| Spatial variation in insect community and species responses to habitat loss and plant community composition. | |
| | |
MedLine Citation:
|
PMID: 16222547 Owner: NLM Status: MEDLINE |
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
|
Several experimental studies have examined species responses to manipulations of habitat area and spatial arrangement, but plant composition and spatial variation in species distributions also affect animal responses to habitat alteration. We used an experimental approach to study the combined effects of habitat area, edge, and plant community composition on the spatial structure of insect species richness and composition. The abundance of three guilds (herbivores, predators and parasitoids) and individual species were also analyzed. Habitat patches were created that differed in area and edge by selectively mowing portions of 15 mx15 m plots in a 1.7-ha old field. Spatial and environmental variables were used to predict insect responses in separate multiple regression and ordination models. The variation in species responses due to spatial and environmental variables was then partitioned by combining these variables into an overall regression or ordination. Spatial and environmental variables contributed similar percentages to the total variance in insect species richness, abundance or composition. No significant effects of habitat area were observed in any response variable. Herbivore abundance showed positive responses to legume or grass cover, as well as spatial variation that was unrelated to environmental variables. Predators and parasitoids had greater effects of plant species richness and habitat edge, and less unexplained spatial variation. Individual species differed in their responses to plant variables, depending on host specialization or intraspecific aggregation. Our study highlights the importance of plant community composition and spatial variation apart from environmental variables. Spatial variation stems both from species responses to environmental features as well as species differences in habitat specialization and intraspecific aggregation. |
| | |
Authors:
|
Thomas O Crist; Sharmila V Pradhan-Devare; Keith S Summerville |
Related Documents
:
|
22913707 - An assessment of the spatial and temporal variability of bulk hydrocarbon respiration f... 16701347 - Towards an evolutionary ecology of life in soil. 20528987 - Climate change effects on beneficial plant-microorganism interactions. 16796577 - The influence of biotic interactions on soil biodiversity. 15244337 - Use of plants to monitor contamination of air by so2 in and around refinery. 2806167 - Prediction of the toxicity of mixtures of shale oil components. |
Publication Detail:
|
Type: Journal Article Date: 2005-10-13 |
Journal Detail:
|
Title: Oecologia Volume: 147 ISSN: 0029-8549 ISO Abbreviation: Oecologia Publication Date: 2006 Mar |
Date Detail:
|
Created Date: 2006-02-28 Completed Date: 2006-05-30 Revised Date: - |
Medline Journal Info:
|
Nlm Unique ID: 0150372 Medline TA: Oecologia Country: Germany |
Other Details:
|
Languages: eng Pagination: 510-21 Citation Subset: IM |
Affiliation:
|
Department of Zoology and Ecology Program, Miami University, Oxford, OH 45056, USA. cristto@muohio.edu |
Export Citation:
|
APA/MLA Format Download EndNote Download BibTex |
| MeSH Terms | |
Descriptor/Qualifier:
|
Animals Insects / classification, physiology* Plants / classification* Species Specificity |
From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine
Previous Document: Taurine-transporter gene knockout-induced changes in GABA(A), kainate and AMPA but not NMDA receptor...
Next Document: Experience with levamisole in frequently relapsing, steroid-dependent nephrotic syndrome.