Species turnover drives β-diversity patterns across multiple spatial scales of plant-galling interactions in mountaintop grasslands.
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2018
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Abstract
This study describes differences in species richness and composition of the assemblages
of galling insects and their host plants at different spatial scales. Sampling was conducted
along altitudinal gradients composed of campos rupestres and campos de altitude of two
mountain complexes in southeastern Brazil: EspinhacËo Range and Mantiqueira Range.
The following hypotheses were tested: i) local and regional richness of host plants and galling
insects are positively correlated; ii) beta diversity is the most important component of
regional diversity of host plants and galling insects; and iii) Turnover is the main mechanism
driving beta diversity of both host plants and galling insects. Local richness of galling
insects and host plants increased with increasing regional richness of species, suggesting
a pattern of unsaturated communities. The additive partition of regional richness (γ) into
local and beta components shows that local richnesses (α) of species of galling insects and
host plants are low relative to regional richness; the beta (β) component incorporates most
of the regional richness. The multi-scale analysis of additive partitioning showed similar
patterns for galling insects and host plants with the local component (α) incorporated a
small part of regional richness. Beta diversity of galling insects and host plants were mainly
the result of turnover, with little contribution from nesting. Although the species composition
of galling insects and host plant species varied among sample sites, mountains and even
mountain ranges, local richness remained relatively low. In this way, the addition of local
habitats with different landscapes substantially affects regional richness. Each mountain
contributes fundamentally to the composition of regional diversity of galling insects and
host plants, and so the design of future conservation strategies should incorporate multiple
scales.
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COELHO, M. S. et al. Species turnover drives β-diversity patterns across multiple spatial scales of plant-galling interactions in mountaintop grasslands. PLoS One, v. 13, p. e0195565, 2018. Disponível em: <https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0195565>. Acesso em: 11 fev. 2019.