Seasonal activity of adult leaf beetles (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae, Orsodacnidae) occuring in Kovada Lake and Kızıldağ National Parks in Isparta Province (Turkey)

Abstract

Leaf beetles were studied in the Kovada Lake National Park (KL) and Kızıldag National Park (KD) in Isparta province (Turkey) during April-October in 2009 and 2010. A total of 131 leaf beetle species were collected. In total, 88 species were detected from KL and 95 species from KD. Adult activity periods of the collected leaf beetle species were determined and their frequency and dominancy values were provided. The results showed slight differences in terms of the seasonal activity of the species in the two national parks. According to Shannon-Wiener index, the highest leaf beetle diversity among the studied months was found in early June (H': 4.23) and late May (H': 4.17). Sørensen similarity index of the species according to different seasonal periods showed three distinct seasonal periods: a) early April, b) late April to early July, c) late July to late October. Almost all leaf beetles showed a seasonal distribution, with the highest dominance during spring and early summer. The main reason for these different seasonal activities is that leaf beetle species are related to the quality and availability of host-plants.

Seasonal and microclimatic effects on leaf beetles (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae) in a tropical forest fragment in northeastern Mexico

“…On a temporal scale, the chrysomelid community followed a seasonal pattern, where the rainy season was the most favorable for the presence of this group in the study area. Increase in abundance and species richness during this season has also been found in numerous studies worldwide, including studies in Tamaulipas and other parts of Mexico (Petitpierre et al 2000;Esker et al 2002;Burgos-Solorio and Anaya-Rosales 2004;Koji and Nakamura 2006;Furth 2009;Martínez-Sánchez et al 2009;Furth 2013;Sánchez-Reyes et al 2015b;Sánchez-Reyes et al 2016a;Sandoval-Becerra et al 2016;Şen and Gök 2016;Miwa and Meinke 2017;Lucio-García et al 2019). Results of the richness estimators support these patterns, because the percentage of completeness during rains is lower when compared to the dry season.…”

“…Thus, in certain areas, the highest activity of chrysomelids is restricted to the rainy season, while inactivity increases during drought conditions (Noguera 1988;Furth 2013). This is due to the association of chrysomelids with the quality and availability of their host plants (Řehounek 2002;Şen and Gök 2016), which are some of the most important elements in their diet (Ávila and Postali-Parra 2003), as well as with the abundance of young foliage (Basset and Samuelson 1996), variables that are increased during the period of highest rainfall. In addition, there is more vegetation cover producing shade, creating microenvironments that could be more favorable to maintaining a high population density (Hill and Hill 2001), with the climatic conditions of humidity necessary for the adult beetles to emerge and fly (Yanes-Gómez and Morón 2010).…”

Seasonal Variation of the Community of Chrysomelidae (Coleoptera) in a Temperate Forest at Tamaulipas, Mexico

“…The pattern of increased number of individuals at the end of the seasons (EDS and ERS) has also been recorded in numerous studies at the global level, including studies at Tamaulipas (Martínez-Sánchez et al 2009, Şen and Gök 2016, Lucio-García et al 2019. Seasonal community response of the group in the rainy season is attributed to strong relationship of beetles with quality and availability of resources, such as the abundance of fresh foliage and greater vegetational cover in the canopy and understory, which are elements elevated in the season of greater precipitation in temperate forests (Quercus: Fagaceae) of northeastern Mexico (Basset andSamuelson 1996, Ávila andPostali-Parra 2003).…”

“…Similarity of relative abundance between seasons might be because of bioclimatic balances of the forest because there were months in which there was lack of available water, following excessive water, and therefore, less primary productivity related to the amount of water (Morales-Pacheco et al 2018). Effect of seasonality provides beetles with a range of temporal resources modified and distributed during time that led to changes in community structure and therefore composition of species, as was documented in other studies of chrysomelids (Şen andGök 2016, Flinte et al 2017), as well as other orders such as Hymenoptera (Guzmán-Mendoza et al 2010) and Lepidoptera (Vargas et al 2011). Helocassis crucipennis, Octotoma marginicollis, Acallepitrix sp.1, Centralaphthona sp.…”