TY - JOUR

T1 - Early succession arthropod community changes on experimental passion fruit plant patches along a land-use gradient in Ecuador

AU - Teodoro, Adenir V.

AU - Muñoz, Andrea

AU - Tscharntke, Teja

AU - Klein, A

AU - Tylianakis, J.

PY - 2011/1/30

Y1 - 2011/1/30

N2 - Many tropical landscapes are today characterized by small forest patches embedded in an agricultural mosaic matrix. In such highly fragmented landscapes, agroforests have already been recognized as refuges for biodiversity but few studies have investigated the potential of non-forested land-use types to contribute to overall biodiversity of functionally important taxa in the tropics. This study experimentally investigated species richness, abundance, and community similarity of arthropods on Yellow Passion fruit plants, planted in standardized patches in 30 sites along a land-use intensity gradient. The gradient comprised all major land-use types of the area: forest fragments, abandoned coffee agroforests, coffee agroforests managed under shade trees, pastures, and rice fields in Coastal Ecuador. We found a total of 2123 individuals belonging to 242 species. Overall arthropod species richness increased with light intensity and leaf-surface area and decreased with land-use intensity: forest fragments and abandoned coffee agroforests harboured significantly more species than rice or pastures. Overall diversity in managedcoffee agroforests was intermediate between the intensively managed and more natural habitats. However, the three most abundant taxa of arthropods (ants, spiders, and beetles) had the highest number of species in managed coffee agroforests, while ant abundance was highest in abandoned coffee agroforestsand spider abundance highest in managed coffee agroforests. Analyses of community similarity revealed that open (pasture, and rice) and shaded (forest, abandoned and managed coffee agroforests) land-use types had distinct arthropod communities. In conclusion, although open agricultural land-usetypes tend to have fewer species in lower numbers, all land-use types contribute to overall biodiversity of the agricultural matrix because of distinct communities in shaded vs. non-shaded land-use types.

AB - Many tropical landscapes are today characterized by small forest patches embedded in an agricultural mosaic matrix. In such highly fragmented landscapes, agroforests have already been recognized as refuges for biodiversity but few studies have investigated the potential of non-forested land-use types to contribute to overall biodiversity of functionally important taxa in the tropics. This study experimentally investigated species richness, abundance, and community similarity of arthropods on Yellow Passion fruit plants, planted in standardized patches in 30 sites along a land-use intensity gradient. The gradient comprised all major land-use types of the area: forest fragments, abandoned coffee agroforests, coffee agroforests managed under shade trees, pastures, and rice fields in Coastal Ecuador. We found a total of 2123 individuals belonging to 242 species. Overall arthropod species richness increased with light intensity and leaf-surface area and decreased with land-use intensity: forest fragments and abandoned coffee agroforests harboured significantly more species than rice or pastures. Overall diversity in managedcoffee agroforests was intermediate between the intensively managed and more natural habitats. However, the three most abundant taxa of arthropods (ants, spiders, and beetles) had the highest number of species in managed coffee agroforests, while ant abundance was highest in abandoned coffee agroforestsand spider abundance highest in managed coffee agroforests. Analyses of community similarity revealed that open (pasture, and rice) and shaded (forest, abandoned and managed coffee agroforests) land-use types had distinct arthropod communities. In conclusion, although open agricultural land-usetypes tend to have fewer species in lower numbers, all land-use types contribute to overall biodiversity of the agricultural matrix because of distinct communities in shaded vs. non-shaded land-use types.

KW - Didactics of sciences education

KW - Ant

KW - Beetle

KW - Biodiversity

KW - Passiflora edulis

KW - Spider

KW - Land use change

KW - Ecosystems Research

KW - Biology

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=79151479572&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1016/j.agee.2010.11.006

DO - 10.1016/j.agee.2010.11.006

M3 - Journal articles

VL - 140

SP - 14

EP - 19

JO - Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment

JF - Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment

SN - 0167-8809

IS - 1-2

ER -