Land use effects on geometrid and arctiine moth assemblages in the tropical lowlands of southwestern Costa Rica
Land use change is one of the greatest threats to biodiversity in tropical human dominated landscapes. Biodiversity assessments provide useful information on the responses of different taxa to these anthropogenic changes, which may be used to develop evidence based conservation strategies to reduce biodiversity loss. Oil palm plantations are currently one of the most rapidly expanding crops throughout the world, yet information on the repercussions to biodiversity have not been assessed in the Neotropics, especially for insect fauna. This thesis project is focused on evaluating geometrid and arctiine moth assemblages in a human dominated landscape of southwestern Costa Rica, where oil palm plantations have become the second most area intensive land cover in the last decade. Moths were sampled during six months (Feb-Jul) with automatic funnel traps in four habitat types (interior and margin of old-growth forests, young secondary forests and oil palm plantations) inside a 30km2 area. Richness and diversity was severely reduced in oil palm plantations for both groups, while only geometrids show differences in abundance between land use types; catchment of geometrids was highest in old-growth forests and lowest in oil palm plantations. Arctiine abundance did not differ between habitats due to the presence of a few extremely common lichen moths in oil palm plantations. Species composition was distinct in the forest interior and oil palm plantation sites when compared to the other intermediately disturbed habitats. Vegetation structure resulted as the strongest predictor for moth community composition, whereas microclimate had little effect. According to these results, Geometridae is a better indicator of habitat disturbance as they are generally bound to undisturbed forests, while arctiines are more adapted to open habitats. Even though successional forests harbor different species composition than old-growth forests, they may provide alternative habitat for forest species that may ameliorate biodiversity loss in the face of oil palm expansion. The results of this study were shared in several outreach activities in Turrialba and La Gamba, Costa Rica. The collected moths (almost 4,000 individuals) were shown to the public in two exhibitions in Turrialba that were visited by approximately 200 people, both scientists and non-scientists from the area. A talk and workshop was also offered in La Gamba, an activity that counted with the participation of approximately 50 people from the community and diverse local organizations. A moth identification guide for La Gamba was prepared and distributed in the community and several other interested parties. This research project may be used as a baseline for the development of effective monitoring protocols that include moth assemblages as biological indicators of habitat disturbance. Further studies on the possible ecological consequences of oil palm expansion in the Neotropics are needed to better understand how to prevent irreversible losses to biodiversity and ecosystem services that are essential for the sustainable development of rural communities.
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | biblioteca |
| Language: | spa |
| Published: |
Turrialba (Costa Rica) CATIE
2014
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| Subjects: | ELAEIS GUINEENSIS, GEOMETRIDAE, LEPIDOPTERA, BIODIVERSIDAD, EVALUACION DEL IMPACTO AMBIENTAL, USO MULTIPLE DE LA TIERRA, ORGANISMOS INDICADORES, HABITAT, BOSQUE TROPICAL, ARCTIINAE, |
| Online Access: | https://repositorio.catie.ac.cr/handle/11554/7095 |
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