Summary
Fluctuation patterns of insect species in the humid tropics are compared with those from the temperate zone, using data on species abundance covering a period of at least 6 years. The stability of a set of species is characterized by a Stability Index, which is, basically, the mean of the variances of the abundances of these species. Data on Homoptera, Dictyoptera, Orthoptera and mosquitos from the Panama Canal Area are compared with information from Europe, Australia and Japan. It is concluded that these tropical insects, even the ones from a relatively undisturbed tropical forest, are just as variable, or stable, as these temperate ones. Some exceptional temperate haibtats, such as the Schreierbach in Austria, seem to be much more stable than any known tropical ones.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Armstrong, R. A. (1982) The effects of connectivity on community stability.Amer. Nat. 120: 391–402.
Aubert, J., Aubert, J.-J., Pury, P. (1973) Les Sphingides, Bombyces et Noctuides du Col de Bretolet (Val d'Illiez, Alpes Valaisannes).Bulletin de la Murithienne 90: 75–112.
Aubert, J., Aubert, J.-J., andGoeldlin, P. (1976) Douze ans de captures systématiques de Syprhides (Dipteres) au Col de Bretolet (Alpes valaisannes).Bulletin de la Société Entomologique Suisse 49: 115–142.
Baars, M. A. andvan Dijk, Th. S. (1982) Population dynamics of two carabid beetles at a Dutch heathland. In:Baars, M. A. Running for Life. Ph. D. Thesis Free University, Amsterdam.
Bigger, M. (1976) Oscillations of tropical insect populations.Nature 259: 207–209.
Boer, P. J. Den (1977)Dispersal power and survival. Carabids in a cultivated countryside. Misc. Papers 14 Landbouwhogeschool Wageningen, Netherlands. 190 pp.
Darsie Jr.,R. F., MacCreary, D. andStearn, L. A. (1953) Analysis of mosquito-trap collections at Delaware City and Lewes, Delaware, for the twenty-year period, 1932–1951.Proc. 40th Ann. Meet. N. J. Mosquito Extermin. Assoc., pp. 169–190.
Elton, C. S. (1958)The ecology of invasions by animals and plants. Methuen, London.
Elton, C. S. (1975) Conservation and the low population density of invertebrates inside neotropical rainforest.Biol. Conserv. 7: 3–15.
Gauss, R. (1975) Ergebnisse langjähriger Parasitenstudien an Kieferninsekten des südwestdeutschen Raumes.Z. angew. Entomol. 77: 429–438.
Gray, B. (1972) Economic tropical forest entomology.Ann. Rev. Entomol. 17: 313–354.
Itô, Y. (1980)Comparative ecology (English Edition). Cambridge Univ. Press.
Iwao, S. (1970) Dynamics of numbers of a phytophagous lady-beetle,Epilachna vigintioctomaculata, living in patchily distributed habitats.Proc. Adv. Study Inst. Dynamics Number Popul. (Oosterbeek) pp. 129–147.
Jones, M. G. (1976) The Carabid and Staphilinid fauna of winter wheat and fallow on a clay with flint soil.J. Appl. Ecol. 13: 775–791.
Kempton, R. A., andTaylor, L. R. (1976) Models and statistics for species diversity.Nature 262: 818–820.
Kempton, R. A. andWedderburn, R. W. M. (1978) A comparison of three measures of species diversity.Biometrics 34: 25–37.
Kiritani, K. andOho, N. (1962) Centrifugal progress of outbreaks of the rice stem borer,Chilo suppressalis.Jap. J. Appl. Ent. Zool. 6: 61–69.
Macan, T. T. (1977) A twenty-one-year study of the fauna in the vegetation of a moorland fishpond.Arch. Hydrobiol. 81: 1–24.
Malicky, H. (1976) Trichopteren-Emergenz in zwei Lunzer Bächen 1972–74.Arch. Hydrobiol. 77: 51–65.
Malicky, H. (1981) Artificial illumination of a mountain stream in Lower Austria: Effect of constant daylength on the phenology of the caddisflies (Trichoptera).Aquatic Insects 3: 25–32.
May, R. M. (1973)Stability and complexity in model ecosystems, Princeton University Press. New Jersey, USA.
Miyashita, K. (1955) Some considerations on the population fluctuation of the rice stem borer.Bull. Nat. Inst. Agric. Sci. (Japan). Ser. C.,5: 99–109.
