Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Structure of ground-dwelling arthropod assemblages in vegetation units of Área Natural Protegida Península Valdés, Patagonia, Argentina

Journal of Insect Conservation Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Knowing the spatial variation of insect and arachnid assemblages and their relationship with habitat variables is critical to understand the structure and dynamics of these communities in arid environments. The aim of this paper was to analyze the variation in ground-dwelling arthropod assemblages across three representative vegetation units of the Área Natural Protegida Península Valdés (Patagonia, Argentina). We asked whether environmental differences among representative vegetation units were associated to distinct arthropod assemblages. We selected three plant communities: grass, dwarf-shrub, and shrub steppes, and established three sampling sites within each of them. We measured variables of vegetation structure and soil characteristics and collected the arthropods using 10 pitfall traps per site. We analyzed the structure of arthropod assemblages at both family and ant species taxonomic levels. Each plant community displayed a distinctive assemblage, with differences in diversity, taxa abundance, trophic structure and functional groups of ants. Vegetation variables explained a higher proportion of the variation in the structure of the ground-dwelling arthropod assemblages than the soil variables. This work highlights the importance of the different vegetation units for the conservation of ground-dwelling arthropod biodiversity in Península Valdés.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price includes VAT (Finland)

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6

References

  • Akter M, Miah M, Hassan M et al (2016) Textural influence on surface and subsurface soil temperatures under various conditions. J Environ Sci Nat Resour 8:141. https://doi.org/10.3329/jesnr.v8i2.26882

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Alvarez M, del P, Weiler, Hernández NE MA (2010) Linking geomorphology and hydrodynamics: a case study from Península Valdés, Patagonia, Argentina. Hydrogeol J 18:473–486. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10040-009-0528-x

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Andersen AN, Majer JD (2004) Ants show the way Down Under: invertebrates as bioindicators in land management. Front Ecol Environ 2:291–298

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Andersen AN, Fisher A, Hoffmann BD et al (2004) Use of terrestrial invertebrates for biodiversity monitoring in Australian rangelands, with particular reference to ants. Austral Ecol 29:87–92

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Arias AM, Pazos GE, Udrizar Sauthier DE (2017) Introducción: contexto geográfico, historia y manejo para la conservación. In: Udrizar Sauthier DE, Pazos GE, Arias AM (eds) Reserva de Vida Silvestre San Pablo de Valdés 10 años. Conservando el patrimonio natural y cultural de Península Valdés Patagonia Argentina. Fundación Vida Silvestre Argentina & CONICET, Buenos Aires

    Google Scholar 

  • Baldi R, Cheli G, Udrizar Sauthier DE et al (2017) Animal diversity, distribution and conservation. In: Bouza P, Bilmes A (eds) Late Cenozoic of Península Valdés, Patagonia, Argentina. Springer, Cham, pp 263–303

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Battisti C, Poeta G, Fanelli G (2016) An introduction to disturbance ecology. Springer, Cham

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Bertiller MB, Beeskow AM, Blanco PD et al (2017) Vegetation of Península Valdés: priority sites for conservation. In: Bouza P, Bilmes A (eds) Late Cenozoic of Península Valdés, Patagonia, Argentina. Springer, Cham, pp 131–159

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Bestelmeyer BT, Wiens JA (1996) The effects of land use on the structure of ground-foraging ant communities in the Argentine Chaco. Ecol Appl 6:1225–1240

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bestelmeyer BT, Wiens JA (2001) Ant biodiversity in semiarid landscape mosaics: the consequences of grazing vs. natural heterogeneity. Ecol Appl 11:1123–1140

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bisigato AJ, Bertiller MB (1997) Grazing effects on patchy dryland vegetation in northern Patagonia. J Arid Environ 36:639–653

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bisigato AJ, Saín CL, Campanella MV, Cheli GH (2015) Leaf traits, water stress, and insect herbivory: is food selection a hierarchical process? Arthropod-Plant Interact 9:477–485. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11829-015-9387-7

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Blanco PD, Rostagno CM, del Valle HF et al (2008) Grazing impacts in vegetated dune fields: predictions from spatial pattern analysis. Rangel Ecol Manag 61:194–203. https://doi.org/10.2111/06-063.1

