Temporal Variation in the Diversity of Cantharidae (Coleoptera), in Seven Assemblages in Tropical Dry Forest in Mexico

Abstract

One aspect of cantharids that has received little attention is the analysis of temporal diversity patterns. For an approximation to this aspect, temporal variation in richness, abundance and temporal turnover in monthly species composition were analyzed for seven assemblages of Cantharidae associated to the Tropical Dry Forest (TDF), in Mexico. A search was also made for processes associated. High species richness and abundance for the rain season, high dissimilarity among the months of the inter-seasonal period, and common patterns of diversity in the assemblages, regardless of the species they included, were expected. The seven assemblages clearly displayed a seasonal pattern of abundance associated with the rain season, but the total expression of seasonality in each assemblage was determined by asynchronous emergence of genera and species, in addition to high temporal turnover in species composition. With few exceptions, abundance, richness and temporal turnover showed statistically significant correlation with variation in precipitation; temperature had apparently little or no influence. The results suggest that adult emergence could be determined by host plant phenology and, indirectly, by abiotic factors such as precipitation. The importance of conducting more comprehensive studies to provide accurate evidence to characterize temporal patterns of diversity in TDF insect assemblages and associated processes, not just indicating the presence-absence of species at given times and places is emphasized.

Early successional dynamics of ground beetles (Coleoptera, Carabidae) in the tropical dry forest ecosystem in Colombia

“…Seasonality did not significantly influence the carabid beetle assemblage, even though numerous studies have shown seasonality to be important in dry forest beetles (e.g., Novais et al 2016;Pérez and Zaragoza 2016;Rangel-Acosta and Martínez-Hernández 2017;Noguera et al 2018). However, there are exceptions; for example dung beetle richness differences between wet and dry seasons in the Caatinga forest in Brazil were small (Medina and Lopes 2014).…”

“…During a previous El Niño event (1996) in the Amazonian rainforest, carabid beetle richness decreased drastically compared with other periods (Lucky et al 2002). In Mexican TDF, a decrease in Cantharidae beetle richness was also observed during the 1997/8 El Niño event (Pérez and Zaragoza 2016). Finally, the historic use of forest fragments and agricultural practices in pastures may explain the poor carabid community in this landscape.…”

“…For TDF insects, successional pathways are also difficult to predict, since changes are related to seasonal variability (Neves et al 2010a). Seasonal fluctuations in insects in TDF are well document (e.g., Noguera-Martínez et al 2007;Pérez and Zaragoza 2016;Corona-López et al 2017;Noguera et al 2018), however, peaks in species richness are not clear when successional stages are included (e.g., Neves et al 2010b). Additionally, taxa occupying different forest strata respond differently to succession; e.g., dung beetles and hypogaeic ant richness change with succession (Neves et al 2010a;Marques et al 2017), while arboreal and epigaeic ant do not (Neves et al 2010b;Marques et al 2017).…”

Individual growth of the Flathead Knob‐scaled Lizard, Xenosaurus platyceps, from tropical and temperate populations

“…However, during the study period, precipitation at weather stations near each study site was greater at Gómez Farías (total annual precipitation range: 1612–1853 mm) than at El Madroño (total annual precipitation range: 467–1436 mm). Frequently, insect and invertebrate abundances are positively correlated with precipitation (Karban et al, 2017; Kaspari & Valone, 2002), including for some taxa in a variety of habitats in Mexico (Corona‐López et al, 2017; González‐Hernández et al, 2015; Noguera et al, 2018; Perez Hernández & Zarargoza Caballero, 2016). In addition, some potentially important insect prey items decrease in abundance with elevation in Mexico, especially near elevations of the El Madroño population (e.g., Longino et al, 2014; Meléndez‐Jaramillo et al, 2019; Sánchez‐Reyes et al, 2016).…”