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Analysis of vertical stratification of Syrphidae (Diptera) in an oak-hornbeam forest in northern Italy

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Ecological Research

Abstract

There is growing interest in the vertical stratification of forest biodiversity, but little is known about this aspect for Syrphidae living in forests. For this study, seven Malaise traps were suspended in the canopy and seven were placed on the ground, in a lowland forest in northern Italy. Altogether, 868 specimens of Syrphidae were collected; 229 from the canopy and 639 from the ground, comprising a total of 53 species. Three species [(Ceriana conopsoides (Linnaeus), Eupeodes corollae (Fabricius), Psilota atra Fallén)] were associated significantly with the canopy layer, and seven species [(Brachypalpoides lentus (Meigen), Chalcosyrphus nemorum (Fabricius), Chrysotoxum cautum (Harris), Eumerus flavitarsis Zetterstedt, Helophilus pendulus (Linnaeus), Myathropa florea (Linnaeus) and Xylota segnis (Linnaeus)] with the ground level. The sex-ratio of the Syrphidae differed significantly between the two layers, as females were caught mainly at ground level, while males were caught preferentially in the canopy. Species with saprophagous and saproxylic larvae were caught more commonly at ground level. Species richness declined from April to November but vertical stratification was constant for most of the season. Multivariate analyses showed that two factors were correlated significantly with the community composition of Syrphidae: height of Malaise trap and estimated age of dominant trees.

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Acknowledgments

We thank the Italian Forestry Service for the financial contribution that allowed us to carry out this study. We are grateful to F. Mason and E. Minari for providing data on the forest structure. We thank O. Conti and M. Ascari for their help in building and placing the Malaise traps. Our gratitude also goes M. Bardiani, A. Gibertoni, L. Spada and I. Toni who helped with sampling and sorting. We thank D. Whitmore and G. Burgio for having critically read an early version of the manuscript. Additional thanks go to D. Whitmore for correcting the English. Critical comments by two anonymous reviewers helped to improve this paper.

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  1. Centro Nazionale per lo Studio e la Conservazione della Biodiversità Forestale, “Bosco Fontana” di Verona, Corpo Forestale dello Stato, Strada Mantova 29, 46045, Marmirolo, MN, Italy

    Daniele Birtele & Sönke Hardersen

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  1. Daniele Birtele
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  2. Sönke Hardersen
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Correspondence to Sönke Hardersen.

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Birtele, D., Hardersen, S. Analysis of vertical stratification of Syrphidae (Diptera) in an oak-hornbeam forest in northern Italy. Ecol Res 27, 755–763 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11284-012-0948-2

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