BiotropicaPub Date : 2025-01-21DOI: 10.1111/btp.13402
José Miguel Chaves-Fallas, Carlos García-Robledo, Mónica M. Carlsen, Orlando Vargas, Mónica Rojas-Gómez, Robert J. Marquis
{"title":"The impact of host biogeography, ecology, evolutionary history, and architecture on the structure of rolled-leaf beetle assemblages of Costa Rican Zingiberales","authors":"José Miguel Chaves-Fallas, Carlos García-Robledo, Mónica M. Carlsen, Orlando Vargas, Mónica Rojas-Gómez, Robert J. Marquis","doi":"10.1111/btp.13402","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/btp.13402","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Determining the factors affecting the structure of insect herbivore communities is a major challenge in ecology. Previous research demonstrated that plant defenses determine plant-herbivore associations. However, non-defensive variables may also explain why some plant species are associated with more diverse insect herbivore assemblages than others. Neotropical rolled-leaf beetles (<i>Cephaloleia</i> and <i>Chelobasis</i>) complete their life cycle inside the young rolled leaves of their host plants in the order Zingiberales. The diet breadth of each species in this assemblage is particularly well-known at our study site, La Selva Biological Station in Costa Rica. This study focused on the following non-defensive variables: host plant elevational and geographic range size, soil type, habitat, local abundance, plant size, and leaf size. Because plant characteristics among closely related plants are not independent, we analyzed these variables in a phylogenetic context. We detected a positive effect of leaf width on rolled-leaf beetle species richness (explaining 55% of the variation), abundance (28% of the variation and 57% when habitat is included in the model), diversity (37% of the variation), and community structure (6% of the variation, and 21%–26% when taxonomic family is included in the model). Our study demonstrates that Zingiberales leaf width influences positively rolled-leaf beetle species richness, abundance, and diversity. This effect varies among plant families. Our study shows that plant architecture plays an important role in structuring insect herbivore assemblages in Zingiberales. Our results highlight the importance of including variables beyond plant defenses to understand the ecology and evolution of plant-herbivore interactions.</p>","PeriodicalId":8982,"journal":{"name":"Biotropica","volume":"57 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-01-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143117831","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
BiotropicaPub Date : 2025-01-21DOI: 10.1111/btp.13422
An Nguyen, Andrew Tilker, Quy Tan Le, Minh Nguyen, Van Tiep Tran, Hong Truong Luu, Van Bang Tran, Duy Le, Luisa Pflumm, Jürgen Niedballa, Rahel Sollmann, Andreas Wilting
{"title":"Ecotones Shape Ground-Dwelling Mammal and Bird Diversity Along a Habitat Gradient in the Southern Coastal Dry Forests of Vietnam","authors":"An Nguyen, Andrew Tilker, Quy Tan Le, Minh Nguyen, Van Tiep Tran, Hong Truong Luu, Van Bang Tran, Duy Le, Luisa Pflumm, Jürgen Niedballa, Rahel Sollmann, Andreas Wilting","doi":"10.1111/btp.13422","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/btp.13422","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Understanding biodiversity patterns is essential for ecology and conservation. Globally, conservation efforts often prioritize tropical rainforests due to their high species richness. At the regional scale, the same is true in the Greater Annamites ecoregion of Vietnam and Laos, where conservation efforts have largely focused on broadleaf wet evergreen forest, despite the fact that other habitats remain threatened. One such habitat is the coastal dry forest landscape in southern Vietnam, which has received little conservation focus despite the fact that its forested areas have been severely reduced. Nui Chua National Park (NP) in southern Vietnam harbors one of the few remaining sizable areas of dry coastal forest. In this study, we used camera-trap data and a community Royle-Nichols model to explore community structure of ground-dwelling mammal and birds along a complex habitat gradient in Nui Chua NP. We first investigated species associations among three habitat types: dry forest, semi-dry forest, and broadleaf wet evergreen forest. We then used occupancy-based diversity profiles to assess diversity in these three habitats. Overall species diversity tended to be highest in the transitional semi-dry forest ecotone, which supported species from both dry and evergreen forests. Notably, the semi-dry forest also had the highest occupancies for several endemic and threatened species. Our findings highlight the importance of the semi-dry forest for conservation in the broader coastal dry forest landscape. We emphasize the need for fine-scale biodiversity assessments to inform conservation strategies, especially in habitats that may be overlooked by broader-scale conservation strategies.</p>","PeriodicalId":8982,"journal":{"name":"Biotropica","volume":"57 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-01-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/btp.13422","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143117832","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
BiotropicaPub Date : 2025-01-21DOI: 10.1111/btp.13404
Ron Sunny, Anirban Guha, Asmi Jezeera, Kavya Mohan N, Neha Mohanbabu, Deepak Barua
