Diversity of epigeal arthropods in an altitudinal and temporal gradient in arid zones of Jujuy (República Argentina)
In the Prepuneño del Monte District of the province of Jujuy extends the Quebrada de Humahuaca, declared World Heritage under the category of cultural landscape. Within the framework of the implementation of this figure, the inventories of species, particularly of arthropods and their relationship with the local plant formations along the altitudinal gradient of the Quebrada de Humahuaca, constitute basic information to complete the description of the fauna of the region. find conservation indicator taxa and interpret possible impacts of climate change. Therefore, the objectives of the study were to know the taxonomic composition of epigeal arthropods and analyze their diversity in an altitudinal and temporal gradient included in the Quebrada de Humahuaca. Four sites were selected, Tumbaya Grande (TG), Chucalezna (CH), Coraya (CO) and Tres Cruces (TC), in which arthropods were collected using pitfall traps, active for 48 h, in autumn, winter and spring of 2016 and summer of 2017. The abundance and richness of arthropod species/morphospecies, alpha, beta and gamma diversity, and their functional groups were analyzed. A total of 6426 arthropods were collected and 103 species/morphospecies were identified distributed in the classes Collembola, Insecta, Arachnida and Malacostraca. Abundances decreased with altitude, but richness decreased at intermediate altitudes and was high at the extremes of the gradient, due to the structure and composition of the vegetation. The warm and more humid periods, especially summer, favored the increase in the richness and abundance of arthropods, although there was greater dominance in winter compared to summer. Formicidae represented 75% of the total arthropods collected. The proportion of species shared between the sites was 14.6% of the total species recorded, while the exclusive were TG=25, CH=6, CO=5 and TC=13. The dominant functional group was the omnivore.
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| Format: | Digital revista |
| Language: | spa |
| Published: |
Asociación Argentina de Ecología
2024
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| Online Access: | https://ojs.ecologiaaustral.com.ar/index.php/Ecologia_Austral/article/view/2259 |
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