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

Abstract

Leaf beetles (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) constitute a family of abundant, diverse, and ecologically important herbivorous insects, due to their high specificity with host plants, a close association with vegetation and a great sensitivity to microclimatic variation (factors that are modified gradually during the rainy and dry seasons). Therefore, the effects of seasonality (rainy and dry seasons) and microclimate on the community attributes of chrysomelids were evaluated in a semideciduous tropical forest fragment of northeastern Mexico. Monthly sampling was conducted, between March 2016 and February 2017, with an entomological sweep net in 18 plots of 20 × 20 m, randomly distributed from 320 to 480 m a.s.l. Seven microclimatic variables were simultaneously recorded during each of the samplings, using a portable weather station. In total, 216 samples were collected at the end of the study, of which 2,103 specimens, six subfamilies, 46 genera, and 71 species were obtained. The subfamily Galerucinae had the highest number of specimens and species in the study area, followed by Cassidinae. Seasonality caused significant changes in the abundance and number of leaf beetle species: highest richness was recorded in the rainy season, with 60 species, while the highest diversity (lowest dominance and highest H’ index) was obtained in the dry season. Seasonal inventory completeness of leaf beetles approached (rainy season) or was higher (dry season) than 70%, while the faunistic similarity between seasons was 0.63%. The outlying mean index was significant in both seasons; of the seven microclimatic variables analyzed, only temperature, heat index, evapotranspiration and wind speed were significantly related to changes in abundance of Chrysomelidae. Association between microclimate and leaf beetles was higher in the dry season, with a difference in the value of importance of the abiotic variables. The results indicated that each species exhibited a different response pattern to the microclimate, depending on the season, which suggests that the species may exhibit modifications in their niche requirements according to abiotic conditions. However, the investigations must be replicated in other regions, in order to obtain a better characterization of the seasonal and microclimatic influence on the family Chrysomelidae.

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

“…Dominance (D) of beetles was greatest at the beginning and end of the rainy season, while the entropy (H') was largest at the end of the dry season, followed by the end of the rainy season (Table 3). Beetle dominance in the BRS and ERS was consistent with chrysomelid studies in fragments of tropical forest, oak-pine forest, and thorny scrub of northeastern Mexico (Sánchez-Reyes et al 2014, 2016; Lucio-García et al 2022). However, contrary to what was observed for Shannon H ́ diversity values, greatest levels were at the beginning of the rainy season (Sánchez-Reyes et al 2014, 2016).…”

“…Chrysomelidae (Coleoptera) are phytophagous insects associated with primary producers and are sensitive to weather variables such as heat, temperature, evapotranspiration, and wind speed (Lucio-García et al 2022). Chrysomelids show a seasonal pattern determined by precipitation (Lucio-García et al 2019, Sánchez-Reyes et al 2019).…”

Identificación y caracterización de daños causados por artrópodos en Dioscorea, en Montes de María, Colombia

“…Algunas especies se alimentan de raíces, otras de material vegetal sobre el suelo y también se alimentan de flores, polen, hojas y brotes nuevos de las plantas. Muchos crisomélidos se alimentan de forma mono y oligofágica de taxones de plantas específicos, otros, especialmente entre Eumolpinae, Cryptocephalinae y Clytrinae, pueden usar una amplia gama de plantas (Lucio-García et al, 2022).…”

“…Los escarabajos de la familia Chrysomelidae constituyen una familia de artrópodos ecológicamente importantes debido a su alta especificidad con las plantas hospederas, su estrecha asociación con la vegetación y por su gran sensibilidad a la variación microclimática (factores que se modifican gradualmente durante los períodos de lluvia y sequía). La selección del follaje diferencial intra-planta por crisomélidos se ha estudiado en varias investigaciones, sin embargo, no se ha detectado un patrón general de preferencia por hojas jóvenes u hojas maduras (Lucio-García et al, 2022). Estos artrópodos consumen el follaje y lo pueden emplear para diferentes propósitos, lo cual constituye una posible estrategia para proporcionar nichos dentro de la planta para sobrevivir en diferentes etapas de desarrollo (Fernandez & Hilker, 2007).…”

“…Durante la etapa de muestreo fueron registrados tres artrópodos de la subfamilia Galerucinae (Coleóptera: Chrysomelidae); este grupo de escarabajos saltadores y no saltadores está compuesto por unos 1.100 géneros y más de 15.000 especies (Lucio-García et al, 2019). Investigaciones realizadas en fragmentos de bosque tropical en México han revelado que los escarabajos de esta subfamilia presentan una gran dominancia frente a otros de la familia Chrysomelidae, lo cual puede deberse a que el gran número de especies que lo componen pueden sobrevivir y adaptarse a diferentes épocas climáticas del año y disponibilidad de alimento (Lucio-García et al, 2022). En cultivos de ñame en África, los daños en hojas han estado asociados al crisomélido Crioceris lívida (Asante et al, 2007), sin embargo, se desconoce la distribución geográfica, biología y dinámica de las poblaciones de este insecto y la susceptibilidad de las especies y cultivares de ñame.…”