Diel activity patterns of a canopy-inhibiting beetle community (Coleoptera) in a Neotropical rainforest

Abstract

Diel activity is one main feature of animal‘s behavior and is often an intrinsic trait characterizing distinct taxonomic groups. Abiotic conditions such as temperature may influence the diel activity patterns of arthropod communities associated with a particular ecosystem or habitat. Similarly, biotic factors, such as resource availability, affect arthropod activity. In addition, diel activity is thought to be an important factor in niche partitioning of arthropod communities. As part of a larger beetle survey in a lowland tropical rainforest in southern Venezuela, I analyzed the diel activity of an arboreal beetle community collected from 23 canopy-tree species over a cumulative year. Diel activity was observed in 535 beetle species, comprising 5,948 individuals, using a canopy crane installed in the study area. Of the 535 beetle species, 198 (37%) showed diurnal activity, and 281 (52.5%) showed nocturnal activity. In contrast, the proportions of nocturnal (n = 2,024, 34%) and diurnal (n = 1,983, 33.3%) individuals were balanced. Most of the observed beetles occurred only during the activity phase in their host trees. This particularly applies to extrafloral nectary- and flower-visiting beetle species. Flowering trees attracted different proportions of diurnal and nocturnal species according to flowering syndrome, whereas extrafloral nectaries were mainly visited at night. Thus, the beetle communities associated with single tree species showed distinct compositions of nocturnal and diurnal species.

Structure and composition of a canopy-beetle community (Coleoptera) in a Neotropical lowland rainforest in southern Venezuela

“…The aggregation of species-rich beetle communities was evident, particularly on flowering [81] and extrafloral nectary-bearing trees [83] in the canopy plot. Additionally, most canopy beetles in the community were associated with their host trees only during their activity, either during the day or at night [69,[151][152][153], causing permanent diel migration. Of the 862 beetle adults collected from the 23 canopy-tree species, 642 species (74.5%) comprising 5175 individuals were collected exclusively on flowers or extrafloral nectaries or on both resources (unpublished data).…”