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Seasonal fluctuation, phenology and turnover of chafer assemblages – insight to the structural plasticity of insect communities in tropical farmlands
Author(s) -
Ahrens Dirk,
Gc Yubak Dhoj,
Lago Paul K,
Nagel Peter
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
agricultural and forest entomology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.755
H-Index - 55
eISSN - 1461-9563
pISSN - 1461-9555
DOI - 10.1111/j.1461-9563.2008.00439.x
Subject(s) - biology , habitat , ecology , phenology , range (aeronautics) , insect , assemblage (archaeology) , ecological succession , composite material , materials science
1 Studies on chafer assemblages were conducted on two farmland sites in the Terai lowland of Nepal (200 m above sea level) using light traps. During the course of a 2‐year field monitoring program, a total of 4503 specimens was captured and an unexpectedly high number of syntopically co‐occurring species was found: 52 from Gunganagar (GN) and 36 from Gaindakot (GK), respectively. Highest species abundances and species numbers were found during April and May. 2 Species occurrence was strongly correlated with air temperature and the maximum soil temperature, at least during the pre‐monsoon season. However, assemblage structure from the two sites showed significant qualitative and quantitative changes seasonally, as well as from 1 year to the next. Turnover rates between adjacent months were in the range 26–62% (GN) and 37–70% (GK), whereas the turnover from 2004 to 2005 was 25.8% (GN) and 21.4% (GK) respectively. 3 When only dominant and subdominant taxa are considered, the seasonal change in species composition was even more striking. 4 Strong fluctuation in chafer assemblage over time suggests: (i) a possible influence of patchy habitat types and soil working on seasonal assemblage structure and (ii) colonization of suitable habitats (fields) in great part by chance.