Quantifying the spatio-temporal distribution of arthropods in tropical rainforests represents a first step towards scrutinizing the global distribution of biodiversity on Earth. To date most studies have focused on narrow taxonomic groups or lack a design that allows partitioning of the components of diversity. Here, we consider an exceptionally large dataset (113,952 individuals representing 5,858 species), obtained from the San Lorenzo forest in Panama, where the phylogenetic breadth of arthropod taxa was surveyed using 14 protocols targeting the soil, litter, understory, lower and upper canopy habitats, replicated across seasons in 2003 and 2004. This dataset is used to explore the relative influence of horizontal, vertical and seasonal drivers of arthropod distribution in this forest. We considered arthropod abundance, observed and estimated species richness, additive decomposition of species richness, multiplicative partitioning of species diversity, variation in species composition, species turnover and guild structure as components of diversity. At the scale of our study (2km of distance, 40m in height and 400 days), the effects related to the vertical and seasonal dimensions were most important. Most adult arthropods were collected from the soil/litter or the upper canopy and species richness was highest in the canopy. We compared the distribution of arthropods and trees within our study system. Effects related to the seasonal dimension were stronger for arthropods than for trees. We conclude that: (1) models of beta diversity developed for tropical trees are unlikely to be applicable to tropical arthropods; (2) it is imperative that estimates of global biodiversity derived from mass collecting of arthropods in tropical rainforests embrace the strong vertical and seasonal partitioning observed here; and (3) given the high species turnover observed between seasons, global climate change may have severe consequences for rainforest arthropods.
Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, STRI-Research, 080814 Panama City, Republic of Panama;University of South Bohemia, Biological Faculy, 370 05 Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic;Universidad de Panamá, Maestria de Entomologia, 080814 Panama City, Republic of Panama;University of South Bohemia, Biological Faculy, 370 05 Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic;Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Entomology, 370 05 Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic;Muséum d'histoire naturelle de la Ville de Genève, Département des arthropodes et d'entomologie I, 1208 Genève, Switzerland;The University of Western Australia, School of Animal Biology and CSIRO Land & Water, 6009 Perth, Australia;University of South Bohemia, Biological Faculy, 370 05 Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic;Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Entomology, 370 05 Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic;Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, Trondheim, 7485 Trondheim, Norway;Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Ecology, SE-750 07 Uppsala, Sweden;National Museum of Natural History, Department of Entomology, Washington, DC 20013–7012, United States of America;University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Department of Biology, 91058 Erlangen, Germany;University of Victoria, Department of Biology,Victoria, BC V8W 2Y2, Canada;Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, STRI-Research, 080814 Panama City, Republic of Panama;Cirad, Centre de Biologie pour la Gestion des populations, 34988 Montferrier-sur-Lez, France;Am Ehrenbach 8, 91356 Kirchehrenbach, Germany;Universidad de Panamá, Maestria de Entomologia, 080814 Panama City, Republic of Panama;University of Bristol, School of Biological Sciences, Bristol BS8 1TH, United Kingdom;Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Facultad de Ciencias, 76230, Querétaro, México;CNRS, UMR 6023, 63177 Aubière & Université Blaise Pascal, 63000 Clermont-Ferrand, France;Museo Civico di Storia Naturale, 10022 Carmagnola, Italy;Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, 31270–901 Belo Horizonte, Brazil;Institut Royal des Sciences Naturelles de Belgique, Operational Directorate Natural Environment, 1000 Brussels, Belgium;Centro de Pesquisas do Cacau, Convênio UESC-CEPLAC, 45600–000, Itabuna & Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz, 45662–900 Ilhéus-Bahia, Brazil;University of Toulouse III, UMR EcoFoG, 31062 Toulouse, France;Western Australia Department of Agriculture and Food, Biosecurity and Regulations, 6151 Perth, Australia;Universität Würzburg, Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, 97070 Würzburg, Germany;Griffith University, School of Environment, Nathan QLD 4111, Australia;Universidad de Panamá, Maestria de Entomologia, 080814 Panama City, Republic of Panama;Centro Universitário Una, Ciências Biológicas, 30180–100 Belo Horizonte, Brazil;CNRS, UMR EcoFoG, 97379 Kourou, France;Research Institute for Nature and Forest, Research Group Species Diversity, 1070 Brussels, Belgium;Le bois Gervaz, 74440 Mieussy, France;Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, Instituto de Ciências Exatas e Biológicas, 35400–000 Ouro Preto-MG, Brazil;Université Libre de Bruxelles, Evolutionary Biology and Ecology, 1050 Brussels, Belgium;Vetterslev Bygade 27, 4100 Ringsted, Denmark;Chemin de la Treille 7b, 1297 Founex, Switzerland;University of Campinas, Departamento de Biologia Animal, 13083–870 Campinas, Brazil;Institut Royal des Sciences Naturelles de Belgique, Operational Directorate Natural Environment, 1000 Brussels, Belgium
Recommended Citation:
Yves Basset,Lukas Cizek,Philippe Cuénoud,et al. Arthropod Distribution in a Tropical Rainforest: Tackling a Four Dimensional Puzzle[J]. PLOS ONE,2015-01-01,10(12)