Tropical Ecology and Conservation [Monteverde Institute]

Alternative Title

Fauna de los macroinvertebrados terrestres debajo de los troncos en el bosque primario y secundario

Creator

Erica Hoaglund

Files

Download

Download Full Text (363 KB)

Publication Date

November 2005

Abstract

Terrestrial macroinvertebrates are an important yet understudied group. They are present in all types of tropical forests and, due to their services as decomposers, are essential for the maintenance of a productive system. The purpose of this study was to determine if there were significant differences in diversity and community composition between macroinvertebrate communities in the primary versus secondary lower montane wet forest of Monteverde, Costa Rica. Macroinvertebrates were collected from under 20 logs in primary and 20 logs in secondary forest. Primary forest had a higher diversity of macroinvertebrates (H’ = 2.5) than secondary forest (H’ = 2.05). Primary forest also showed greater evenness (0.84) than secondary forest (0.76). It was also found that primary forest had greater Order richness, 20 Orders among 20 logs versus 15 Orders among 20 logs in secondary forest. Secondary forest showed a greater abundance (145 individuals) than primary forest (105 individuals). These results were consistent with various studies done on aquatic macroinvertebrates and were probably due to differences in plant communities between primary and secondary forest.

Resumen

Los macroinvertebrados terrestres son un grupo muy importante que no ha sido estudiado en detalle. Están presentes en todos los tipos de bosque tropical y, debido a sus servicios como descomponedores, son un elemento crucial en todos los sistemas productivos. El propósito de este estudio fue determinar si existían diferencias significativas en la diversidad y composición de las comunidades de macroinvertebrados entre el bosque primario y el bosque secundario de Monteverde, Costa Rica. Se colectaron macroinvertebrados debajo de 20 maderos en el bosque primario y 20 en el bosque secundario. Se encontró una diversidad más alta de macroinvertebrados en el bosque primario (H’ = 2.5) que en el bosque secundario (H’ = 2.05). El bosque primario también contenía más órdenes de macroinvertebrados: 20 órdenes en los 20 maderos en el bosque primario contra 15 órdenes en los 20 maderos en el bosque secundario. El bosque secundario mostró una abundancia más alta (145 individuos) que la que mostró el bosque primario (105 individuos). Estos resultados concuerdan con varios estudios sobre macroinvertebrados acuáticos y fueron probablemente debidos a las diferencias en la flora entre los dos tipos de comunidades.

Keywords

Soil animals, Animales del suelo, Compost animals, Compostaje de animales, Forest biodiversity, Biodiversidad forestal, CIEE Fall 2005, CIEE Otoño 2005

Extent

13 pages

Geographic Location

Monteverde (Puntarenas, Costa Rica)

Holding Location

Monteverde Institute

Language

English; Spanish

Media Type

Articles

Format

Digital Only

Identifier

M39-00266

Type

Book

Terrestrial macroinvertebrate fauna under logs in primary and secondary forest, November 2005

Share

 
COinS
 
 

To view the content in your browser, please download Adobe Reader or, alternately,
you may Download the file to your hard drive.

NOTE: The latest versions of Adobe Reader do not support viewing PDF files within Firefox on Mac OS and if you are using a modern (Intel) Mac, there is no official plugin for viewing PDF files within the browser window.