Biotic and abiotic factors that influence the biodiversity patterns of Tenebrionidae in the Puna and High Andes of the province of Salta, Argentina.

MACAGNO, HB; CRUZ I.G.; RODRÍGUEZ-ARTIGAS S.M; CORRONCA JA; FLORES GE.

Praga

Simposio; 5th International Tenebrionoidea Symposium; 2018

Studies of biodiversity in the desert and semi-desert environments are very interestingbecause the associated fauna to these environments exhibits significant morphological,physiological and behavioural adaptations to allow their development in these extremehabitats. In the province of Salta, two high altitude ecoregions are well represented, Puna andHigh Andes, considered as priority conservation areas included in the Global 200 asvulnerable. We studied tenebrionids of Puna and High Andean ecoregions in Salta province tocompare the alpha and beta diversity between them and the regional gamma diversity with thepurpose to identify the possible environmental factors that may influence their diversity patterns. Two samplings (2014-2015) were carried out in 30 sites (12 in High Andes and 18 inPuna), using pitfall traps and G-Vac (suction samples) over the vegetation and we measuredseveral environmental variables related with soil, climate and local vegetation. Two hundredand seventy individuals were collected (21 species, 11 genera, 8 tribes and 2 subfamilies). Theresults showed that there are no significant differences in the tenebrionid species richnessbetween these two ecoregions, but both differ in their composition and the number of endemicspecies. The greatest contribution to the gamma diversity of tenebrionids is given by thediversity between sites and the ecoregional beta diversity, indicating that the heterogeneity atmultiple scales is crucial for the maintenance of the regional biodiversity. The diversitypatterns of tenebrionids in these two ecoregions are mainly influenced by the geographicdistance, which in turn exerts an effect combined with environmental variables.