Animal Assemblages Research Articles

Quantitative characterization of animal social organization: Applications for epidemiological modelling.

Social organization is a key aspect of animal ecology, closely interlinked with all aspects of animal behaviour. The structure of animal assemblages is highly diverse, both within and between species. The complexity and variety of social systems and the dynamic nature of interactions and dependencies between members of social groups have long been major obstacles for developing operational characterizations of social organization. Here, social network analysis, a set of statistical tools rooted in graph theory, suggests itself as a potential solution for this problem, by offering quantitative measures for various aspects of social relationships. In this review I will first introduce network analysis as a tool to characterize the social organization of animal groups and population and, then, focus on the application of this method for epidemiological modelling, specifically the prediction of spreading patterns of pathogens in livestock and its potential for informing targeted surveillance and planning of intervention measures.

Low redundancy and complementarity shape ecosystem functioning in a low-diversity ecosystem.

Ecosystem functioning is positively linked to biodiversity on land and in the sea. In high-diversity systems (e.g. coral reefs), species coexist by sharing resources and providing similar functions at different temporal or spatial scales. How species combine to deliver the ecological function they provide is pivotal for maintaining the structure, functioning and resilience of some ecosystems, but the significance of this is rarely examined in low-diversity systems such as estuaries. We tested whether an ecological function is shaped by biodiversity in a low-diversity ecosystem by measuring the consumption of carrion by estuarine scavengers. Carrion (e.g. decaying animal flesh) is opportunistically fed on by a large number of species across numerous ecosystems. Estuaries were chosen as the model system because carrion consumption is a pivotal ecological function in coastal seascapes, and estuaries are thought to support diverse scavenger assemblages, which are modified by changes in water quality and the urbanization of estuarine shorelines. We used baited underwater video arrays to record scavengers and measure the rate at which carrion was consumed by fish in 39 estuaries across 1,000km of coastline in eastern Australia. Carrion consumption was positively correlated with the abundance of only one species, yellowfin bream Acanthopagrus australis, which consumed 58% of all deployed carrion. The consumption of carrion by yellowfin bream was greatest in urban estuaries with moderately hardened shorelines (20%-60%) and relatively large subtidal rock bars (>0.1km2 ). Our findings demonstrate that an ecological function can be maintained across estuarine seascapes despite both limited redundancy (i.e. dominated by one species) and complementarity (i.e. there is no spatial context where the function is delivered significantly when yellowfin bream are not present) in the functional traits of animal assemblages. The continued functioning of estuaries, and other low-diversity ecosystems, might therefore not be tightly linked to biodiversity, and we suggest that the preservation of functionally dominant species that maintain functions in these systems could help to improve conservation outcomes for coastal seascapes.

Crustacea (Branchiopoda) among Organic Remains from Mammoth Hair

The purpose of this study is to analyze the taxonomic composition of the branchiopod crustaceans (Crustacea: Branchiopoda) from the assemblage of animal and plant remains recovered from fossil mammoth hair found in the Allaikha River basin, Sakha Republic, Russian Federation. We studied the hair structure. AMS radiocarbon dating of both the hair itself and the remains demonstrated their different ages. We found different animal and plant remains in the hair taphocoenosis. The most diverse and numerous remains belong to branchiopod crustaceans: resting eggs and distal portions of the mandibles of Anostraca, distal portions of the mandibles of Notostraca, filtering limbs of some Anostraca or Daphniidae, ephippia of Daphnia (Daphnia) curvirostris, Daphnia (Ctenodaphnia) atkinsoni, and D. (C.) magna. No representatives of D. (Ctenodaphnia) now occur in northeastern Eurasia, but our findings of numerous ephippia in the fossil hair of two mammoths, one from the Allaikha River and the other, studied previously, from the Bol’shaya Chukochya River basin (see Kirillova et al., 2016), show that Daphnia (Ctenodaphnia) taxa occurred in the region at least in the past and were probably common and widely distributed there. The reasons for the extinction of Daphnia (Ctenodaphnia) in northeastern Eurasia require additional special study. We also emphasize the need for further studies of the morphology of ephippia, resting eggs, and mandibles of recent Branchiopoda, which would be essential for adequate identification of Pleistocene remains.

