title: The Multiple Impacts of Tropical Forest Fragmentation on Arthropod Biodiversity and on their Patterns of Interactions with Host Plants.
abstract: Tropical rain forest fragmentation affects biotic interactions in distinct ways. Little is known, however, about how fragmentation affects animal trophic guilds and their patterns of interactions with host plants. In this study, we analyzed changes in biotic interactions in forest fragments by using a multitrophic approach. For this, we classified arthropods associated with Heliconia aurantiaca herbs into broad trophic guilds (omnivores, herbivores and predators) and assessed the topological structure of intrapopulation plant-arthropod networks in fragments and continuous forests. Habitat type influenced arthropod species abundance, diversity and composition with greater abundance in fragments but greater diversity in continuous forest. According to trophic guilds, coleopteran herbivores were more abundant in continuous forest and overall omnivores in fragments. Continuous forest showed a greater diversity of interactions than fragments. Only in fragments, however, did the arthropod community associated with H aurantiaca show a nested structure, suggesting novel and/or opportunistic host-arthropod associations. Plants, omnivores and predators contributed more to nestedness than herbivores. Therefore, Heliconia-arthropod network properties do not appear to be maintained in fragments mainly caused by the decrease of herbivores. Our study contributes to the understanding of the impact of fragmentation on the structure and dynamics of multitrophic arthropod communities associated with a particular plant species of the highly biodiverse tropical forests. Nevertheless, further replication of study sites is needed to strengthen the conclusion that forest fragmentation negatively affects arthropod assemblages.
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio de Ecología del Hábitat Alterado, Instituto de Investigaciones en Ecosistemas y Sustentabilidad, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Morelia, Michoacán, Mexico.
authors.forename: Julieta
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Benítez-Malvido
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Ecología AC, Red de Ecoetología, Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico.
authors.forename: Wesley
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Dáttilo
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio de Ecología del Hábitat Alterado, Instituto de Investigaciones en Ecosistemas y Sustentabilidad, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Morelia, Michoacán, Mexico.|Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo, Apartado postal 69-1, 42001 Pachuca, Hidalgo, Mexico.
authors.forename: Ana Paola
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Martínez-Falcón
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Zoología, Instituto de Biología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, A.P. 70-153, México, Distrito Federal C. P., 04510.
authors.forename: César
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Durán-Barrón
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Ecología AC, Red de Ecología Funcional, Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico.
authors.forename: Jorge
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Valenzuela
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Zoología, Instituto de Biología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, A.P. 70-153, México, Distrito Federal C. P., 04510.
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: López
authors.affiliation: Universidad Intercultural de Chiapas, Unidad Académica Multidisciplinaria Las Margaritas, Chiapas, Mexico.
authors.forename: Rafael
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lombera
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001181:Arthropods / Q000502:physiology*; D044822:Biodiversity; D017753:Ecosystem; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D060434:Herbivory / Q000502:physiology*; D010944:Plants; D065947:Rainforest; D014197:Trees