INVESTIGADORES
CHELI german Horacio
artículos
Título:
The ground-dwelling arthropod community of Península Valdés (Patagonia, Argentina)
Autor/es:
CHELI GERMAN HORACIO; CORLEY J; BRUZZONE O; DEL BRÍO M; MARTINEZ F; MARTINEZ ROMAN N; RÍOS I
Revista:
Journal of Insect Science
Editorial:
University of Wisconsin Digital Collections Center and the UW-Madison Libraries' Office of Scholarly Communication and Publishing
Referencias:
Año: 2010
ISSN:
1536-2442
Resumen:
AbstractThis is the first study, based on a planned and intensive sampling effort which describes the community composition and structure of the ground-dwelling arthropod assemblage of Península Valdés (Patagonia). It was carried out using pitfall traps opened for two weeks during the summers of 2005, 2006 and 2007. A total of 28,111 individuals were caught. Ants (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) dominated this community, followed by beetles (Coleoptera) and spiders (Araneae). The most abundant species were  Pheidole bergi (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) and Blapstinus punctulatus (Coleoptera, Tenebrionidae). Two taxonomic novelties among true bugs were found: Valdesiana curiosa (Miridae) and Anomaloptera patagonica (Oxycarenidae). The order Coleoptera was the most diverse taxa. The abundance data distribution was best described by the logarithmic series model both at the family and species levels, suggesting that ecological relationships in this community could be controlled by a few factors. The community was dominated by predators from a trophic perspective. This suggests that predation acts as an important factor driving the distribution and abundances of surface-dwelling arthropods in this habitat, and as such serves as a key element in understanding desert, above-ground community structure. Our findings may also be useful for  management and conservation purposes in arid Patagonia.  <!-- /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0cm; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:612.0pt 792.0pt; margin:70.85pt 3.0cm 70.85pt 3.0cm; mso-header-margin:36.0pt; mso-footer-margin:36.0pt; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> Keywords: pitfall trapping; epigeal arthropods; Patagonia; desert.