{"title":"Responses to water limitation are independent of light for saplings of a seasonally dry tropical forest","authors":"Ron Sunny, Anirban Guha, Asmi Jezeera, Kavya Mohan N, Neha Mohanbabu, Deepak Barua","doi":"10.1111/btp.13404","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/btp.13404","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Seasonally dry tropical forests (SDTFs) experience large spatial and temporal variation in water and light availability. The effect of heterogeneity in these limiting resources on species water use, physiology, and growth is still not well understood. We used a shade-house experiment to manipulate light and water availability and examine plant water uptake, leaf-level physiology, and sapling growth in four co-occurring SDTF species belonging to both evergreen and deciduous plant functional types. Water uptake varied dramatically among species with a fivefold difference in maximum whole-plant transpiration (WPT). While species differed in how WPT, leaf physiology, and growth responded to shade, there were no differences among species, or between evergreen and deciduous functional types, in responses to limited water. Importantly, responses to shade were independent of water availability in all four species. Changes in WPT in response to limited light and water were largely congruent with changes in leaf physiology and growth. However, the magnitude of change in leaf physiology was largely driven by light, while changes in WPT and growth were driven by water availability. Thus, whole-plant water uptake may be a better indicator of plant growth responses in these species. Overall, these results suggest that responses to light and water limitation may be independent of each other, allowing species in SDTFs to explore a wide range of combinations of light and water responses to adapt to heterogeneous light and water niches.</p>","PeriodicalId":8982,"journal":{"name":"Biotropica","volume":"57 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-01-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143117363","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
BiotropicaPub Date : 2025-01-17DOI: 10.1111/btp.13427
Al-Kautsar Hidayanto Abdul Rahim, Chong Leong Puan, Amera Natasha Mah Muhammad Adam Mah, Mohamed Zakaria, Nurhaidah Jamaludin, Nurul Syafiqa Abdul Wahaf
{"title":"Bioacoustic Assessment of Mangrove Health: Influence of Habitat Characteristics on Bird Richness","authors":"Al-Kautsar Hidayanto Abdul Rahim, Chong Leong Puan, Amera Natasha Mah Muhammad Adam Mah, Mohamed Zakaria, Nurhaidah Jamaludin, Nurul Syafiqa Abdul Wahaf","doi":"10.1111/btp.13427","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/btp.13427","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Mangroves play a vital role in coastal ecosystems, providing numerous ecosystem functions and services as well as supporting high levels of biodiversity. Using a bioacoustic approach, we assessed the influence of mangrove habitat variables on birds in four sites in Peninsular Malaysia. We set up 20 bioacoustic audio recorders across Telok Gong, Kapar Tambahan, Banjar Utara Forest Reserves, and Kuala Selangor Nature Park. The recorders operated for 30 min every hour over a period of 24 h for seven consecutive days. We assessed the habitat characteristics at each site by establishing one 20 m × 20 m quadrat at each of the recording points. Generalized linear mixed models indicated that the percentage of canopy cover, average tree height, forest age, number of saplings, forest size, and ground cover positively influenced bird richness. Our findings highlight the importance of maintaining these habitat features to support higher bird species richness in mangroves. This study demonstrated the possible use of bioacoustics to assess mangrove restoration recovery progress via birds as bioindicators.</p>\u0000 <p>Abstract in Malay is available with online material.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":8982,"journal":{"name":"Biotropica","volume":"57 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-01-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143115929","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
BiotropicaPub Date : 2025-01-12DOI: 10.1111/btp.13425
Dennis Castillo-Figueroa, Diego Soler-Marín, Juan M. Posada
{"title":"Functional Traits and Species Identity Drive Decomposition Along a Successional Gradient in Upper Andean Tropical Forests","authors":"Dennis Castillo-Figueroa, Diego Soler-Marín, Juan M. Posada","doi":"10.1111/btp.13425","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/btp.13425","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Leaf litter decomposition constitutes one of the most vital processes for maintaining productivity and carbon release in ecosystems. However, this remains one of the least understood processes in upper Andean tropical forests (UATF), a highly diverse ecoregion that has undergone extensive transformation over the centuries. In this study, we aimed to determine the relationships between decomposition rates of leaf litter, leaf functional traits, and microclimatic conditions along a successional gradient of UATF. We also tested the “after-life effect” by analyzing changes between green and senescent leaves. We performed a fully reciprocal translocation experiment with 15 representative species of UATF in a set of 14 permanent plots by using 2520 litterbags distributed across 42 experimental units (three litterbeds per