explained by the expansion of heliophilous species from the Mexican High Plateau into these areas. In the tropical landscape the species richness of the pastures is similar to that of its forests, but with a partially different composition which is characterized by the dominance of heliophilous and coprophagous species; the latter, in addition to the more ubiquitous species that are shared with the tropical forest. In the transition landscape the cloud forest and the coffee plantations with polyspecific shade are important in the context of conserving the fauna. This type of community offers arboreal cover and occupies the majority of this landscape, allowing the groups of insects studied to move between remnant fragments of cloud forest. On the landscape scale but not locally, the fragmentation of natural communities does not appear to have reduced the number of species for the beetles of the indicator group. In each landscape disturbance by human activity appears to have been overcome for distinct reasons. In the tropical landscape we find the heliophilous beetle fauna characteristic of pastures, and this has increased by two species of recent invaders. In the transition landscape, the coffee plantations with polyspecific shade create a communication matrix, while in the mountain landscape the expansion of the mountain pastures has made conditions more favourable for heliophilous species. These results are not necessarily expected for other groups of organisms. |
| format | Online |
| id | azm-article-2550 |
| institution | Acta Zoológica Mexicana |
| language | eng |
| publishDate | 2022 |
| publisher | Instituto de Ecología, A.C. |
| record_format | ojs |
| spelling | azm-article-25502022-08-05T02:44:57Z Gamma diversity: derived from and a determinant of alpha diversity and beta diversity. An analysis of three tropical landscapes Gamma diversity: derived from and a determinant of alpha diversity and beta diversity. An analysis of three tropical landscapes Arellano, Lucrecia Halffter, Gonzalo English Español Using three taxonomic groups of beetles we examine how alpha and beta diversity influence the species richness of a landscape (gamma diversity), and vice versa. That is, how the species richness of a landscape – which is a historical and biogeographical phenomenon – contributes to the values of alpha diversity (1) at a given site, (2) in a community, (3) in terms of cumulative species richness by community, and also contributes to (4) the intensity of species exchange between communities. To explore this question, we used two subfamilies of Scarabaeoidea: Scarabaeinae and Geotrupinae, and the family Silphidae. In all analyses these three taxonomic groups are considered as a single indicator group: the copronecrophagous beetles. Information is also included on the subfamily Aphodiinae (Scarabaeoidea), coprophagous beetles not included in the indicator group. Several types of vegetation located in three landscapes (tropical, transition and mountain) were studied, and these are located along an altitudinal gradient in the central part of the state of Veracruz, Mexico. We base this study on the following concepts. The alpha diversity of an indicator group reflects the number of species that use a given environment or resource in a given place or community. Spacial beta diversityis related to the response of organisms to spatial heterogeneity. Gamma diversity depends primarily on the historical and geographic processes that operate on the mesoscale level and is also affected by alpha and beta diversity. It is on this scale of landscape that human actions, such as the modification and fragmentation of vegetation, have their most important effects. These are, however, often beyond the scope of ecological analyses carried out on a local scale. In the three landscapes, sampling was carried out regularly at 67 sites, with complementary sampling at another 69 sites. Twenty-six types of vegetation communities were studied. A total of 16,152 specimens representing 60 species were captured (52 species of Scarabaeinae, 4 Geotrupinae and 4 Silphidae). In the tropical landscape the community richest in species was low deciduous forest. In the transition landscape, cloud forest was the richest. Each of these communities is the most representative of their respective altitudinal bands. In contrast, the greatest species richness in the mountain landscape occurred in the mountain grasslands and pastures; types of community favoured by or even created by human intervention. This is explained by the expansion of heliophilous species from the Mexican High Plateau into these areas. In the tropical landscape the species richness of the pastures is similar to that of its forests, but with a partially different composition which is characterized by the dominance of heliophilous and coprophagous species; the latter, in addition to the more ubiquitous species that are shared with the tropical forest. In the transition landscape the cloud forest and the coffee plantations with polyspecific shade are important in the context of conserving the fauna. This type of community offers arboreal cover and occupies the majority of this landscape, allowing the groups of insects studied to move between remnant fragments of cloud forest. On the landscape scale but not locally, the fragmentation of natural communities does not appear to have reduced the number of species for the beetles of the indicator group. In each landscape disturbance by human activity appears to have been overcome for distinct reasons. In the tropical landscape we find the heliophilous beetle fauna characteristic of pastures, and this has increased by two species of recent invaders. In the transition landscape, the coffee plantations with polyspecific shade create a