Effects of climate and forest age on plant and caterpillar diversity in the Yucatan, Mexico

Abstract

Abstract:Understanding patterns in plant and herbivorous insect diversity across spatial and temporal scales is fundamental to ecology, but comparative multi-taxonomic studies in tropical seasonally dry forests remain scarce. In 36 sites, distributed over three forest age classes (5–10 y, 10–30 y, >100 y) and three seasonal forest types (dry, intermediate, humid), we sampled plants of different stem diameter classes while caterpillars were sampled across vertically distributed forest layers during three seasons over the year. We recorded 299 plant species and 485 caterpillar morphospecies. For large woody plants, species numbers showed a gradually increasing trend with forest age in the intermediate and humid forest types, while the main portion of explained variation in overall species turnover was accounted for by the forest type × forest age interaction (21.3–23.1% of 44.4–48.7%). Ordinations and multivariate pairwise comparisons suggested a faster but also very distinct successional development of species diversity of large plants in the driest compared with humid and intermediate forest types. In contrast, highest species numbers of small plants in the undergrowth was often found in the 5–10 y-old vegetation across forest types, whereas forest type was the major factor in overall species turnover (contributing 24.2% of 48.7% explained variation). Caterpillar species turnover was most correlated to species turnover of small plants; however, variation in caterpillar species diversity appears to be mostly regulated by seasonal cues, and to a lesser extent by patterns of regional turnover and local diversity of undergrowth plant species.

Succession and seasonality drive tropical butterfly assembly after an extreme hurricane

“…However, insect communities continued to oscillate seasonally, as we also show here. Other research on the Lepidoptera of Mexico also emphasizes the interacting effects of succession and seasonality (Essens et al., 2010). While these processes are infrequently investigated in tandem using long‐term data, complex interactions between the two have also been observed in tropical insect groups outside of Lepidoptera.…”

Ocellated Turkey diets and feeding ecology in an agricultural-forest matrix habitat in Campeche, Mexico

“…Seasonality of our sampling period could also explain the low quantity of animal matter in Ocellated Turkey diets. We sampled during the hottest and driest months in Campeche when invertebrate life is reduced (Pozo et al 2008, Essens et al 2014. Ocellated Turkeys hatch between May-July (Steadman et al 1979).…”

Importance of interaction rewiring in determining spatial and temporal turnover of tritrophic (Piper‐caterpillar‐parasitoid) metanetworks in the Yucatán Península, México

“…Annual gross productivity in semi‐evergreen forest of YP is correlated with seasonal variation in evapotranspiration and precipitation, and more leaf material is available at the end of the rainy season (Uuh‐Sonda et al, 2018). Further, univoltine caterpillars are more prone to persist in the rainy to dry season transition (Janzen, 1993; Morais et al, 1999), and seasonality patterns of species abundances have been found for Lepidoptera in this zone of the YP (Essens et al, 2014; Montero‐Muñoz et al, 2013; Pozo et al, 2008). Also, Scherrer et al (2016) showed that in the tropical Cerrado, mean caterpillar diet breadth increased in the dry season when leaves were older.…”

“…for Lepidoptera in this zone of the YP (Essens et al, 2014;Montero-Muñoz et al, 2013;Pozo et al, 2008). Also, Scherrer et al (2016) showed that in the tropical Cerrado, mean caterpillar diet breadth increased in the dry season when leaves were older.…”

“…This study was conducted in the Yucatán Península (YP), which is considered a biodiversity hotspot (Myers et al, 2000) and includes the northernmost distribution records of the tropical shrub, Piper (Piperaceae; Quijano-Abril et al, 2006), with sixteen recorded species (Villaseñor, 2016). Several studies have documented the diversity and seasonality of Lepidoptera in the YP (Essens et al, 2014;Montero-Muñoz et al, 2013;Pozo et al, 2003Pozo et al, , 2008, and others have focused on some families of parasitic wasps (Delfín-González & Chay-Hernández, 2010). It is particularly useful for conservation to continue these surveys in this biologically important region, as well as to link surveys to studies that document tritrophic interactions between plants, caterpillars, and parasitoids.…”