How much have we learned about seasonality in tropical insect abundance since Wolda (1988)?

Abstract

AbstractSeasonal patterns in climatic conditions affect the life cycles and temporal patterns in the abundance of most temperate insect species. In tropical regions where there is no winter season, the situation may be different. For a better understanding of the evolution of seasonal life cycles, and the dynamics affecting temporal patterns in abundance of tropical insect populations and assemblages, it is important to study the life cycles of tropical insects and the presence or absence of seasonality in relation to climatic conditions. By reviewing studies on temporal patterns of abundance, this article examines the patterns of seasonality in adult tropical forest insects and discusses the variation in such patterns in various forest types. Seasonal and aseasonal patterns were found to be common in tropical dry and wet regions, respectively. In wet regions, which lack a distinctive dry season, there exists a wide variety of temporal patterns in addition to aseasonal patterns: distinctively seasonal and supra‐annual fluctuations in some insect species. Some of the problems of hidden ecological mechanisms underlying seasonal patterns in abundance are discussed, and the definition of seasonality in temporal patterns of insect abundance at a particular stage in the life cycle is considered. Methodological problems are also discussed.