Seasonal and interannual variation on social wasps’ assemblages in two habitats of a seasonally dry tropical forest region

Abstract

AbstractThe patterns of the spatial distribution of insects in seasonally dry tropical forests (SDTFs) are strongly influenced by marked seasonal fluctuations. Tropical arthropod seasonality has been linked to multiple factors, ranging from microclimate changes to large‐scale environmental processes. The group of social wasps includes eusocial organisms that play essential roles in ecosystems, acting as pollinators and predators. This study examines the variation in abundance and species richness according to season, rainfall, and temperature in an area of the Caatinga biome in northeastern Brazil, which has distinct vegetation characteristics. Four years of continuous sampling with Malaise traps constituted the medium‐term data used in our study. During dry seasons, populations of xerophytic vegetation experienced significant decreases in abundance, which were associated with decreased rainfall; however, we did not observe the same effect in evergreen vegetation. Mesic habitats have less variation in food resources, which may have kept populations active during droughts. However, during wet periods, especially after heavy rainfall, more individuals were recorded in the xeric area compared with the mesic area. Using results from social wasp populations, we conclude that the spatio‐temporal dynamics of insects in forest areas with seasonal characteristics are greatly affected by factors such as the landscape composition and mainly by the distribution of rainfall.Abstract in Spanish is available with online material.