title: Arthropod Distribution in a Tropical Rainforest: Tackling a Four Dimensional Puzzle.
abstract: Quantifying the spatio-temporal distribution of arthropods in tropical rainforests represents a first step towards scrutinizing the global distribution of biodiversity on Earth. To date most studies have focused on narrow taxonomic groups or lack a design that allows partitioning of the components of diversity. Here, we consider an exceptionally large dataset (113,952 individuals representing 5,858 species), obtained from the San Lorenzo forest in Panama, where the phylogenetic breadth of arthropod taxa was surveyed using 14 protocols targeting the soil, litter, understory, lower and upper canopy habitats, replicated across seasons in 2003 and 2004. This dataset is used to explore the relative influence of horizontal, vertical and seasonal drivers of arthropod distribution in this forest. We considered arthropod abundance, observed and estimated species richness, additive decomposition of species richness, multiplicative partitioning of species diversity, variation in species composition, species turnover and guild structure as components of diversity. At the scale of our study (2 km of distance, 40 m in height and 400 days), the effects related to the vertical and seasonal dimensions were most important. Most adult arthropods were collected from the soil/litter or the upper canopy and species richness was highest in the canopy. We compared the distribution of arthropods and trees within our study system. Effects related to the seasonal dimension were stronger for arthropods than for trees. We conclude that: (1) models of beta diversity developed for tropical trees are unlikely to be applicable to tropical arthropods; (2) it is imperative that estimates of global biodiversity derived from mass collecting of arthropods in tropical rainforests embrace the strong vertical and seasonal partitioning observed here; and (3) given the high species turnover observed between seasons, global climate change may have severe consequences for rainforest arthropods.
authors.affiliation: Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, STRI-Research, 080814 Panama City, Republic of Panama.|University of South Bohemia, Biological Faculy, 370 05 Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic.|Universidad de Panamá, Maestria de Entomologia, 080814 Panama City, Republic of Panama.
authors.forename: Yves
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Basset
authors.affiliation: University of South Bohemia, Biological Faculy, 370 05 Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic.|Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Entomology, 370 05 Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Lukas
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cizek
authors.affiliation: Muséum d'histoire naturelle de la Ville de Genève, Département des arthropodes et d'entomologie I, 1208 Genève, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Cuénoud
authors.affiliation: The University of Western Australia, School of Animal Biology and CSIRO Land & Water, 6009 Perth, Australia.
authors.forename: Raphael K
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Didham
authors.affiliation: University of South Bohemia, Biological Faculy, 370 05 Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic.|Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Entomology, 370 05 Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Vojtech
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Novotny
authors.affiliation: Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, Trondheim, 7485 Trondheim, Norway.
authors.forename: Frode
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ødegaard
authors.affiliation: Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Ecology, SE-750 07 Uppsala, Sweden.
authors.forename: Tomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Roslin
authors.affiliation: National Museum of Natural History, Department of Entomology, Washington, DC 20013-7012, United States of America.
authors.forename: Alexey K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Tishechkin
authors.affiliation: University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Department of Biology, 91058 Erlangen, Germany.
authors.forename: Jürgen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Schmidl
authors.affiliation: University of Victoria, Department of Biology,Victoria, BC V8W 2Y2, Canada.
authors.forename: Neville N
authors.initials: NN
authors.lastname: Winchester
authors.affiliation: Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, STRI-Research, 080814 Panama City, Republic of Panama.
authors.forename: David W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Roubik
authors.affiliation: Cirad, Centre de Biologie pour la Gestion des populations, 34988 Montferrier-sur-Lez, France.
authors.forename: Henri-Pierre
authors.initials: HP
authors.lastname: Aberlenc
authors.affiliation: Am Ehrenbach 8, 91356 Kirchehrenbach, Germany.
authors.forename: Johannes
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bail
authors.affiliation: Universidad de Panamá, Maestria de Entomologia, 080814 Panama City, Republic of Panama.
authors.forename: Héctor
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Barrios
authors.affiliation: University of Bristol, School of Biological Sciences, Bristol BS8 1TH, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Jonathan R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Bridle
authors.affiliation: Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Facultad de Ciencias, 76230, Querétaro, México.
authors.forename: Gabriela
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Castaño-Meneses
authors.affiliation: CNRS, UMR 6023, 63177 Aubière & Université Blaise Pascal, 63000 Clermont-Ferrand, France.
authors.forename: Bruno
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Corbara
authors.affiliation: Museo Civico di Storia Naturale, 10022 Carmagnola, Italy.
authors.forename: Gianfranco
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Curletti
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, 31270-901 Belo Horizonte, Brazil.
authors.forename: Wesley
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Duarte da Rocha
authors.affiliation: Institut Royal des Sciences Naturelles de Belgique, Operational Directorate Natural Environment, 1000 Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: Domir
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: De Bakker
authors.affiliation: Centro de Pesquisas do Cacau, Convênio UESC-CEPLAC, 45600-000, Itabuna & Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz, 45662-900 Ilhéus-Bahia, Brazil.
authors.forename: Jacques H C
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Delabie
authors.affiliation: University of Toulouse III, UMR EcoFoG, 31062 Toulouse, France.
authors.forename: Alain
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dejean
authors.affiliation: Western Australia Department of Agriculture and Food, Biosecurity and Regulations, 6151 Perth, Australia.
authors.forename: Laura L
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Fagan
authors.affiliation: Universität Würzburg, Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, 97070 Würzburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Floren
authors.affiliation: Griffith University, School of Environment, Nathan QLD 4111, Australia.
authors.forename: Roger L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Kitching
authors.affiliation: Universidad de Panamá, Maestria de Entomologia, 080814 Panama City, Republic of Panama.
authors.forename: Enrique
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Medianero
authors.affiliation: Centro Universitário Una, Ciências Biológicas, 30180-100 Belo Horizonte, Brazil.
authors.forename: Evandro
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Gama de Oliveira
authors.affiliation: CNRS, UMR EcoFoG, 97379 Kourou, France.
authors.forename: Jérôme
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Orivel
authors.affiliation: Research Institute for Nature and Forest, Research Group Species Diversity, 1070 Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pollet
authors.affiliation: Le bois Gervaz, 74440 Mieussy, France.
authors.forename: Mathieu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rapp
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, Instituto de Ciências Exatas e Biológicas, 35400-000 Ouro Preto-MG, Brazil.
authors.forename: Sérvio P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Ribeiro
authors.affiliation: Université Libre de Bruxelles, Evolutionary Biology and Ecology, 1050 Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: Yves
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Roisin
authors.affiliation: Vetterslev Bygade 27, 4100 Ringsted, Denmark.
authors.forename: Jesper B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Schmidt
authors.affiliation: Chemin de la Treille 7b, 1297 Founex, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Line
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Sørensen
authors.affiliation: University of Campinas, Departamento de Biologia Animal, 13083-870 Campinas, Brazil.
authors.forename: Thomas M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Lewinsohn
authors.affiliation: Institut Royal des Sciences Naturelles de Belgique, Operational Directorate Natural Environment, 1000 Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: Maurice
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Leponce
mesh_terms: D063147:Animal Distribution / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D001181:Arthropods / Q000502:physiology*; D044822:Biodiversity; D017753:Ecosystem; D010176:Panama; D010802:Phylogeny; D065947:Rainforest; D014329:Tropical Climate