Bird assemblages on Amazonian river islands: Patterns of species diversity and composition

AbstractThe principles of island biogeography are rarely applied to the animal assemblages of Amazonian river islands. Here, we compare bird assemblages of Amazonian river islands with a variety of mainland habitats. We also examine how bird species diversity and composition are related to island physical attributes. Birds were sampled with mist nets and qualitative censuses on 11 river islands and 24 mainland sites on the lower reaches of the Rio Negro in the Brazilian Amazon. Island bird assemblages were characterized by lower species richness and a higher abundance of a few dominant species. Additionally, the species composition of the islands was distinct from that of the mainland, including the nearby floodplain habitats. The number of bird species increased with island size and habitat diversity, and decreased with degree of isolation. In addition, small islands tended to harbor an impoverished subset of the species present on larger ones. Bird species diversity and composition on Amazonian river islands are likely influenced by the ecological succession and historical events affecting island formation. Considering their small total area across the Amazon basin, these insular fluvial communities could be disproportionately threatened by river channel disturbances related to climate change or hydroelectric dam development.Abstract in Portughese is available with online material.

Discovery of Deep-Water Bamboo Coral Forest in the South China Sea

A deep-water coral forest, characterized by slender and whip-shaped bamboo corals has been discovered from water depths of 1200–1380 m at the western edge of the Xisha (Paracel Islands) area in the South China Sea. The bamboo corals are often accompanied by cold-water gorgonian “sea fan” corals: Anthogorgia sp. and Calyptrophora sp., as well as assemblages of sponges, cirrate octopuses, crinoids and other animals. The coral density increased toward the shallower areas from 24.8 to 220 colonies per 100 m2 from 1380 m to 1200 m water depth. This is the first set of observations of deep-water bamboo coral forests in Southeast Asia, opening a new frontier for systematic, ecological and conservation studies to understand the deep-coral ecosystem in the region.

Landscape transformation alters functional diversity in coastal seascapes

The ecological impacts of landscape modification and urbanisation have transformed the composition of plant and animal assemblages, and altered the condition of ecosystems globally. Landscape transformation influences the spatial distribution of species and ecological functions by selecting for generalist species with wide ecological niches, which can adapt to opportunities in highly‐modified environments. These effects of landscape modification can shape functional diversity on land, but it is not clear whether they have similar functional consequences in the sea. We used estuaries as a model system to test how landscape transformation alters functional diversity in coastal seascapes, and measured how variation in level of urbanisation, catchment modification and habitat loss influenced fish diversity across thirty‐nine estuaries in eastern Australia. Fish were surveyed with baited remote underwater video stations and functional diversity was indexed with three metrics that describe variation in the functional traits and niche space of assemblages. The extent of landscape transformation in the catchment of each estuary was associated with variation in the functional diversity of estuarine fish assemblages. These effects were, however, not what we expected as functional diversity was highest in modified estuaries that supported a large area of both urban and grazing land in their catchments, were bordered by a small area of natural terrestrial vegetation and that contained a moderate area of mangroves. Zoobenthivores and omnivores dominated assemblages in highly‐modified estuaries, and piscivorous fishes were common in natural waterways. Our results demonstrate, that the modification and urbanisation of ecosystems on land can alter functional diversity in the sea. Intense landscape transformation appears to select for abundant generalists with wide trophic niches, and against species with specialised diets, and we suggest that these changes might have fundamental consequences for ecosystem functioning in estuaries, and other highly modified seascapes.

Forest Connectivity, Host Assemblage Characteristics of Local and Neighboring Counties, and Temperature Jointly Shape the Spatial Expansion of Lyme Disease in United States

Understanding risk factors for the spread of infectious diseases over time and across the landscape is critical for managing disease risk. While habitat connectivity and characteristics of local and neighboring animal (i.e., host) assemblages are known to influence the spread of diseases, the interactions among these factors remain poorly understood. In this study, we conducted a county-level analysis to test the effects of forest connectivity, together with the suitability of local assemblage (measured by the similarity of local host assemblage with neighboring assemblages) and the infection intensity of neighboring counties on the spatial expansion of Lyme disease in the United States. Our results suggested that both the similarity of local host assemblage and the infection intensity of neighboring counties were positively correlated with the probability of disease spread. Moreover, we found that increasing forest connectivity could facilitate the positive effect of neighbor infection intensity. In contrast, the effect size of the host assemblage similarity decreased with increasing connectivity, suggesting that host assemblage similarity was less effective in well-connected habitats. Our results thus indicate that habitat connectivity can indirectly influence disease spread by mediating the effects of other risk factors.