communication matrix, while in the mountain landscape the expansion of the mountain pastures has made conditions more favourable for heliophilous species. These results are not necessarily expected for other groups of organisms. Utilizando tres grupos taxonómicos en este trabajo examinamos como las diversidades alfa y beta influyen en la riqueza de especies de un paisaje (diversidad gamma), así como el fenómeno recíproco. Es decir, como la riqueza en especies de un paisaje (un fenómeno histórico-biogeográfico) contribuye a determinar los valores de la diversidad alfa por sitio, por comunidad, la riqueza acumulada de especies por comunidad y la intensidad del recambio entre comunidades. Los grupos utilizados son dos subfamilias de Scarabaeoidea: Scarabaeinae y Geotrupinae, y la familia Silphidae. En todos los análisis los tres grupos taxonómicos son manejados como un grupo indicador: los escarabajos copronecrófagos. De una manera lateral se incluye información sobre la subfamilia Aphodiinae (Scarabaeoidea), escarabajos coprófagos no incorporados al manejo del grupo indicador. Los paisajes estudiados son tres (tropical, de transición y de montaña), situados en un gradiente altitudinal en la parte central del estado de Veracruz. Partimos de las premisas siguientes. La diversidad alfa de un grupo indicador refleja el número de especies que utiliza un mismo ambiente o recurso en un lugar o comunidad. La diversidad beta espacial se relaciona con la respuesta de los organismos a la heterogeneidad del espacio. La diversidad gamma depende fundamentalmente de los procesos histórico-geográficos que actúan a nivel de mesoescala y está también condicionada por las diversidades alfa y beta. Es a nivel de paisaje o mesoescala donde las acciones humanas como cambio y fragmentación de comunidades, tienen sus efectos más importantes, efectos que en muchas ocasiones escapan al análisis ecológico puntual. En el conjunto de los tres paisajes se realizaron muestreos regulares en 67 sitios, más muestreos complementarios en 69 lugares más. Se estudiaron 26 tipos de comunidades vegetales. Se capturó un total de 16,152 ejemplares de 60 especies, 52 especies de Scarabaeinae, 4 de Geotrupinae y 4 de Silphidae. En el paisaje tropical la comunidad más rica en especies es la selva baja caducifolia; en el paisaje de transición es el bosque mesófilo. Ambas, son las comunidades naturales más importantes de sus pisos altitudinales. Por el contrario, en el paisaje de montaña la mayor riqueza se encuentra en praderas y potreros, un tipo de comunidad favorecido o incluso creado por la intervención humana. Esto se explica por la expansión a estos lugares de especies heliófilas del Altiplano mexicano. En el paisaje tropical los potreros presentan una riqueza en especies próxima a la de las selvas, pero una composición parcialmente diferente, caracterizada por la dominancia de especies heliófilas y coprófagas, a las que se suman las especies más ubicuistas compartidas con la selva. En el paisaje de transición se puso en relieve la importancia para la conservación de la fauna del bosque mesófilo, de los cafetales de sombra poliespecífica. Estos cafetales, el tipo de comunidad con cubierta arbórea que ocupa la mayor superficie en este paisaje, permiten a los grupos estudiados la intercomunicación entre los fragmentos remanentes de bosque mesófilo. Para los escarabajos que constituyen el grupo indicador, a nivel de paisaje (no puntualmente) la fragmentación de las comunidades naturales no parece haber ocasionado pérdidas en el número de especies. Aparentemente, la perturbación humana ha sido superada por razones distintas en cada paisaje. En el tropical porque existe una fauna heliófila característica de los potreros, fauna que incluso ha aumentado con dos especies invasoras recientes. En el paisaje de transición por el efecto de los cafetales de sombra poliespecífica que crean una matriz de intercomunicación. En el de montaña porque la expansión de las praderas ha ampliado las condiciones favorables para las especies heliófilas. Estos resultados no tienen forzosamente que repetirse con otros grupos de organismos. Instituto de Ecología, A.C. 2022-08-04 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion Original articles Artículos originales application/pdf https://azm.ojs.inecol.mx/index.php/azm/article/view/2550 10.21829/azm.2003.902550 ACTA ZOOLÓGICA MEXICANA (N.S.); No. 90 (2003); 27-76 ACTA ZOOLÓGICA MEXICANA (N.S.); Núm. 90 (2003); 27-76 2448-8445 0065-1737 eng https://azm.ojs.inecol.mx/index.php/azm/article/view/2550/2968 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0 |
| spellingShingle | Arellano, Lucrecia Halffter, Gonzalo Gamma diversity: derived from and a determinant of alpha diversity and beta diversity. An analysis of three tropical landscapes |
| title | Gamma diversity: derived from and a determinant of alpha diversity and beta diversity. An analysis of three tropical landscapes |
| title_full | Gamma diversity: derived from and a determinant of alpha diversity and beta diversity. An analysis of three tropical landscapes |
| title_fullStr | Gamma diversity: derived from and a determinant of alpha diversity and beta diversity. An analysis of three tropical landscapes |
| title_full_unstemmed | Gamma diversity: derived from and a determinant of alpha diversity and beta diversity. An analysis of three tropical landscapes |
| title_short | Gamma diversity: derived from and a determinant of alpha diversity and beta diversity. An analysis of three tropical landscapes |
| title_sort | gamma diversity: derived from and a determinant of alpha diversity and beta diversity. an analysis of three tropical landscapes |
| url | https://azm.ojs.inecol.mx/index.php/azm/article/view/2550 |
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