IBS   24490
INSTITUTO DE BIOLOGIA SUBTROPICAL
Unidad Ejecutora - UE
congresos y reuniones científicas
Título:
CLIMATIC FACTORS AND LIVESTOCK AFFECT THE RICHNESS OF DUNG BEETLES (SCARABAEINAE) IN SUBTROPICAL FORESTS OF ARGENTINA
Autor/es:
BELLOCQ, M. ISABEL; GUERRA ALONSO, C.B.; ZURITA, G.A.
Lugar:
Foz de Iguazu
Reunión:
Simposio; III Simposio Internacional de Ecología; 2018
Institución organizadora:
UNILA
Resumen:
The livestock affects the biodiversity and the conservation of forests, in turn, these effects may vary depending on the regional context in which they occur. The hypothesis is that the effect of livestock on the richness of dung beetles in subtropical forests is influenced by the regional climate differences present in these forests. Dung beetles were sampled in native forest and two livestock systems (with and without canopy cover), in three subtropical forests with different environmental conditions (Atlantic forest, humid Chaco, and dry Chaco). In order to describe the structure of the vegetation, four variables were estimated: bare soil and the cover of herbaceous, shrub, canopy and litter cover. Also, temperature and humidity at the ground level were registered. In addition, three climatic variables were used: Annual mean temperature, thermal daily amplitude, precipitation seasonality. Richness among sites and the role of environmental variables were compared through General Linear Models and PCA. A total of 110 species were collected. In the Atlantic forest and the humid Chaco, richness differed in both the native forest and the open pasture as well as the richness of the silvopastoral system and the open pasture. The native forest and silvopastoral system in the Atlantic forest and humid Chaco were associated with average humidity and canopy cover, and open pasture in Atlantic forest and humid Chaco were associated with average temperature. In the Dry Chaco, however, the three habitats reported similarities in richness. Annual mean temperature, thermal daily amplitude, precipitation seasonality and maximum temperature were associated with sites of dry Chaco. In general, livestock systems reduce dung beetle richness in the Atlantic forest and humid Chaco, due to climatic variables and the lack of canopy coverage associated with these systems. However, the dry Chaco had no significant differences in richness between the native forest and livestock systems.