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Borcard D, Gillet F, Legendre P (2011) Numerical ecology with R. Springer, New York

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Boulton AM, Davies KF, Ward PS (2005) Species richness, abundance, and composition of ground-dwelling ants in northern California grasslands: role of plants, soil, and grazing. Environ Entomol 34:96–104

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bouyoucos GJ (1965) Hydrometer method improved for making particle size analysis of soils. Agron J 54:464–465

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bouza P, Bilmes A, del Valle H, Rostagno CM (2017a) Late Cenozoic landforms and landscape evolution of Península Valdés. In: Bouza P, Bilmes A (eds) Late Cenozoic of Península Valdés, Patagonia, Argentina. Springer, Cham, pp 105–129

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Bouza P, Ríos I, Rostagno CM, Saín C (2017b) Soil–geomorphology relationships and pedogenic processes in Península Valdés. In: Bouza P, Bilmes A (eds) Late Cenozoic of Península Valdés, Patagonia, Argentina. Springer, Cham, pp 161–190

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Campanella MV, Bertiller MB (2008) Plant phenology, leaf traits and leaf litterfall of contrasting life forms in the arid Patagonian Monte, Argentina. J Veg Sci 19:75–85. https://doi.org/10.3170/2007-8-18333

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chao A, Gotelli NJ, Hsieh TC et al (2014) Rarefaction and extrapolation with Hill numbers: a framework for sampling and estimation in species diversity studies. Ecol Monogr 84:45–67. https://doi.org/10.1890/13-0133.1

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cheli GH (2009) Efectos del disturbio por pastoreo ovino sobre la comunidad de artrópodos epígeos en Península Valdés (Chubut, Argentina). Universidad Nacional del Comahue Centro Regional Universitario Bariloche, Bariloche

    Google Scholar 

  • Cheli GH, Corley JC (2010) Efficient sampling of ground-dwelling arthropods using pitfall traps in arid steppes. Neotrop Entomol 39:912–917

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cheli GH, Corley J, Bruzzone O et al (2010) The ground-dwelling arthropods community from Península Valdés (Patagonia, Argentina). J Insect Sci 10:50

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Cheli GH, Pazos GE, Flores GE, Corley JC (2016) Efecto de los gradientes de pastoreo ovino sobre la vegetación y el suelo en Península Valdés, Patagonia, Argentina. Ecol Austral 26:200–211

    Google Scholar 

  • Chen X, Adams B, Bergeron C et al (2015) Ant community structure and response to disturbances on coastal dunes of Gulf of Mexico. J Insect Conserv 19:1–13. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10841-014-9722-9

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Chenchouni H, Menasria T, Neffar S et al (2015) Spatiotemporal diversity, structure and trophic guilds of insect assemblages in a semi-arid Sabkha ecosystem. PeerJ 3:e860. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.860

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Clarke KR, Warwick RM (2001) Change in marine communities: an approach to statistical analysis and interpretation. PRIMER-E, Plymouth

    Google Scholar 

  • Claver S, Silnik SL, Campón FF (2014) Response of ants to grazing disturbance at the central Monte Desert of Argentina: community descriptors and functional group scheme. J Arid Land 6:117–127. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40333-013-0190-y

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Colwell RK, Chao A, Gotelli NJ et al (2012) Models and estimators linking individual-based and sample-based rarefaction, extrapolation and comparison of assemblages. J Plant Ecol 5:3–21. https://doi.org/10.1093/jpe/rtr044

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Coronato F, Pessacg N, Alvarez M, del P (2017) The climate of Península Valdés within a regional frame. In: Bouza P, Bilmes A (eds) Late Cenozoic of Península Valdés, Patagonia, Argentina. Springer, Cham, pp 85–104

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Crawley MJ (2013) The R book, 2nd edn. Wiley, Chichester

    Google Scholar 

  • Davidson DT (1965) Penetrometer measurements. In: Black CA (ed) Methods of soil analysis. Part 1. Physical and mineralogical properties, including statistics of measurement and sampling. ASA, Madison, pp 472–484

