Studies of Neotropical Fauna & Environment 34: 59-64, 1999 ANTS, PLANTS AND BUTTERFLIES AS DIVERSITY INDICATORS: COMPARISONS BETWEEN STRATA IN SIX NEOTROPICALFOREST SITES. Frances Osborn, William Goitia, Maira Cabrera and Klaus Jaffé... more
Studies of Neotropical Fauna & Environment 34: 59-64, 1999 ANTS, PLANTS AND BUTTERFLIES AS DIVERSITY INDICATORS: COMPARISONS BETWEEN STRATA IN SIX NEOTROPICALFOREST SITES. Frances Osborn, William Goitia, Maira Cabrera and Klaus Jaffé ...
Research Interests: Zoology, Geography, Biology, Ecology, Biodiversity, and 5 moreCanopy, Species Diversity, Butterfly, Diversity Indices, and Taxon
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
The recovery of ecosystems after disturbance in the tropics is of interest for future programs of sustainable development. The dynamics of ecosystem recovery in 26 sites in Venezuela was evaluated using various methods. The ant and plant... more
The recovery of ecosystems after disturbance in the tropics is of interest for future programs of sustainable development. The dynamics of ecosystem recovery in 26 sites in Venezuela was evaluated using various methods. The ant and plant biodiversity of disturbed forest and surrounding savanna sites at different stages of recovery were compared with those for nearby primary vegetation. We estimated the species composition for ants, the number of species and equitability for ants and plants, and the plant coverage at each site. Of these indices, percentage of plant cover showed the most rapid return to pre-disturbance values. In a few cases, full return of all indices to pre-disturbance values occurred after around 25 years in both savanna and forest. A multiple factorial analysis of ant composition showed that species structure in old recovered sites converged sometimes, but not always, to that in surrounding natural habitats. Our results suggest that ant diversity indices provide f...
Research Interests: Zoology, Diversity, Venezuela, Ants, Forest, and 3 moreRecovery, Neotropical, and Ecosystem Disturbance
ABSTRACT: We estimated the diversity and abundance of ants and nymphalid butterflies on the ground and in the canopy; and of plants in six different forest sites in Venezuela. Statistical analysis using eight different diversity indices... more
ABSTRACT: We estimated the diversity and abundance of ants and nymphalid butterflies on the ground and in the canopy; and of plants in six different forest sites in Venezuela. Statistical analysis using eight different diversity indices for each species group revealed large variations among them. Ground ants appeared to be the most reliable bioindicators, even when only the five most common species are sampled. Results showed in addition that ground ant diversity is correlated to that of canopy ants and that vegetational diversity is linked to butterfly diversity but not to that of canopy ants. Ant species diversity in the canopy was always less than that of the ground. We conclude that no simple index or taxon describes completely complex ecosystems, thus, biodiversity assessments require tools still to be developed.
Research Interests:
We estimated the diversity and abundance of ants and nymphalid butterflies on the ground and in the canopy; and of plants in six different forest sites in Venezuela. Statistical analysis using eight different diversity indices for each... more
We estimated the diversity and abundance of ants and nymphalid butterflies on the ground and in the canopy; and of plants in six different forest sites in Venezuela. Statistical analysis using eight different diversity indices for each species group revealed large variations among them. Ground ants appeared to be the most reliable bioindicators, even when only the five most common species are sampled. Results showed in addition that ground ant diversity is correlated to that of canopy ants and that vegetational diversity is linked to butterfly diversity but not to that of canopy ants. Ant species diversity in the canopy was always less than that of the ground. We conclude that no simple index or taxon describes completely complex ecosystems, thus, biodiversity assessments require tools still to be developed.