Factors shaping the macrobenthic animal assemblages in a tidal flat newly-formed by the Great East Japan Earthquake

In 2011, the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami struck the Pacific coast of northeastern Japan and created new intertidal habitats, which are ideal places to examine the roles of spatial and environmental variables shaping community structure since historical effects caused by resident species are precluded. In this study, therefore, we examined the relative importance of environmental and spatial variables in determining the community structure of the benthic macrofauna in the Higashi-Yachi tidal flat. During the study period, from July 2015 to June 2016, a total of 36 macrobenthic invertebrate taxa were found in the tidal flat. Among these, 14 taxa were abundant and in general significantly different in the abundance among the stations, but not among seasons. Redundancy analysis showed that most polychaetae such as Heteromastus spp. and Notomastus spp. were abundant in stations near the destroyed points of embankments, while the sand bubbler crab Scopimera globosa was abundant at stations with higher elevations. In addition, the analysis showed that 39% of the spatial and temporal variations in the community structures was explained by the examined environmental and spatial variables. The effects of spatial variables such as the elevation of ground level and distance from the destroyed parts of the embankment explained 18.7% of the variations, while the effects of temporally changing variables such as temperature and nutrient contents in the sediment and overlapping effects of these variables explained 7.4 and 12.7% of the variation, respectively. These results suggest that the macrobenthic animal community in this tidal flat was assembled by not only the environmental conditions but also the spatial configuration of the seawater flow and/or bottom elevation in the tidal flats.

Regional assessment of the vulnerability of biotopes to landscape change

To halt habitat loss, landscape planning and conservation management could benefit from a regional analysis of the spatially differing impacts caused by landscape changes. These impacts usually also differ according to the specific vulnerability of the affected biotopes, i.e., the characteristic assemblage of plants and animals on a particular site.A vulnerability map of biotopes will determine those with a high potential to be adversely affected and a low capacity to recover. The identification of vulnerability hot spots will provide guidance for potential protection and maintenance interventions.Following the interdisciplinary vulnerability concept, the analysis on a regional level (≈30,000 km2) was structured into biotope exposure, biotope sensitivity, and biotope adaptive capacity. It involved patch and group metrics to describe the vulnerability of terrestrial, (semi-) natural biotopes to landscape change.For the 32 biotope groups that were distinguished within this study, a relative ranking of vulnerability level is provided. At the level of biotope patches, spatial clusters and thematic clusters were identified. The biotopes dependent on high water availability, such as wet meadow, riparian habitat, and peatland were found to be particularly vulnerable. Moreover, herbaceous perennials, shrubland, groves, orchard meadows, and several pristine forest types also scored high, while the majority of forest biotope patches were less vulnerable to landscape change.The biotope vulnerability index applied on a regional scale provided a sound overview for conservation planning. Only a few biotope groups showed a homogenous vulnerability level across their associated patches, suggesting that management based on local contexts is needed for the majority of biotopes.

Global patterns of body size evolution are driven by precipitation in legless amphibians

Body size shapes ecological interactions across and within species, ultimately influencing the evolution of large‐scale biodiversity patterns. Therefore, macroecological studies of body size provide a link between spatial variation in selection regimes and the evolution of animal assemblages through space. Multiple hypotheses have been formulated to explain the evolution of spatial gradients of animal body size, predominantly driven by thermal (Bergmann's rule), humidity (‘water conservation hypothesis’) and resource constraints (‘resource rule’, ‘seasonality rule’) on physiological homeostasis. However, while integrative tests of all four hypotheses combined are needed, the focus of such empirical efforts needs to move beyond the traditional endotherm–ectotherm dichotomy, to instead interrogate the role that variation in lifestyles within major lineages (e.g. classes) play in creating neglected scenarios of selection via analyses of largely overlooked environment–body size interactions. Here, we test all four rules above using a global database spanning 99% of modern species of an entire Order of legless, predominantly underground‐dwelling amphibians (Gymnophiona, or caecilians). We found a consistent effect of increasing precipitation (and resource abundance) on body size reductions (supporting the water conservation hypothesis), while Bergmann's, the seasonality and resource rules are rejected. We argue that subterranean lifestyles minimize the effects of aboveground selection agents, making humidity a dominant selection pressure – aridity promotes larger body sizes that reduce risk of evaporative dehydration, while smaller sizes occur in wetter environments where dehydration constraints are relaxed. We discuss the links between these principles with the physiological constraints that may have influenced the tropically‐restricted global radiation of caecilians.

