title: The role of small woodland remnants on ground dwelling insect conservation in Chaco Serrano, Central Argentina.
abstract: Many terrestrial ecosystems are changing due to extensive land use and habitat fragmentation, posing a major threat to biodiversity. In this study, the effects of patch size, isolation, and edge/interior localization on the ground dwelling insect communities in the Chaco Serrano woodland remnants in central Argentina were examined. Sampling was carried out in December 2003 and March 2004 in nine remnants (0.57 to 1000 hectares) using pitfall traps. In total, 7071 individuals representing 12 orders and 79 families were recorded. The taxonomic composition of these communities was linked to remnant size. Insect abundance increased (as did their richness, albeit marginally) as remnant area decreased, with no significant effects of isolation or edge/interior localization on abundance, richness, or diversity. No differential area effects were observed when abundance and richness of predators, scavengers, and herbivores were compared. Thus, ground insect communities in fragmented Chaco Serrano seem to respond mainly to patch level, rather than to within-patch (edge effects) or landscape (isolation) level variables. These results suggest that small Chaco Serrano remnants, by supporting larger ground-dwelling insect assemblages, may play an important role from a conservation viewpoint.
authors.affiliation: Centro de Investigaciones Entomológicas de Córdoba, F.C.E.F. y N., Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Av. Vélez Sarsfield 266, X50I6GCA Córdoba, Argentina. marialaura.moreno@gmail.com
authors.forename: María Laura
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Moreno
authors.forename: María Guadalupe
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Fernández
authors.forename: Silvia Itati
authors.initials: SI
authors.lastname: Molina
authors.forename: Graciela
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Valladares
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001118:Argentina; D044822:Biodiversity; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources; D020387:Food Chain; D007313:Insecta
references.citation: Conserv Biol. 2009 Oct;23(5):1167-75
references.pmid: 19765035
references.citation: Conserv Biol. 2006 Feb;20(1):212-7
references.pmid: 16909674
references.citation: Trends Ecol Evol. 1995 Feb;10(2):58-62
references.pmid: 21236953
references.citation: PLoS One. 2007 Oct 10;2(10):e1017
references.pmid: 17925865
references.citation: Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc. 2006 Feb;81(1):117-42
references.pmid: 16318651
references.citation: Oecologia. 1998 Sep;116(3):419-425
references.pmid: 28308074
references.citation: Trends Ecol Evol. 1996 Jun;11(6):255-60
references.pmid: 21237834
references.citation: Oecologia. 2004 Mar;138(4):513-20
references.pmid: 14689294
references.citation: Oecologia. 2000 Jan;122(1):129-137
references.pmid: 28307950