    Google Scholar 

  • de los Santos A, de Nicolás JP, Ferrer F (2002) Habitat selection and assemblage structure of darkling beetles (Col. Tenebrionidae) along environmental gradients on the island of Tenerife (Canary Islands). J Arid Environ 52:63–85

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Farji-Brener AG, Corley JC, Bettinelli J (2002) The effects of fire on ant communities in north-western Patagonia: the importance of habitat structure and regional context. Divers Distrib 8(4):235–243

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Farji-Brener AG, Carvajal D, Gei MG et al (2008) Direct and indirect effects of soil structure on the density of an antlion larva in a tropical dry forest. Ecol Entomol 33:183–188. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2311.2007.00948.x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Feng Q, Li F-R, Liu J-L et al (2015) Ground-dwelling arthropod community response to native grassland conversion in a temperate desert of northwestern China. J Insect Conserv 19:105–117. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10841-014-9751-4

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fernández F (ed) (2003) Introducción a las hormigas de la región neotropical. Instituto de Investigación de Recursos Biológicos Alexander von Humboldt, Bogotá

    Google Scholar 

  • Flores GE, Lagos SJ, Roig-Juñent S (2004) Artrópodos epígeos que viven bajo la copa del algarrobo (Prosopis flexuosa) en la Reserva Telteca (Mendoza, Argentina). MULTEQUINA 13:71–90

    Google Scholar 

  • Gessé F, Monleón-Getino T, Goula M (2014) Biodiversity analysis of true bug assemblages (hemiptera, heteroptera) in four habitats in the Garraf Natural Park (Barcelona, Spain). J Insect Sci 14:1. https://doi.org/10.1093/jisesa/ieu145

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gibson DJ (2009) Grasses and grassland ecology. Oxford University Press, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • González-Reyes AX, Corronca JA, Rodriguez-Artigas SM (2017) Changes of arthropod diversity across an altitudinal ecoregional zonation in Northwestern Argentina. PeerJ 5:e4117. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.4117

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Gotelli NJ, Ellison AM (2002) Biogeography at a regional scale: determinants of ant species density in New England bogs and forests. Ecology 83:1604–1609

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hammer Ø, Harper DAT, Ryan PD (2001) Past: paleontological statistics software package for education and data analysis. Palaeontol Electron 4:1–9

    Google Scholar 

  • Hoffmann BD, Andersen AN (2003) Responses of ants to disturbance in Australia, with particular reference to functional groups. Austral Ecol 28:444–464

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hothorn T, Bretz F, Westfall P (2008) Simultaneous inference in general parametric models. Biom J 50:346–363. https://doi.org/10.1002/bimj.200810425

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hsieh TC, Ma KH, Chao A (2016) iNEXT: an R package for rarefaction and extrapolation of species diversity (Hill numbers). Methods Ecol Evol 7:1451–1456. https://doi.org/10.1111/2041-210X.12613

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jost L (2006) Entropy and diversity. Oikos 113:363–375. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2006.0030-1299.14714.x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jung M, Kim S, Hunsung K, Joon-Ho L (2008) Biodiversity and community structure of ground-dwelling spiders in four different field margin types of agricultural landscapes in Korea. Appl Soil Ecol 38:185–195

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Langellotto GA, Denno RF (2004) Responses of invertebrate natural enemies to complex-structured habitats: a meta-analytical synthesis. Oecologia 139:1–10. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-004-1497-3

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Legendre P, Legendre L (2012) Numerical ecology, 3rd English edition. Elsevier, Amsterdam

    Google Scholar 

  • Li F-R, Liu J-L, Liu C-A et al (2013) Shrubs and species identity effects on the distribution and diversity of ground-dwelling arthropods in a Gobi desert. J Insect Conserv 17:319–331. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10841-012-9512-1

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Magoba RN, Samways MJ, Simaika JP (2015) Soil compaction and surface-active arthropods in historic, agricultural, alien, and recovering vegetation. J Insect Conserv 19:501–508. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10841-015-9771-8

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Magurran AE (2004) Measuring biological diversity. Blackwell Publishing, Oxford

