Abstract
Abstract Aim: We aimed to understand how aquatic insect larvae communities associated with bromeliad phytotelmata are affected by plant architecture, predators and resources (local factors), and by geographical distance (regional factors) in two different plant phenological phases. Bromeliad flowering results in plant structural changes, which favours insect dispersal. Considering that local and regional factors may affect the community of aquatic insect larvae, we expected that composition, beta diversity and the importance of those factors would differ in the vegetative growth and flowering phases. Methods We performed six samplings of the bromeliad associated fauna in 2010, three during the first semester - vegetative growth phase - and three during the second semester - flowering phase. In each sampling, we collected 12 plants along the rocky walls with similar location distribution, with a total of 72 bromeliads studied. Results Although beta diversity (PERMDISP) did not differ between vegetative growth and flowering, NMDS followed by ANOSIM showed that composition was significantly different in the distinct phenological phases. IndVal results showed that three Diptera morphospecies were discriminant of the vegetative growth phase. In addition, pRDA revealed differences in the relative contribution of local and regional factors to explain insect larvae community structure. During the flowering phase, local factors predominated, while during vegetative growth, regional factors were more important. Conclusion Differences in dispersal rates between the two phenological phases, likely due to adult insect pollination and further oviposition, influenced community structuring. Therefore, flowering events account for differences not only in the composition, but also in community structuring of aquatic insect larvae inhabiting the phytotelmata of Aechmea distichantha Lem. (Bromeliaceae).
Highlights
Natural communities may be regulated by local factors, such as competition, disturbances, biotic and abiotic variables, and regional factors, such as geographical distance among patches, dispersal capacity among habitats and climate conditions (Hillebrand & Blenckner, 2002; Cottenie et al, 2003; Paradise et al, 2008)
Aim: We aimed to understand how aquatic insect larvae communities associated with bromeliad phytotelmata are affected by plant architecture, predators and resources, and by geographical distance in two different plant phenological phases
Considering that local and regional factors may affect the community of aquatic insect larvae, we expected that composition, beta diversity and the importance of those factors would differ in the vegetative growth and flowering phases
Summary
Natural communities may be regulated by local factors, such as competition, disturbances, biotic and abiotic variables, and regional factors, such as geographical distance among patches, dispersal capacity among habitats and climate conditions (Hillebrand & Blenckner, 2002; Cottenie et al, 2003; Paradise et al, 2008) These processes, acting in broad temporal and spatial scales, are important in determining diversity patterns and define the aspects of the regional species pool from where local communities are assembled (Caley & Schluter, 1997). Those habitats may be considered ideal model systems for the study of ecological processes affecting species diversity in natural communities (Srivastava, 2006), from community assembly rules (Céréghino et al, 2011; Dézerald et al, 2014) to the relationships between diversity and ecosystem functioning (Srivastava & Bell, 2009; Romero & Srivastava, 2010), since each phytotelmata can be considered as a unique small habitat with well‐defined frontiers (Schulz et al, 2012), naturally replicated in the environment and composed by taxonomically diverse fauna with multiple trophic levels (Armbruster et al, 2002)
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