Effect of disturbed areas and precipitation on the ecological networks of butterflies (Laepidoptera: Papilionoidea y Hesperoidea) and Angiosperms in the Colombian Tropical Dry Forest
The Tropical Dry Forest is a highly threatened ecosystem, the anthropic alterations have produced a fragmentation of its habitats and degradation of its ecological interactions and diversity. Despite the abundant literature on the diversity of butterflies and their changes in intervened ecosystems, little is known about changes in butterfly-plant interaction networks. In this study, we compared the ecological networks of Papilionoidea and Hesperoidea, and Angiosperms between preserved and intervened forests in the rainy and dry seasons. Four strips of 50 meters by 4 meters were sampled in each zone and season, visiting each strip three times per season, recording the visiting floral butterflies for 90 minutes on each occasion, for a total of 72 hours of observations per unit of study. The estimated parameters of the networks were nesting, connectivity, diversity, generality, and robustness. In the conserved area, the nesting value shows a greater number of specialists, while the connection shows a lower average of possible interactions. The generality showed in this area a higher average of links per floral visitor and the diversity of Shannon showed a greater diversity of interactions. The rainy season obtained higher connection, diversity, nesting, generality, and robustness compared to the dry season. The results highlight the importance of analyzing not only the diversity of butterflies, but also their interactions, since these are important factors that allow us to have a better understanding of the state of the ecosystems, and the different effects that they can have depending on different anthropic alterations.
| Main Authors: | , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Digital revista |
| Language: | spa |
| Published: |
Universidad Nacional de Colombia - Sede Bogotá - Facultad de Ciencias - Instituto de Ciencias Naturales
2022
|
| Online Access: | https://revistas.unal.edu.co/index.php/cal/article/view/95320 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| Summary: | The Tropical Dry Forest is a highly threatened ecosystem, the anthropic alterations have produced a fragmentation of its habitats and degradation of its ecological interactions and diversity. Despite the abundant literature on the diversity of butterflies and their changes in intervened ecosystems, little is known about changes in butterfly-plant interaction networks. In this study, we compared the ecological networks of Papilionoidea and Hesperoidea, and Angiosperms between preserved and intervened forests in the rainy and dry seasons. Four strips of 50 meters by 4 meters were sampled in each zone and season, visiting each strip three times per season, recording the visiting floral butterflies for 90 minutes on each occasion, for a total of 72 hours of observations per unit of study. The estimated parameters of the networks were nesting, connectivity, diversity, generality, and robustness. In the conserved area, the nesting value shows a greater number of specialists, while the connection shows a lower average of possible interactions. The generality showed in this area a higher average of links per floral visitor and the diversity of Shannon showed a greater diversity of interactions. The rainy season obtained higher connection, diversity, nesting, generality, and robustness compared to the dry season. The results highlight the importance of analyzing not only the diversity of butterflies, but also their interactions, since these are important factors that allow us to have a better understanding of the state of the ecosystems, and the different effects that they can have depending on different anthropic alterations. |
|---|