    Google Scholar 

  • Mazía NC, Chaneton E, Kitzberger T (2006) Small-scale habitat use and assemblage structure of ground-dwelling beetles in a Patagonian shrub steppe. J Arid Environ 67:177–194

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Oksanen J (2015) Multivariate analysis of ecological communities in R: Vegan Tutorial

  • Oksanen J, Blanchet FG, Friendly M, Kindt R, Legendre P, McGlinn D, Minchin PR, O’Hara RB, Simpson GL, Solymos P, Stevens MH, Szoecs E, Wagner H.(2017). vegan: Community Ecology Package. R package version 2.4-1. http://CRAN.R-project.org/package=vegan

  • Passera CB, Dalmasso AD, Borseto O (1986) Método de “Point Quadrat” modificado. Subcomité Asesor del Árido Subtropical Argentino

  • Pazos GE, Ares JO, Bertiller MB (2010) Quantitative assessment of shrub–grass mosaic development in grazed shrublands: an example in the Patagonian Monte (Argentina). J Arid Environ 74:998–1002. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaridenv.2009.12.004

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pazos GE, Rodríguez MV, Blanco PD (2017) Vegetación terrestre. Descripción, monitoreo y relación con el clima y los herbívoros. In: Udrizar Sauthier DE, Pazos GE, Arias AM (eds) Reserva de Vida Silvestre San Pablo de Valdés 10 años. Conservando el patrimonio natural y cultural de Península Valdés Patagonia Argentina. Fundación Vida Silvestre Argentina & CONICET, Buenos Aires

    Google Scholar 

  • Pérez-Harguindeguy N, Díaz S, Vendramini F et al (2003) Leaf traits and herbivore selection in the field and in cafeteria experiments: leaf traits, herbivory and preference. Austral Ecol 28:642–650. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1442-9993.2003.01321.x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Prather CM, Pelini SL, Laws A et al (2013) Invertebrates, ecosystem services and climate change. Biol Rev 88:327–348. https://doi.org/10.1111/brv.12002

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • R Core Team (2015) R: a language and environment for statistical computing. R Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna

    Google Scholar 

  • Ríos-Casanova L, Dávila P, Godínez-Alvarez H, Rico-Gray V (2015) Diversity of ants inhabiting a mosaic of environmental conditions in a semi-desert of Central Mexico. Southwest Entomol 40:307–322. https://doi.org/10.3958/059.040.0207

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Roig-Juñent S, Claps LE, Morrone JJ (2014) Biodiversidad de Artrópodos Argentinos volumen 3. INSUE-UNT, San Miguel de Tucumán

    Google Scholar 

  • Rostagno CM, Bouza PJ, Videla LS et al (2017) Suelos y geomorfología. In: Udrizar Sauthier DE, Pazos GE, Arias AM (eds) Reserva de Vida Silvestre San Pablo de Valdés 10 años. Conservando el patrimonio natural y cultural de Península Valdés Patagonia Argentina. Fundación Vida Silvestre Argentina & CONICET, Buenos Aires

    Google Scholar 

  • Samways MJ (1994) Insect conservation biology. Chapman and Hall, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Schaffers AP, Raemakers IP, Sýkora KV, ter Braak CJF (2008) Arthropod assemblages are best predicted by plant species composition. Ecology 89:782–794. https://doi.org/10.1890/07-0361.1

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Schowalter TD (2016) Insect ecology: an ecosystem approach, 4th edn. Elsevier Academic Press, San Diego

    Google Scholar 

  • Scudder GGE (2009) The importance of insects. In: Foottit RG, Adler PH (eds) Insect biodiversity: science and society. Wiley, Chichester, pp 7–31

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Siemann E (1998) Experimental tests of effects of plant productivity and diversity on grassland arthropod diversity. Ecology 79:2057–2070

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sola FJ, Peri PL, Huertas L et al (2016) Above-ground arthropod community structure and influence of structural-retention management in southern Patagonian scrublands, Argentina. J Insect Conserv 20:929–944. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10841-016-9918-2

