Abundance–occupancy relationships of larval black flies (Diptera: Simuliidae) in temperate Nearctic streams

Abstract

This study examines abundance–occupancy relationships of larval black flies in temperate streams of the south‐eastern United States. It is the first study of abundance–occupancy relationships in lotic macro‐invertebrate assemblages to focus on a single family. We address the following questions: (i) Do larval black flies show a strong inter‐specific abundance–occupancy relationship? (ii) Do widespread and abundant species demonstrate greater niche breadth (NB) or niche position (NP) than do species with limited distributions and low local abundances? (iii) Does the abundance–occupancy relationship change between habitat generalists and specialists? Species abundance was measured as the total mean relative abundance over all sites. Three measures of occupancy were used: occurrence (number of sites occupied), latitudinal extent of occupancy, and longitudinal extent of occupancy. Niche‐based indices (breadth and position) were expressed as multivariate indices of habitat variables, reflecting variation in the niche of a species, as opposed to a simple range. Non‐ecological factors (sampling, analytical artefacts, phylogenetic non‐independence) accounted for our results and, accordingly, we focus on ecological explanations of inter‐specific abundance–occupancy relationships, grounded in niche and meta‐population theory. When occupancy was measured as the number of sites at which a species occurred, a strong inter‐specific abundance–occupancy relationship was found. Niche‐based indices did not have a significant influence on shaping this relationship. When occupancy was measured as geographic extent, the abundance–occupancy relationship was weak or non‐significant, although niche‐based indices had a significant effect on occupancy. No evidence supported the notion that meta‐population dynamics influence abundance–occupancy relationships. Abundance–occupancy relationship is a summation of individual species traits, a point that often receives little attention.

Habitat availability drives the distribution–abundance relationship in phytophagous true bugs in managed grasslands

“…Empirical evidence for the resource-use hypothesis (Fig. 1b) is weak and ambiguous (Gaston et al 1997b; positive relationships, e.g., Barger and Esch 2002, Kotze et al 2003, Heino 2005, Faulks et al 2015no relationship, Gaston and Lawton 1988, Root and Cappuccino 1992, McCreadie and Adler 2014negative relationships, Gaston et al 1997b, P€ aivinen et al 2005, Verberk et al 2010. In our study, the degree of feeding specialization had no effect on either the local distribution or the mean abundance of a species.…”

“…, Heino , Faulks et al. ; no relationship, Gaston and Lawton , Root and Cappuccino , Gregory and Gaston , McCreadie and Adler ; negative relationships, Gaston et al. , Päivinen et al.…”

“…, Borregaard and Rahbek ). The resource‐availability is closely linked to the niche position of a species and the hypothesis has received some empirical support for various taxa, including stream insects (Heino , but see McCreadie and Adler ), fish (Tales et al. ), and birds (Gregory and Gaston ).…”

Ecological niche features override biological traits and taxonomic relatedness as predictors of occupancy and abundance in lake littoral macroinvertebrates

“…body size) traits in affecting among-species variation in occupancy and abundance. However, other studies have also found the prevalence of niche breadth in affecting variation in occupancy and abundance (Siqueira et al 2009, McCreadie andAdler 2014), yet the studies that have truly compared the performance of niche position and niche breadth are still few (Gregory andGaston 2000, Slatyer et al 2013). Therefore, it is difficult to decipher the degree to which niche position or niche breadth is a more universal determinant of occupancy and abundance, requiring further testing through a comparative analysis of different datasets (Rocha et al 2018).…”

“…Heino and Grönroos (2014) Macroinvertebrates Lotic Abundance Niche position Dispersal mode was also significant. McCreadie and Adler (2014) Blackflies Lotic Occupancy Niche breadth Niche position less important. Tonkin et al (2016) Macroinvertebrates Lotic Occupancy Niche position Niche breadth also significant.…”