Vertical stratification of insect abundance and species richness in an Amazonian tropical forest

Tropical forests are among the most biodiverse biomes on the planet. Nevertheless, quantifying the abundance and species richness within megadiverse groups is a significant challenge. We designed a study to address this challenge by documenting the variability of the insect fauna across a vertical c...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Scientific reports Vol. 12; no. 1; p. 1734
Main Authors:	de Souza Amorim, Dalton, Brown, Brian V., Boscolo, Danilo, Ale-Rocha, Rosaly, Alvarez-Garcia, Deivys Moises, Balbi, Maria Isabel P. A., de Marco Barbosa, Alan, Capellari, Renato Soares, de Carvalho, Claudio José Barros, Couri, Marcia Souto, de Vilhena Perez Dios, Rodrigo, Fachin, Diego Aguilar, Ferro, Gustavo B., Flores, Heloísa Fernandes, Frare, Livia Maria, Gudin, Filipe Macedo, Hauser, Martin, Lamas, Carlos José Einicker, Lindsay, Kate G., Marinho, Marco Antonio Tonus, Marques, Dayse Willkenia Almeida, Marshall, Stephen A., Mello-Patiu, Cátia, Menezes, Marco Antônio, Morales, Mírian Nunes, Nihei, Silvio S., Oliveira, Sarah Siqueira, Pirani, Gabriela, Ribeiro, Guilherme Cunha, Riccardi, Paula Raille, de Santis, Marcelo Domingos, Santos, Daubian, dos Santos, Josenilson Rodrigues, Silva, Vera Cristina, Wood, Eric Matthew, Rafael, José Albertino
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	London Nature Publishing Group UK 02-02-2022 Nature Publishing Group Nature Portfolio
Subjects:	631/158/2450 631/158/857 631/181 631/601 631/601/1466 Abundance Animals Biodiversity Brazil Canopies Conservation of Natural Resources Diptera Ecosystem Forest conservation Forests Herbivores Humanities and Social Sciences Insecta - classification Insects multidisciplinary Rainforest Science Science (multidisciplinary) Species richness Stratification Traps Tropical Climate Tropical forests Vertical distribution Brazil
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Summary:	Tropical forests are among the most biodiverse biomes on the planet. Nevertheless, quantifying the abundance and species richness within megadiverse groups is a significant challenge. We designed a study to address this challenge by documenting the variability of the insect fauna across a vertical canopy gradient in a Central Amazonian tropical forest. Insects were sampled over two weeks using 6-m Gressitt-style Malaise traps set at five heights (0 m–32 m–8 m intervals) on a metal tower in a tropical forest north of Manaus, Brazil. The traps contained 37,778 specimens of 18 orders of insects. Using simulation approaches and nonparametric analyses, we interpreted the abundance and richness of insects along this gradient. Diptera, Hymenoptera, and Coleoptera had their greatest abundance at the ground level, whereas Lepidoptera and Hemiptera were more abundant in the upper levels of the canopy. We identified species of 38 of the 56 families of Diptera, finding that 527 out of 856 species (61.6%) were not sampled at the ground level. Mycetophilidae, Tipulidae, and Phoridae were significantly more diverse and/or abundant at the ground level, while Tachinidae, Dolichopodidae, and Lauxaniidae were more diverse or abundant at upper levels. Our study suggests the need for a careful discussion of strategies of tropical forest conservation based on a much more complete understanding of the three-dimensional distribution of its insect diversity.
Bibliography:	ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23
ISSN:	2045-2322 2045-2322
DOI:	10.1038/s41598-022-05677-y