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Staubus WJ, Boyd ES, Adams TA et al (2015) Ant communities in native sage scrub, non-native grassland, and suburban habitats in Los Angeles County, USA: conservation implications. J Insect Conserv 19:669–680. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10841-015-9790-5

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tews J, Brose U, Grimm V et al (2004) Animal species diversity driven by habitat heterogeneity/diversity: the importance of keystone structures. J Biogeogr 31:79–92

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Triplehorn CA, Johnson NF, Borror DJ (2005) An introduction to the study of insects, 7th edn. Thomson, Brooks/Cole, Australia

    Google Scholar 

  • Venables WN, Ripley BD (2002) Modern applied statistics with S. Springer, New York

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Walkley A, Black IA (1934) An examination of the Degjareff method for determinig soil organic matter and a proposed modification of the chromi acid titanion method. J Am Soc Agron 24:256–275

    Google Scholar 

  • Wenninger EJ, Inouye RS (2008) Insect community response to plant diversity and productivity in a sagebrush–steppe ecosystem. J Arid Environ 72:24–33. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaridenv.2007.04.005

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Werenkraut V, Ruggiero A (2012) Altitudinal variation in the taxonomic composition of ground-dwelling beetle assemblages in NW Patagonia, Argentina: environmental correlates at regional and local scales. Insect Conserv Divers 6:89–92

    Google Scholar 

  • Whitford WG (2000) Keystone arthropods as webmasters in desert ecosystems. In: Coleman DC, Hendrix PF (eds) Invertebrates as webmasters in ecosystems. CABI Publishing, Wallingford, pp 25–42

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Wickham H (2009) ggplot2. Springer, New York

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Wise DH (1993) Spiders in ecological webs. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Zuur AF, Ieno EN, Walker N et al (2009) Mixed effects models and extensions in ecology with R. Springer, New York

    Book  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We thank Instituto Patagónico para el Estudio de los Ecosistemas Continentales (IPEEC CONICET-CENPAT) and Fundación Vida Silvestre Argentina for providing logistical support, access to the Reserva de Vida Silvestre San Pablo de Valdés and other facilities. Dirección de Flora y Fauna Silvestre de la Provincia Del Chubut and Subsecretaría de Conservación y Áreas Protegidas de la Provincia Del Chubut granted the collection permission. We also thank professional taxonomists who collaborated with the determination of the collected material: G. Flores, S. Roig-Juñent, P. Dellapé, M. Ramírez, Fabiana Cuezzo and A. Ojanguren-Affilastro. Finally, we thank all field and laboratory assistants: L. Castillo, M. Gowland, N. Velazquez Barloa, N. Martínez Román., C. Saín and L. Videla. This study was supported by the Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET, Argentina), by grants of the Agencia Nacional de Promoción Científica y Tecnológica (ANPCYT, Argentina): PICT 2012-2660; PIP 112-201101-00987 and PIP 112-201201-00369 (CONICET, Argentina), by government of the Chubut province (Secretaria de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación productiva de la provincia Del Chubut), and the iBOL Project. Anonymous reviewers contributed with valuable comments and suggestions to improve this work.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Instituto Patagónico para el Estudio de los Ecosistemas Continentales (IPEEC CONICET), Boulevard Brown 2915, CP 9120, Puerto Madryn, Chubut, Argentina

    Fernando Joaquín Martínez, Germán Horacio Cheli & Gustavo Enrique Pazos

  2. Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia San Juan Bosco, Sede Puerto Madryn, Boulevard Brown 3051, CP 9120, Puerto Madryn, Chubut, Argentina

    Fernando Joaquín Martínez, Germán Horacio Cheli & Gustavo Enrique Pazos

Authors
  1. Fernando Joaquín Martínez
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Germán Horacio Cheli
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Gustavo Enrique Pazos
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Fernando Joaquín Martínez.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Martínez, F.J., Cheli, G.H. & Pazos, G.E. Structure of ground-dwelling arthropod assemblages in vegetation units of Área Natural Protegida Península Valdés, Patagonia, Argentina. J Insect Conserv 22, 287–301 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10841-018-0062-z

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10841-018-0062-z

Keywords

Search

Navigation