Distribución y diversidad de colémbolos (Hexapoda: Collembola) en el gradiente altitudinal de un bosque templado en México

Abstract

Distribution and diversity of springtails (Hexapoda: Collembola) on the altitudinal gradient of a temperate forest in Mexico. Mountain ecosystems have shown slow mineralization activity due to weather conditions, and to some groups with arthropods with special roles. The Collembola is an important group for litter fragmentation, showing different distribution patterns. The objective of the present study was to determine the diversity of Collembola along a volcano altitudinal gradient. For this, four sampling expeditions evaluated four altitudinal levels (I=2 753, II=3 015, III=3 250 and IV=3 687 masl) in Iztaccihuatl Volcano, from November 2003, and March, June and August 2004. Shannon diversity (H'), Pielou evenness (J') and Simpson dominance (1/λ) indices were calculated. The similarity between the associations of springtails between the sampling sites was evaluated by a cluster analysis using the Pearson correlation coefficient, as distance and the unpaired arithmetic averages (UPGMA) as amalgamation method. A total of 24 075 springtails, distributed in 12 families, 46 genera and 86 species was collected. The higher species abundance was found at the altitudinal area II. The lowest diversity value was recorded in IV, while the higher diversity values were found in III. Significant differences between Shannon indices were found between zones II-III (t 0.01, 187 =4.11, p<0.05) and between III-IV (t 0.01, 187 =3.8, p<0.05) according to modified t-test. When considering sampling dates, no significant differences were found. The dendrogram showed that in composition the level I is more homogeneous throughout the year. In conclusion, a statistically significant seasonal variation in springtail abundances was not found, but it was observed that, the lower altitude (I) resulted more homogeneous along the studied period, followed by level II and III. There is a particular assemblage of springtails community in each altitudinal area studied; in general, the sites with low slope resulted more diverse in Collembola communities. These results show that there are important factors such as altitude, vegetation type and microhabitat heterogeneity that may affect the distribution of springtails communities along an altitudinal gradient.

Alfa and beta diversity of thrips (Thysanoptera) and biological control agents in chrysanthemum flowers (Chrysanthemum sp.) of two ecoregions in Jujuy province, Argentina

“…The responses of hexapod diversity to an altitudinal gradient have been reported by several authors, especially in the Americas. However, studies have focused on natural ecosystems (Janzen et al, 1976;Guerrero & Sarmiento, 2010;García-Gómez et al, 2011;Ramos, 2018). Furthermore, to this date, no studies have analyzed changes in arthropod taxonomic composition in agricultural systems of different altitudes.…”

Demography of the land snail Tikoconus (Tikoconus) costarricanus (Stylommatophora: Euconulidae) in tropical low montane and premontane forests, Costa Rica

“…Future studies should collect all the moss that grows on stems and, due to the specimen's small size and lack of colour, sort them in the laboratory. It is important to learn more about the microhabitat that stem mosses provide for invertebrates and their role in forest moisture in tropical habitats, as has been done for temperate ecosystems (Cutz-Pool et al, 2010;García-Gómez, Castaño-Meneses, & Palacios-Vargas, 2011). For example, it has been shown that moss moisture is important for some acari (Hoffmann & Riberón, 1992).…”

Efectos de la reforestación sobre los patrones de diversidad de artrópodos en una región de bosque templado del Centro de México

“…Artropofauna: En la literatura especializada existen pocos reportes sobre la diversidad de artrópodos en bosques templados del Estado de México. Destacan por ejemplo, estudios sobre la diversidad, la estructura y la composición de las comunidades de colémbolos (Cutz-Pool et al, 2008;Cutz-Pool et al, 2010a;García-Gómez et al, 2011) A pesar de que en algunos casos los criterios taxonómicos no están bien establecidos para la identificación de las especies, los artrópodos pueden llegar a ser herramientas útiles de monitoreo ambiental (Favila y Halffter, 1997;. De acuerdo con los resultados, de todos los grupos aquí estudiados, las hormigas son un taxón que estrechamente se relaciona con los patrones de diversidad de otros taxa por razones causales.…”