Arthropod abundance and diversity in a lowland tropical forest floor in Panama : the role of habitat space vs. nutrient concentrations

Sayer, Emma J. and Sutcliffe, Laura M. E. and Ross, Rebecca I. C. and Tanner, Edmund V. J. (2010) Arthropod abundance and diversity in a lowland tropical forest floor in Panama : the role of habitat space vs. nutrient concentrations. Biotropica, 42 (2). pp. 194-200. ISSN 0006-3606

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Abstract

Tropical forest floor characteristics such as depth and nutrient concentrations are highly heterogeneous even over small spatial scales and it is unclear how these differences contribute to patchiness in forest floor arthropod abundance and diversity. In a lowland tropical forest in Panama we experimentally increased litter standing crop by removing litter from five plots (L−) and adding it to five other plots (L+); we had five control plots. After 32 mo of treatments we investigated how arthropod abundance and diversity were related to differences in forest floor physical (mass, depth, water content) and chemical properties (pH, nutrient concentrations). Forest floor mass and total arthropod abundance were greater in L+ plots compared with controls. There were no treatment differences in nutrient concentrations, pH or water content of the organic horizons. Over all plots, the mass of the fermentation horizon (Oe) was greater than the litter horizon (Oi); arthropod diversity and biomass were also greater in the Oe horizon but nutrient concentrations tended to be higher in the Oi horizon. Arthropod abundance was best explained by forest floor mass, while arthropod diversity was best explained by phosphorus, calcium and sodium concentrations in the Oi horizon and by phosphorus concentrations in the Oe horizon. Differences in arthropod community composition between treatments and horizons correlated with phosphorus concentration and dry mass of the forest floor. We conclude that at a local scale, arthropod abundance is related to forest floor mass (habitat space), while arthropod diversity is related to forest floor nutrient concentrations (habitat quality).

Item Type:
Journal Article
Journal or Publication Title:
Biotropica
Uncontrolled Keywords:
/dk/atira/pure/subjectarea/asjc/1100/1105
Subjects:
?? arthropod community compositionbarro colorado nature monumenthabitat qualitylitter additionlitter faunaoe horizonoi horizonecology, evolution, behavior and systematics ??
ID Code:
69197
Deposited By:
Deposited On:
22 Apr 2014 08:34
Refereed?:
Yes
Published?:
Published
Last Modified:
19 Dec 2023 01:23