plot), over 1.5 years, with four harvesting times (3, 6, 12, and 18 months). Chemical and physical traits were measured in green and senescent leaves to identify the best predictors of decomposition and to analyze the “after-life effect.” We found that functional traits and species identity drive litter decomposition in UATF, rather than succession and microclimatic conditions of soil moisture and temperature. The relative importance of traits was prevalent in all stages of decay, despite being stronger in the early phases. Although we found an “after-life effect” of green leaves in decomposition, changes in chemical composition from green to senescent leaves indicated substantial nitrogen resorption, which is a limiting resource in tropical montane forests. With the increasing landscape transformation in UATF, changes in plant species composition could have profound impacts by altering decomposition rates, nutrient cycling, and global carbon storage.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":8982,"journal":{"name":"Biotropica","volume":"57 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-01-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143114413","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
BiotropicaPub Date : 2025-01-10DOI: 10.1111/btp.13401
Guilherme Cansan, Camila Fernanda Moser, Juliano Morales de Oliveira, Alexandro Marques Tozetti
{"title":"Effects of pasture-burning management on anuran communities in subtropical Brazilian grasslands","authors":"Guilherme Cansan, Camila Fernanda Moser, Juliano Morales de Oliveira, Alexandro Marques Tozetti","doi":"10.1111/btp.13401","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/btp.13401","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Anthropogenic fire is a worldwide event that affects many ecosystems and organisms. In Southern Brazil, grassland management with fire has been highly employed since the mid-18th century. Although the practice is regulated by federal law (prescribed fire), there is no detailed information about the impacts of this practice on the small, non-volant fauna. We evaluated the effect of fire management on anuran species richness and community composition in Brazilian grassland areas that have adopted this practice for more than 15 years. Our results show that burning practices lead to a reduction of anuran richness. About 37% of the species occur exclusively in sites free of fire. Sites with fire management have low densities of taller grass and shrubs, which could reduce habitat availability for some anuran species. Nestedness and turnover components of beta diversity did not differ within and between treatments, but there was a tendency for a nestedness organization of the community in burned sites, suggesting that sites with fire management are a subsample of sites where fire is absent. Our results pointed out that prescribed fire practices have potentially negative effects on the anuran diversity. These results suggest that the changes in vegetation, in particular percentages of shrub cover, affect habitat suitability for some species. Therefore, anuran communities tend to become less diverse and lack arboreal species where fire occurs.</p><p>Abstract in Portuguese is available with online material.</p>","PeriodicalId":8982,"journal":{"name":"Biotropica","volume":"57 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-01-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143113672","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
BiotropicaPub Date : 2025-01-03DOI: 10.1111/btp.13426
Mariana Gelambi, Yoselyn Pamela Coto-Pereira, Estefania Morales-M, Susan R. Whitehead
{"title":"Testing the Effectiveness of Synthetic Chemical Lures to Increase Fruit Bat-Mediated Seed Dispersal in a Tropical Forest","authors":"Mariana Gelambi, Yoselyn Pamela Coto-Pereira, Estefania Morales-M, Susan R. Whitehead","doi":"10.1111/btp.13426","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/btp.13426","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Tropical deforestation is occurring at alarming rates, creating an urgent need for global prioritization of restoration efforts. One potential forest recovery strategy is to boost seed-dispersing animal activity (e.g., fruit-eating bats) to increase seed availability in degraded areas. In this study, we investigated the efficacy of synthetic chemical lures in attracting fruit bats and enhancing seed rain in northeastern Costa Rica. The chemical lures were composed of a few volatile organic compounds commonly found in ripe bat-dispersed fruits. Daily deployment of the chemical lures resulted in a significant increase in the capture of <i>Carollia</i> spp., a key neotropical seed disperser, but no detectable effect on other fruit bats. The 15-day deployment of chemical lures also increased the average of total seeds collected in seed traps. However, the effect of lures explained only a small portion of the total variance in seed rain, highlighting the potential context-dependency of these results. Still, in contrast to the previously studied essential oil-based lures, synthetic lures hold the potential to be applied across a broader spectrum of restoration initiatives due to simplified manufacturing and improved reproducibility. Although additional research is essential to understand the full potential for use in restoration efforts, our study demonstrates the effectiveness of synthetic chemical lures in attracting fruit bats and potentially augmenting seed rain.</p>","PeriodicalId":8982,"journal":{"name":"Biotropica","volume":"57 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-01-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/btp.13426","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143111420","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
