Seasonal variation of arthropod abundance in gaps and the understorey of a lowland moist forest in Panamá

dc.contributor.authorRichards, Lora A.
dc.contributor.authorWindsor, Donald M.
dc.date.accessioned2011-02-16T18:26:44Z
dc.date.available2011-02-16T18:26:44Z
dc.date.issued2007
dc.description.abstractTreefalls gaps contribute to the habitat heterogeneity of tropical forest floors. Previous studies have shown that these gaps play an important role in plant and bird communities, however less is known about their role in arthropod communities. Using eight Malaise traps we investigated the difference in arthropod abundance of 19 taxonomic groups between gaps and understorey for 21 wk during the rainy season and 8 wk in the dry season on Barro Colorado Island, Panama. More (33.8%) arthropods were collected in gaps during the rainy season and 32.2% more in the understorey during the dry season. To assess the possible factors contributing to these differences we measured light, plant densities and young leaf densities, as indicators of abiotic factors and food resources for insect herbivores. Arthropod abundance was negatively correlated with light in the dry season. Thus, abiotic stress may explain the pattern of abundance in the dry season. While there was no correlation with light in the rainy season, predator abundance was positively correlated with herbivore abundance. The plant and young leaf density data suggest that there is significantly higher food availability for herbivores in gaps. Thus, less stressful abiotic conditions and more food resources may contribute to more herbivores followed by more predators in gaps during the rainy season.
dc.format.extent169–176
dc.identifier0266-4674
dc.identifier.citationRichards, Lora A. and Windsor, Donald M. 2007. "<a href="https://repository.si.edu/handle/10088/12135">Seasonal variation of arthropod abundance in gaps and the understorey of a lowland moist forest in Panamá</a>." <em>Journal of Tropical Ecology</em>, 23, (2) 169–176. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1017/S0266467406003907">https://doi.org/10.1017/S0266467406003907</a>.
dc.identifier.issn0266-4674
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10088/12135
dc.relation.ispartofJournal of Tropical Ecology 23 (2)
dc.titleSeasonal variation of arthropod abundance in gaps and the understorey of a lowland moist forest in Panamá
dc.typearticle
sro.description.unitNH-EOL
sro.description.unitSTRI
sro.identifier.doi10.1017/S0266467406003907
sro.identifier.itemID55650
sro.identifier.refworksID73695
sro.identifier.urlhttps://repository.si.edu/handle/10088/12135

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