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.
Highlights
Accelerated loss of biological diversity, as well as the alterations in native ecosystems as a result of human activities, are among the most important environmental issues at a global level (Challenger and Dirzo 2009)
Species that dominated in abundance in the study area were Centralaphthona diversa (Baly, 1877) (629 individuals), Monomacra bumeliae (Schaeffer, 1905) (528 individuals), Heterispa vinula (Erichson, 1847) (311 individuals), and Margaridisa sp. 1 (147 individuals), which together represent 77% (1,615 individuals) of the total abundance recorded
The number of taxa recorded in this research is lower compared to similar studies in northeastern Mexico, such as those conducted at El Cielo Biosphere Reserve (RBEC) (Niño-Maldonado et al 2005), the Cañón de la Peregrina (CDP) (Sánchez-Reyes et al 2014) and the Sierra de San Carlos (SDSC) (Sánchez-Reyes et al 2016a)
Summary
Accelerated loss of biological diversity, as well as the alterations in native ecosystems as a result of human activities, are among the most important environmental issues at a global level (Challenger and Dirzo 2009). Changes in precipitation and increased environmental temperature (Schaefer et al 2008) are likely to cause alterations in abundance and even loss of species (Brook et al 2008), as well as changes in their geographical distribution (Parmesan and Yohe 2003; Root et al 2003). These responses are variable, based on the type of organism and its niche breadth (Vié et al 2009). Changes in climatic abiotic variables are key factors in the composition and structure of biological communities, besides other ecological aspects (Pimm 2007), such as seasonal changes during wet and dry seasons (Wolda 1988; Rzedowski 2006)
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