BiotropicaPub Date : 2024-12-31DOI: 10.1111/btp.13421
Gerald J. Quirós Cedeño, Francis H. Joyce, María Auxiliadora Zúñiga Amador, Karen D. Holl
{"title":"Differing Agents of Physical Damage to Artificial Seedlings in Remnant and Restored Forests","authors":"Gerald J. Quirós Cedeño, Francis H. Joyce, María Auxiliadora Zúñiga Amador, Karen D. Holl","doi":"10.1111/btp.13421","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/btp.13421","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>We tested the importance of physical damage to seedlings as a bottleneck to natural regeneration in restored tropical forests using an artificial seedling experiment. After one year, more artificial seedlings had been damaged in restored forests (17.6% ± 2.6% SE) compared to remnant forests (12.7% ± 1.1% SE), primarily due to greater frequency of woody debris falling from planted trees. Vertebrate damage was more common in remnant forests.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":8982,"journal":{"name":"Biotropica","volume":"57 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2024-12-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143121353","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
BiotropicaPub Date : 2024-12-30DOI: 10.1111/btp.13418
Mozart Sávio Pires Baptista, Alexine Keuroghlian, Leandro Reverberi Tambosi, Marina Corrêa Côrtes, Fernanda de Góes Maciel, Douglas William Cirino, Gabriela Schmaedecke, Cibele Biondo
{"title":"Agriculturally developed areas reduce genetic connectivity for a keystone Neotropical ungulate","authors":"Mozart Sávio Pires Baptista, Alexine Keuroghlian, Leandro Reverberi Tambosi, Marina Corrêa Côrtes, Fernanda de Góes Maciel, Douglas William Cirino, Gabriela Schmaedecke, Cibele Biondo","doi":"10.1111/btp.13418","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/btp.13418","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Modified landscapes can restrict the movement of organisms, leading to isolation and reduced population viability, particularly for species with extensive home ranges and long-distance travel, such as white-lipped peccaries (WLPs, <i>Tayassu pecari</i>). Previous studies have indicated that forested areas favor WLP herd movements, but the impact of the non-forested areas on their genetic connectivity is unknown. In this study, we used land use and land cover maps and population genetic data to investigate the impact of non-forested matrices on WLP's genetic connectivity in the Pantanal floodplain and surrounding Cerrado plateau of central-west Brazil. We compared isolation-by-distance (IBD), isolation-by-barrier, and isolation-by-resistance models and tested 39 hypotheses within a modeling framework. Finally, we identified the optimal areas for ecological corridors based on the most effective landscape model. Barrier and landscape resistance were more strongly correlated with genetic relatedness than the IBD model. The model that received the most robust support considered only forest as habitat. All other classes formed a matrix that impeded gene flow, including agriculture, grassland, savannah, and paved and unpaved roads. WLP herds living in landscapes with reduced forest cover are more vulnerable to the effects of genetic isolation. To maintain gene flow, conservation programs should prioritize strategies that strengthen connections between habitats, including facilitating wildlife road-crossing structures and creating/restoring ecological corridors to link isolated habitat fragments.</p><p>Abstract in Portuguese is available with online material.</p>","PeriodicalId":8982,"journal":{"name":"Biotropica","volume":"57 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2024-12-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143120968","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
BiotropicaPub Date : 2024-12-21DOI: 10.1111/btp.13423
Vanesa Bejarano Alegre, Júlia Emi de Faria Oshima, Claudia Zukeran Kanda, Maria Luisa S. P. Jorge, Alexine Keuroghlian, Ronaldo G. Morato, Milton Cezar Ribeiro, Luca Börger
{"title":"Predator–Prey Movement Interactions: Jaguars and Peccaries in the Spotlight","authors":"Vanesa Bejarano Alegre, Júlia Emi de Faria Oshima, Claudia Zukeran Kanda, Maria Luisa S. P. Jorge, Alexine Keuroghlian, Ronaldo G. Morato, Milton Cezar Ribeiro, Luca Börger","doi":"10.1111/btp.13423","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/btp.13423","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Understanding how landscape structure influences predator–prey dynamics is critical for conservation. This study analyzed jaguar-peccary interactions, revealing uncommon close distances and prevalent 3–5 km ranges, especially away from grasslands. Low peccary densities increased interactions. Findings inform conservation strategies, highlighting landscape structure and prey density roles in maintaining Pantanal's balance.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":8982,"journal":{"name":"Biotropica","volume":"57 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2024-12-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142868819","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}