Abstract
The diversity of endotherms and ectotherms may be differently affected by ambient temperature and net primary productivity (NPP). Additionally, little is known about how these drivers affect the diversity of guilds of different trophic levels. We assessed the relative role of temperature and NPP in multitrophic guilds of ectothermic (arthropods: ants, ground beetles, spiders, and harvestmen) and endothermic (large mammals) animals along a tropical elevational gradient. We sampled arthropods at eight elevation belts and large mammals at 14 elevation belts in Atlantic rainforest (ranging from 600 to 2450 m.a.s.l.) of Itatiaia National Park, Southeast Brazil. Overall arthropod species richness was more associated with temperature than overall large-mammal species richness, while the latter was more associated with NPP. When separated into trophic guilds, we found that the species richness associated with NPP increased across arthropod trophic levels from herbivores to predators. Conversely, although NPP influenced large-mammal herbivore species richness, its effects did not seem to accumulate across large-mammal trophic levels since the species richness of large-mammal omnivores was more associated with temperature and none of the variables we studied influenced large-mammal predators. We suggest that thermal physiological differences between ectotherms and endotherms are responsible for the way in which arthropods and large mammals interact with or are constrained by the environment. Furthermore, the inconsistency regarding the role of temperature and NPP on species richness across multitrophic guilds of ectotherms and endotherms could indicate that thermal physiological differences might also interfere with energy use and flux in the food web.
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Acknowledgements
This work was funded by Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa de Minas Gerais (FAPEMIG, Grant PPM 00243/14), and Tropical Conservation Act/Fundo Brasileiro da Biodiversidade (TFCA/FUNBIO). We thank Marcell K. Peters and an anonymous referee for their helpful comments. We are thankful to the staff of National Itatiaia Park, especially to Leo Nascimento and Marcelo Motta, who permitted the sampling in the park area. We are also indebted to Maria Regina de Souza, Tobias R. Silva, Luiza Santiago, Edson Guilherme de Souza, Daniel Q. Domingos, Ernesto O. Canedo–Júnior, Graziele Santiago, Luana Zurlo, Fernando H. Puertas, Thamíris C. K. de Abreu, and José Cristiano for their help with logistics and fieldwork. Thanks to Mariana Rabelo, Ícaro Carvalho, and Felipe Lopes for helping with laboratory work. We are grateful to the staff at the Laboratório de Sistemática de Formigas da Universidade Federal do Paraná for confirming ant identification, especially to Alexandre Ferreira. CJL and CAN received a postdoctoral fellowship from PNPD/CAPES. ACMQ received a postdoctoral fellowship from CEMIG—Companhia Energética de Minas Gerais S.A. (P&D 611—Descomissionamento da PCH Pandeiros: Uma experiência inédita na América do Sul). RMF and ADB were supported by the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq grant 302462/2016–3 and CNPq grant 303903/2019-8). This study was part of Chaim J. Lasmar’s MSc. thesis at the Universidade Federal de Lavras that was supported by Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento Pessoal (CAPES, Finance code: 001).
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This study was funded by Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa de Minas Gerais (FAPEMIG, Grant PPM 00243/14), Tropical Forest Conservation Act/Fundo Brasileiro Para a Diversidade (TFCA)/FUNBIO).
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CJL CR, and CRR conceived and designed the experiments. CJL, CR, MMGI, GPA, and GBN conducted the field and lab work; CJL, CR, RMF, LNZ, LV, and ADB identified the collected species. CJL, ACMQ, and CAN analysed the data. CJL wrote the manuscript; all other authors provided editorial advice.
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All applicable institutional and/or national guidelines for the care and use of animals were followed. All animal experiments were approved by Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação da Biodiversidade (ICMBio), reference number 46564-1.
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Lasmar, C.J., Rosa, C., Queiroz, A.C.M. et al. Temperature and productivity distinctly affect the species richness of ectothermic and endothermic multitrophic guilds along a tropical elevational gradient. Oecologia 197, 243–257 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-021-05011-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-021-05011-9