Responses of Native American cultural heritage to changes in environmental setting

Cultural expressions of American Indian and Alaska Natives reflect the relationship between American Indian and Alaska Natives and the plant and animal species present in an area. Different forces that modify that relationship and influence those expressions can potentially shape American Indian and Alaska Natives cultural heritage and even compromise their cultural identity. Herein, we propose seven modalities to illustrate how American Indian and Alaska Natives cultural expressions may respond to changes in environmental settings that alter the relationship between plant and animal assemblages, and Native peoples. Each modality provides insight into the vulnerability, resilience, and adaptive capacity of American Indian and Alaska Natives cultural expressions to changes in environmental settings. Future research may delve deeper into these modalities and help identify appropriate methods for managing culturally important resources. More culturally sensitive management approaches may strengthen conservation practices and safeguard the cultural legacy of indigenous groups.

Fishing together, fishing on its own: Fish exploitation patterns at the Neolithic Alepotrypa cave (Diros, Greece) and Aegean prehistoric fishing traditions

AbstractVarious marine animal assemblages from prehistoric contexts across the Mediterranean suggest a focus on the exploitation of marine resources by coastal populations as early as the Mesolithic. Along with the harvesting of nearshore coastal resources (fish and invertebrates), a more organised fishing activity that targeted pelagic species, traditionally considered migratory, is evident in several Mesolithic assemblages. With the advent of the Neolithic, marine‐related subsistence activities seem to be gradually restricted to the exploitation of coastal year‐round resources. The cave of Alepotrypa in the Peloponnese, Greece, provides an opportunity to ascertain the exploitation practices of a coastal Late/Final Neolithic community in which a combination of fishing strategies and a diversified connection to the sea were apparent. The abundant shell assemblage demonstrates the importance of molluscs for consumption, as well as the various uses of their shell. This paper focuses on the fish remains from the cave. Fish assemblages from this period are rather sparse in the Aegean. The study of the fish assemblage highlights the exploitation of pelagic fish species as well as the harvesting of a wide range of coastal fish species. A shift from pelagic to coastal resources and an intensification of fishing are also observed from the Late to Final Neolithic. These trends are discussed in the perspective of social organisation and technological adaptations, with an emphasis on the engagement of Neolithic fishermen in communal and individual fishing strategies and the seasonally important role of these activities. The choice of specific exploitation strategies and the diachronic trends observed suggest that earlier Mediterranean fishing traditions persisted until the end of the Neolithic.

Disobedient objects: material readings of enclosure protest in sixteenth-century England

ABSTRACTResponding to calls for scholars to address ‘material worlds’ in our analyses of protests past, the paper examines the more-than-human historical geographies of enclosure and enclosure protest in sixteenth-century England. It argues that negotiating enclosure – in the sense of both promoting and resisting private property rights – was dependent on particular assemblages of people, animals and things and their convergence within specific spaces and temporalities. Particular attention is paid to mundane and everyday objects entangled in enclosure protest and the ways these assemblages might transform objects’ meanings, rendering them threatening or disobedient. Moreover, repurposing these things offered opportunities to re-make space, concretising or resisting particular claims to access or possession at the local level. It contributed too to the ongoing debate out of which new concepts of property eventually emerged, so that interrogating the materialities of enclosure protest offers vital space in which to rethink the makings of our modern world.

Oribatid mites show how climate and latitudinal gradients in organic matter can drive large‐scale biodiversity patterns of soil communities

AbstractAimThe factors determining spatial distributions and diversity of terrestrial invertebrates are typically investigated at small scales. Large‐scale studies are lacking for soil animals, which control microbial communities and represent one of the most diverse yet poorly known animal assemblages. Here, we analyzed a major group (Oribatida) to test whether belowground macroecological patterns can be predicted by climatic variables, vegetation and large‐scale variation in key soil properties.LocationWe modelled the multivariate distribution of more than 100 species using biodiversity data collected across Great Britain in the framework of the Countryside Survey (http://www.countrysidesurvey.org.uk).MethodsWe analyzed species‐level data from 582 samples collected across 162 hectads (10 × 10 km) covering the largest possible range of vegetation types, soil properties and climatic conditions within GB. We created the first large‐scale maps of soil animal diversity metrics at the GB scale, including novel estimates of metrics of phylogenetic diversity (PD). Using structural equation modelling, we quantified the direct and indirect effects of location (latitude, longitude), plant community structure and abiotic factors such as precipitation on species composition, richness and PD.ResultsWe found that variation in species composition follows a latitudinal gradient with diversity generally increasing northward. The latitudinal variation in species composition drives PD via changes in both species richness and phylogenetic distance between species. This gradient is mostly determined by latitudinal variation in precipitation and organic matter, which were very good predictors of species composition. Precipitation and organic matter were, however, relatively weak while statistically significant predictors of diversity metrics.ConclusionsPast studies have emphasized the unpredictability of species distributions and variation in species composition in hyper diverse soil animal communities. However, past studies were conducted at small scales, where stochastic factors may weaken the signal of deterministic factors. Oribatid mites in our study show for the first time that the large scale latitudinal gradients in climate and organic matter predict not only variation in species composition but also taxonomic and PD of soil animal communities.

