title: Floral Visitors of Three Asteraceae Species in a Xeric Environment in Central Mexico.
abstract: We describe the spatial variation in the structure and composition of the communities of insects visiting the inflorescences of Flaveria ramosissima Klatt, Florestina pedata (Cav.) Cass., and Parthenium bipinnatifidum (Ort.) Rollins (Asteraceae) in a xeric environment in Central Mexico. Inflorescences of the three Asteraceae were visited by a total of 96 species of Hymenoptera, Diptera, Lepidoptera, Coleoptera, and Hemiptera. Total species richness of floral visitors to the three Asteraceae and total abundance of insects of Fl. pedata and P. bipinnatifidum did not differ between low and high vegetation cover sites. Total abundance of insects visiting the inflorescences of F. ramosissima and abundance of Hymenoptera in all three Asteraceae were higher at the low vegetation coverage (LVC) site than at the high vegetation coverage (HVC) one. Diversity of insects of Fl. pedata and P. bipinnatifidum was higher at the HVC site. However, in F. ramosissima diversity was higher at the LVC site. The communities of insects of each Asteraceae were dissimilar between sites. These differences can be attributed to variation in the abundance of Lepidophora (Diptera: Bombyliidae), Miridae (Hemiptera), Melyridae (Coleoptera), Tiphiidae (Hymenoptera), Myrmecocystus mexicanus Wesmael, and Dorymyrmex grandulus (Forel) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). The first three insect groups were sensitive to LVC, high temperature, and low humidity, whereas the last three tolerated those same environmental conditions. Changes in temperature, humidity, and resources associated with vegetation coverage seem to differentially affect each species of floral visitors of the three Asteraceae species studied.
authors.affiliation: Escuela de Biología, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla. Boulevard Valsequillo y Av. San Claudio s/n, Edif. 112 A, Ciudad Universitaria, Col. Jardines de San Manuel, C.P. 72570, Puebla, Puebla, México (figgery@gmail.com; lp.gonzalez.t@gmail.com;sombrar@gmail.com) figgery@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Dulce María
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Figueroa-Castro
authors.affiliation: Escuela de Biología, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla. Boulevard Valsequillo y Av. San Claudio s/n, Edif. 112 A, Ciudad Universitaria, Col. Jardines de San Manuel, C.P. 72570, Puebla, Puebla, México (figgery@gmail.com; lp.gonzalez.t@gmail.com;sombrar@gmail.com).
authors.forename: Guadalupe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: González-Tochihuitl
authors.affiliation: Escuela de Biología, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla. Boulevard Valsequillo y Av. San Claudio s/n, Edif. 112 A, Ciudad Universitaria, Col. Jardines de San Manuel, C.P. 72570, Puebla, Puebla, México (figgery@gmail.com; lp.gonzalez.t@gmail.com;sombrar@gmail.com).
authors.forename: Sombra Patricia
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Rivas-Arancibia
authors.affiliation: Ecología de Artrópodos en Ambientes Extremos, Unidad Multidisciplinaria de Docencia e Investigación, Facultad de Ciencias, Campus Juriquilla, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. Juriquilla, Querétaro, 76230, México (gabycast99@hotmail.com).
authors.forename: Gabriela
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Castaño-Meneses
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D019659:Asteraceae / Q000502:physiology; D044822:Biodiversity; D037142:Flaveria / Q000502:physiology; D020387:Food Chain; D007313:Insecta / Q000502:physiology*; D008800:Mexico; D054817:Pollination
keywords: abundance; diversity index; similarity index; spatial variation; species richness