Environmental correlates of species diversity for sarcosaprophagous Diptera across a pronounced elevational gradient in central Spain

Abstract

Measuring the biological diversity in a given area can provide valuable approaches not only to conserve ecological systems, but also to understand their functioning and organization. The current paper analyzes the species richness and diversity patterns of sarcosaprophagous Diptera across an elevational gradient of natural habitats in central Spain, and the relationship between the species diversity and the environmental variables defining each habitat. The calculation of randomized species richness curves and non-parametric estimators confirmed the representativeness of the inventories. Oromediterranean habitats, i.e. those located at highest elevation, showed significantly lower species richness than mesomediterranean and supramediterranean levels. Slope and solar radiation were significantly and negatively correlated with diversity, whereas the correlation between mean temperature and diversity was significantly positive. A significantly negative correlation was found between diversity and the percentage of forest surface, whereas the correlation between diversity and the percentage of urban surface was positive and close to significance. Possible explanations for these observed patterns are considered and discussed. This study also supports the use of different, complementary diversity measurements in order to obtain a proper assessment of the diversity of a given area.

The influence of altitude on the abundance and occurrence of species of the family Calliphoridae (Diptera) in corpses in a Mediterranean area

“…Most species of the family Calliphoridae have a wide geographical distribution and are habitually associated with human activities. In this regard, measuring their diversity and studying their relationship with the environmental variables at local scales can provide valuable approaches to better understand their functioning and organization, and to better adapt interpretations to the generally highly variable local and environmental conditions [5,31]. However, their relationship with altitudinal gradients has often received little attention, especially in the Mediterranean region [29].…”

“…Our findings support our hypothesis: altitude influences both the abundance and the altitudinal distribution pattern of calliphorids. We observed a marked decrease in the calliphorid abundance with increasing altitude, a phenomenon that can be explained as a response to changes in temperature, which usually decrease with increasing altitude [31]. Indeed, this is an important environmental factor that determines the abundance of insect species because it influences their activity and their reproductive, nutritional and, in general, physiological success [5, 31, 45–47].…”

“…We observed a marked decrease in the calliphorid abundance with increasing altitude, a phenomenon that can be explained as a response to changes in temperature, which usually decrease with increasing altitude [31]. Indeed, this is an important environmental factor that determines the abundance of insect species because it influences their activity and their reproductive, nutritional and, in general, physiological success [5, 31, 45–47]. However, in terms of richness, we observed that practically all calliphorid species were present at all sites, although the highest values of species richness showed a displacement towards the warmest seasons with increasing altitude, with the lowest values of richness always corresponding to winter at the three altitudes considered.…”

“…Some researchers have examined the differences in the Calliphoridae family along altitudinal gradients [5,[25][26][27][28]. However, there have been a few studies both in general and particularly in the Iberian Peninsula [29][30][31], resulting in a lack of local details.…”

The Impact of Beehive Proximity, Human Activity and Agricultural Intensity on Diptera Diversity in a Mediterranean Mosaic of Agroecosystems, with a Focus on Pest Species

“…Other authors have also confirmed the connection between species richness and those two elements. Martín-Vega et al (2016) found that elevation is negatively correlated with species richness in Spain [ 145 ]. It can be assumed that this is connected with the transport of people and goods along the coastline.…”