Contrasting effects of mangroves and armoured shorelines on fish assemblages in tropical estuarine seascapes

AbstractCoastal seascapes are composed of a diversity of habitats that are linked in space and time by the movement of organisms. The context and configuration of coastal ecosystems shapes many important properties of animal assemblages, but potential seascape effects of natural and artificial habitats on nearby habitats are typically considered in isolation. We test whether, and how, the seascape context of natural and urban habitats modified fish assemblages across estuaries. Fish were sampled with underwater videos in five habitat types (mangroves, rock bars, log snags, unvegetated sediments, armoured shorelines) in 17 estuaries in eastern Australia. Different habitats supported distinct fish assemblages, but the spatial context of mangroves and armoured shorelines had pervasive ecological effects that extended across entire estuaries. In most estuarine habitats, fish diversity and abundance was greatest when they were in close proximity of mangroves, and decreased due to the proximity of armoured shorelines. Many cities are centred on estuaries, and urban expansion is often associated with the fragmentation of mangrove forests. Our findings emphasize that these transformations of urban estuarine landscapes are likely to propagate to broader ecological impacts detectable in multiple habitats beyond mangrove forests.

Canopy Functions of R. maritima and Z. marina in the Chesapeake Bay

Shoots in seagrass beds form canopies: structurally complex habitats that provide refuge for fauna and trap sediment particles by dampening water movement. Unfortunately, seagrasses are faced with continuing negative impacts to survival, including climate change and poor water quality. In areas where several seagrass species coexist, changing conditions may influence composition of beds so one species is favored over another. Two species found worldwide, Zostera marina and Ruppia maritima, are undergoing this shift: as Z. marina dies back, in some locations it is replaced by R. maritima, a smaller-form seagrass with shorter, thinner shoots. This process is occurring in Virginia, USA in the southern Chesapeake Bay, at intermediate depths where the species co-occur. Although changes in seagrass species abundance have previously been documented, few studies have measured the resulting effects on ecosystem functioning. We evaluated three sites to determine whether canopies of the two species displayed similar small epifaunal invertebrate animal assemblages and sediment properties, and found that Z. marina beds exhibited a greater amount of fine surface sediment than those of R. maritima, but found no effect of seagrass species on invertebrate assemblages. Epifaunal invertebrates were however more numerous and speciose with greater biomass, and more abundant with greater shoot density. This study provides baseline information from one summer for areas where the two seagrass species coexist. Although more research is needed, this study suggests in mixed beds, decline of Z. marina could result in coarsening of sediment, but dense R. maritima canopies could harbor similar small invertebrate assemblages.

Multiple dimensions of biodiversity drive human interest in tide pool communities

Activities involving observation of wild organisms (e.g. wildlife watching, tidepooling) can provide recreational and learning opportunities, with biologically diverse animal assemblages expected to be more stimulating to humans. In turn, more diverse communities may enhance human interest and facilitate provisioning of cultural services. However, no experimental tests of this biodiversity-interest hypothesis exist to date. We therefore investigated the effects of different dimensions of animal biodiversity (species richness, phyletic richness and functional diversity) on self-reported interest using tide pools as a model system. We performed two experiments by manipulating: (1) the richness of lower (species) and higher taxonomic levels (phyla) in an image based, online survey, and (2) the richness of the higher taxonomic level (phyla) in live public exhibits. In both experiments, we further quantified functional diversity, which varied freely, and within the online experiment we also included the hue diversity and colourfulness arising from the combination of organisms and the background scenes. Interest was increased by phyletic richness (both studies), animal species richness (online study) and functional diversity (online study). A structural equation model revealed that functional diversity and colourfulness (of the whole scene) also partially mediated the effects of phyletic richness on interest in the online study. In both studies, the presence of three of four phyla additively increased interest, supporting the importance of multiple, diverse phyla rather than a single particularly interesting phylum. These results provide novel experimental evidence that multiple dimensions of biodiversity enhance human interest and suggest that conservation initiatives that maintain or restore biodiversity will help stimulate interest in ecosystems, facilitating educational and recreational benefits.

