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Effects of forest canopy on habitat selection in treefrogs and aquatic insects: implications for communities and metacommunities

Effects of forest canopy on habitat selection in treefrogs and aquatic insects: implications for communities and metacommunities
Effects of forest canopy on habitat selection in treefrogs and aquatic insects: implications for communities and metacommunities
The specific dispersal/colonization strategies used by species to locate and colonize habitat patches can strongly influence both community and metacommunity structure. Habitat selection theory predicts nonrandom dispersal to and colonization of habitat patches based on their quality. We tested whether habitat selection was capable of generating patterns of diversity and abundance across a transition of canopy coverage (open and closed canopy) and nutrient addition by investigating oviposition site choice in two treefrog species (Hyla) and an aquatic beetle (Tropisternus lateralis), and the colonization dynamics of a diverse assemblage of aquatic insects (primarily beetles). Canopy cover produced dramatic patterns of presence/absence, abundance, and species richness, as open canopy ponds received 99.5% of propagules and 94.6% of adult insect colonists. Nutrient addition affected only Tropisternus oviposition, as females oviposited more egg cases at higher nutrient levels, but only in open canopy ponds. The behavioral partitioning of aquatic landscapes into suitable and unsuitable habitats via habitat selection behavior fundamentally alters how communities within larger ecological landscapes (metacommunities) are linked by dispersal and colonization.
behavior, colonization, dispersal, productivity, oviposition
0029-8549
951-958
Binckley, Christopher A.
182841e2-c9c0-4949-850d-882a6693d153
Resetarits, William J.
73532e80-93e6-49a5-8b1b-1b3f0843aa6b
Binckley, Christopher A.
182841e2-c9c0-4949-850d-882a6693d153
Resetarits, William J.
73532e80-93e6-49a5-8b1b-1b3f0843aa6b

Binckley, Christopher A. and Resetarits, William J. (2007) Effects of forest canopy on habitat selection in treefrogs and aquatic insects: implications for communities and metacommunities. Oecologia, 153 (4), 951-958. (doi:10.1007/s00442-007-0780-5).

Record type: Article

Abstract

The specific dispersal/colonization strategies used by species to locate and colonize habitat patches can strongly influence both community and metacommunity structure. Habitat selection theory predicts nonrandom dispersal to and colonization of habitat patches based on their quality. We tested whether habitat selection was capable of generating patterns of diversity and abundance across a transition of canopy coverage (open and closed canopy) and nutrient addition by investigating oviposition site choice in two treefrog species (Hyla) and an aquatic beetle (Tropisternus lateralis), and the colonization dynamics of a diverse assemblage of aquatic insects (primarily beetles). Canopy cover produced dramatic patterns of presence/absence, abundance, and species richness, as open canopy ponds received 99.5% of propagules and 94.6% of adult insect colonists. Nutrient addition affected only Tropisternus oviposition, as females oviposited more egg cases at higher nutrient levels, but only in open canopy ponds. The behavioral partitioning of aquatic landscapes into suitable and unsuitable habitats via habitat selection behavior fundamentally alters how communities within larger ecological landscapes (metacommunities) are linked by dispersal and colonization.

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Published date: October 2007
Keywords: behavior, colonization, dispersal, productivity, oviposition

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 56304
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/56304
ISSN: 0029-8549
PURE UUID: c3c7d6fd-3eae-441b-900e-9e0ae4387c39

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Date deposited: 08 Aug 2008
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 11:00

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Contributors

Author: Christopher A. Binckley
Author: William J. Resetarits

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