Miyashita, K. (1963) Outbreaks and population fluctuations of insects, with special reference to agricultural insect pests in Japan.Bull. Nat. Inst. Agric. Sci. (Japan), Ser. C.,15: 99–170.
Momma, E. (1965) The dynamic aspects ofDrosophila populations in semi-natural areas. I. associations and relative numbers of species. Part 1. Results of trapping.Japan. J. Genetics 40: 275–295.
Orians, G. H. (1975) Diversity, stability and maturity in natural ecosystems. In:Unifying concepts of ecology, W. H. van Dobben, R. H. Lowe-McConnell (eds). Junk, The Hague, Netherlands.
Ôtake, A. (1966a) Analytical studies of light-trap records in the Hokuriku district. I. The rice stem borer,Chilo suppressalis Walker (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae).Appl. Ent. Zool. 1: 177–188.
Ôtake, A. (1966b) Analytical studies of light-trap records in the Hokuriku district. II. The green rice leafhopper,Nephotettix cincticeps.Res. Pop. Ecol.,8: 62–68.
Ôtake, A. (1978) Population characteristics of the brown planthopper,Nilaparvata lugens (Hemiptera: Delphacidae), with special reference to differences in Japan and the tropics.J. Appl. Ecol. 15: 385–394.
Ôtake, A. andKono, T. (1970) Regional characteristics in population trends of the smaller brown planthopper,Laodelphax striatellus (Fallen) (Hemiptera: Delphacidae), a vector of rice stripe disease: and analytical study of light trap records.Bull. Shikoku Agric. Exper. Stat. 21: 127–147.
Owen, D. F. (1978) Abundance and diversity of bumblebees and cuckoo bees in a suburban garden.Entomol. Rec. 90: 242–244.
Renault, T. R. andMiller, C. A. (1972) Spiders in a fir-spruce biotype; abundance, diversity and influence on spruce worm densities.Can. J. Zool.,50: 1039–1046.
Rejmanek, M., andSpitzer, K. (1982) Bionomic strategies and long-term fluctuations in abundance of Noctuidae (Lepidoptera).Acta ent. bohemoslov. 79: 81–96.
Sargent, T. D. (1976)Legion of the night. Univ. Mass. Press., Amherst, Mass., USA.
Taylor, L. R. andFrench, R. A. (1970–1980)Rothamsted Experimental Station. Rothamsted Insect Survey. (Annual reports for 1969 through 1979).
Taylor, L. R., Kempton, R. A., andWoiwod, J. P. (1976) Diversity statistics and the log-series model.J. Anim. Ecol. 45: 255–272.
Williams, C. B. (1939) An analysis of four years captures of insects in a light-trap. I. General survey; sex proportion; phenology; and time of flight.Trans Roy. Entom. Soc. London 89: 79–131.
Williams, C. B. (1971)Insect Migration. Collins, London.
Williamson, M. H. (1972)The analysis of biological populations. Edward Arnold Ltd., London.
Wolda, H. (1977) Fluctuations in abundance of some Homoptera in a neotropical forest.Geo-Eco-Trop 1: 229–257.
Wolda, H. andFoster, R. (1978)Zunacetha annulata (Lep.: Dioptidae), an outbreak insect in a neotropical forest.Geo-Eco-Trop 2: 443–454.
Wolda, H. (1978a) Seasonal fluctuations in rainfall, food and abundance of tropical insects.J. Anim. Ecol. 47: 369–381.
Wolda, H. (1978b) Fluctuations in abundance of tropical insects.Amer. Nat. 112: 1017–1045.
Wolda, H. (1983a) Seasonality of leafhoppers (Homoptera) on Barro Colorado Island, Panama. In:Ecology of a tropical forest: Seasonal changes and long-term changes, E. G. Leigh, A. S. Rand and D. M. Windsor, eds., Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, D.C.: 319–330
Wolda, H. (1983b) Spatial and temporal variation in abundances in tropical animals. In:The tropical rainforest: Ecology and management. S. L. Sutton, T. C. Whitmore and A. Chadwick eds. Blakwell, Oxford (in press).
Wolda, H. andGalindo, P. (1981) Population fluctuations of mosquitos in the nonseasonal tropics.Ecol. Entomol. 6: 99–106.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Wolda, H. “Long-term” stability of tropical insect populations. Res Popul Ecol 25 (Suppl 3), 112–126 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02539633
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02539633