Comparing species–area relationships of native and exotic species

The species–area relationship (SAR) is one of the most general patterns in ecology. Recently, SARs have been employed as tools for comparing the ecology and biogeography of native and exotic species across spatial scales and exploring the influence of invasive species on native biodiversity. Here, we assess published studies to determine if SARs differ between native and exotic assemblages. We conducted a literature search to find studies that estimated the exponent (z) of the power-law SAR for native and exotic species across the same set of locales. We also compiled intercepts (c) of SARs where available. We used linear mixed models to test if z and c differed between native and exotic SARs and if this relationship differed across taxa. Our literature search produced 36 native-exotic pairs from 23 studies with which to compare the exponent of the power-law SAR. Further, SAR intercepts were available for 21 native-exotic pairs. Overall, exotic SAR exponents (z) did not differ from those of natives. However, this pattern did not hold across all taxonomic groups. Plant assemblages, which are best represented in our data (61% of total), mirrored the overall pattern showing no differences in exponents between native and exotic SARs. On the other hand, SAR exponents were greater for both native bird and animal assemblages. The intercepts (c) of native SARs were significantly greater than those of exotics for all taxa combined and for each individual taxonomic grouping. Our results suggest processes driving the increase in species richness with area are similar for native and exotic plant species, but not for animals. Expanding studies that compare SARs of native and exotic species to more taxonomic groups and different types of SARs (e.g., nested, contiguous, non-contiguous) will facilitate a better understanding of how native and exotic species richness scale with area.

Animal diversity declines with broad-scale homogenization of canopy cover in African savannas

Savannas are increasingly threatened by anthropogenic forces that are causing broad-scale directional shifts in woody vegetation that homogenizes their structure. Yet, whether animal communities respond consistently to changes in woody vegetation in savannas, particularly in terms of the effects of spatial scale, remains poorly understood. We addressed this gap by testing for changes in birds, bats and terrestrial small mammals across a gradient of woody cover in the savannas of southeastern Africa for two years at multiple spatial scales. We found that homogenization of vegetation structure corresponded with decreases in animal richness, diversity and functional diversity. Additionally, metrics of animal diversity declined at opposing ends of a canopy cover gradient (<10% and >65%), where we found distinctly different animal assemblages. These patterns were consistently more pronounced on a broader grid scale (30.25 ha) when compared with the plot scale (0.25 ha). The broad-scale reductions in the diversity and functions of animals observed may be indicative of reductions in the resilience, stability and ecosystem function of tropical savannas. Our results suggest that conservation and management aimed at promoting heterogeneity at broad scales may be critical for maintaining diversity and functionality in savannas.

Habitat structure and host plant specialization drive taxonomic andfunctional composition of Heteroptera in postfire successional habitats

Changes in habitat structure are the main driving forces for responses of animal assemblages to fire. According to the disturbance theory, generalist species are expected to outperform specialists in variable environments. Thus, we hypothesized that omnivorous and polyphagous species will become more abundant in unstable postfire successional vegetation, whereas monophagous (specialists), due to their strong dependence on host plants, are expected to respond according to the responses of plant hosts. We compared the responses of true bug (Heteroptera) assemblages in stable (unburnt) versus unstable (postfire successional) environments as this group shows a high diversity of feeding strategies. Redundancy analysis fitted our hypothesis as omnivorous and polyphagous bugs responded positively to fire whereas oligophagous bugs did not. Thus, the most generalized bugs in terms of diet were found in disturbed (burnt) habitats whereas specialized bugs were found in undisturbed (unburnt) habitats. Moreover, the most specialized bugs (monophagous species) responded to fire in accordance to the responses of their specific host plants. Although based on small bipartite networks, the lower modularity in burnt sites corresponded to a scenario of lower segregation of plant resources and fits the higher presence of generalist bugs in these sites. Our results suggest that plant?bug trophic interactions shape the response of Heteroptera to fire, and this response seems to be mediated by the degree of feeding specialization.