Arthropod community dynamics in undisturbed and intensively managed mountain brush habitats

The population dynamics and decomposition activities of litter arthropods in an unmanaged sagehrush/bitterbrush habitat in southeastern Wyoming were assessed in 1986. The effects of sagebrush/bitterbrush management practices on litter arthropod communities and the role of these communities in decomposition were also assessed. Insecticide applications were used to selectively exclude arthropods in order to determine the ecological impact of these detritivores. Application of a herbicide, 2,4-D, was associated with increased arthropod populations for 30 days following treatment. Mowing increased arthropod densities at two different times, 10-30 days and 50 days post treatment, perhaps as a result of functional and numerical responses by litter arthropods. Elimination of arthropods from otherwise undisturbed shrub habitats by the use of broad-spectrum insecticides reduced the rate of litter decomposition during the growing season, indicating that these organisms play an important role in decomposition and nutrient cycling.     

Mediation of Nutrient Cycling by Arthropods in Unmanaged and Intensively Managed Mountain Brush Habitats

The role of arthropods in mediating nutrients cycling in a community level was examined in a mountain shrub habitat that was managed by mowing brush to a 20-cm stubble, applying aerially 2,4-D Butyl ester, or burning sixteen 4-ha study sites. Malathion and carbaryl were used to decrease arthropod populations. Higher nutrient concentrations occurred in the litter and foliage than in the soil of unmanaged habitats. Arthropods decreased nutrient concentrations in litter and foliage in unmanaged and herbicide-sprayed sites. Arthropod populations increased nutrient concentrations in mowed and burned sites. Nitrogen was consistently affected by both arthropods and brush management in all habitats.     

Geographic patterns of ground-dwelling arthropods across an ecoregional transition in the North American Southwest

We examined the biogeographic patterns of ground-dwelling arthropod communities across a heterogeneous semiarid region of the Southern Rio Grande Rift Valley of New Mexico. Our 3 sites included portions of 5 ecoregions, with the middle site a transition area where all ecoregions converged. We addressed the following 3 questions: (1) Do the species assemblage patterns for ground arthropods across habitats and sites conform to recognized ecoregions? (2) Are arthropod assemblages in distinct vegetation-defined habitats within an ecoregion more similar to each other or to assemblages in similar vegetation-defined habitats in other ecoregions? (3) Is there a detectable edge effect with increased arthropod diversity in the area of converging ecoregions? We encountered 442 target arthropod species from pitfall traps operating continuously for 7 years over a series of different habitats at each of the 3 sites. We examined geographic distributions of spider and cricket/grasshopper species in detail, and they showed affinities for different ecoregions, respectively. Each habitat within a study site supported a unique overall arthropod assemblage; nevertheless, different habitats at the same site were more similar to each other than they were to similar habitats at other sites. Overall arthropod species richness was greatest in the area where all 5 ecoregions converged. Arthropod species and their geographic distributions are poorly known relative to vascular plants and vertebrate animals. Findings from this research indicate that ecoregional classification is a useful tool for understanding biogeographic patterns among arthropods.     

Seasonal patterns of arthropod diversity and abundance on big sagebrush, Artemisia tridentata

The sagebrush biotype is the largest in the western United States. This vast sagebrush community is thought to harbor equally vast and diverse arthropod communities, but these remain little explored. Our objective was to examine the diversity, abundance, and seasonal phenology of arthropod taxa found on the dominant shrub of the sagebrush ecosystem, big sagebrush ( Artemisia tridentata ). We wanted to improve understanding of this little-studied arthropod assemblage that may play significant roles in the dynamics of sagebrush populations and the sagebrush ecosystem. We sampled free-living and gall-forming arthropods from a stratified random sample of sagebrush plants at the Barton Road Ecological Research Area, Idaho, resulting in a sample of over 8000 individuals and 232 morphospecies. Species richness and abundance declined from May to August, and abundance of most taxa similarly declined over the summer. A few taxa, including Acari (mites), were notably more abundant in August. Fluid feeders were the most diverse and abundant free-living feeding guild during all months and comprised up to 79% of morphospecies. The gall formers included 4713 individuals of 12 species of gall flies ( Rhopalomyia spp.), primarily (97%) R. ampullaria. Abundance of galls increased from small to large (presumably young to old) plants. Overall, A. tridentata was host to a high diversity of arthropods, some of which have potential to cause or mitigate significant damage to their host plant. Arthropods seem likely to have the greatest impact on sagebrush early in the growing season, when they are most diverse and abundant. Documentation of the full diversity of arthropods associated with sagebrush required samples taken throughout the growing season, but a single sample early in the growing season captured a high proportion of taxa.     

Arthropods associated with nests of Cacicus sp. and Psarocolius sp. (Passerida: Icteridae) in varzea forest near the meeting of the rivers Negro and Solimões (Central Amazonia,Brazil) at high water

We analysed the arthropod fauna from nine nests of Cacicus sp. and nine nests of Psarocolius sp. (Passerida: Icteridae), in the varzea forest of Central Amazonia, Brazil, during high water, establishing these nests as one of the probable refuges for several arthropods performing vertical migration during periods of flooding and high water, besides discussing the role of these arthropods in the nests. We also evaluate the effectiveness of the extraction of arthropods from nests using an apparatus based on the Berlese–Tullgren funnel. We obtained 15,128 arthropods from three subphyla, five classes and 16 orders. The nests were shown as complex ecosystems sheltering groups from different functional and trophic categories and revealed striking differences from those of terra firma, remarkably in Blattaria, Arachnida and Pseudoscorpiones. The increasing volume of the funnel and time of heat exposure was shown to be appropriate for extraction of the arthropods from the bulky nests of these birds.     

Arthropod and plant communities as indicators of land rehabilitation effectiveness in a semiarid shrubsteppe

We describe a case study evaluating the ecological impact of Bromus tectorum L. (cheatgrass) invasion following fire disturbance and the effectiveness of revegetation as a means of rehabilitation in a degraded semiarid shrubsteppe system. The effectiveness of rehabilitation efforts was assessed relative to arthropod richness, vegetation and arthropod community composition, and ground-cover characteristics in 3 habitats: undisturbed, burned and weed infested ( B. tectorum ), and burned then rehabilitated with native and nonnative vegetation. Arthropods were collected in each habitat using pitfall traps. Differences in arthropod richness were compared using rarefaction curves. Nonmetric multidimensional scaling and nonparametric multivariate statistical procedures, including analysis of similarity and similarity percentage routines, were used to compare arthropod and vegetation community composition and ground-cover characteristics between habitats. Arthropod communities in the rehabilitated habitat were distinct from those observed in the undisturbed and weed-infested habitats. Rehabilitation in this study resulted in a shift toward conditions observed in an undisturbed habitat and perhaps is an intermediate step to complete restoration. Arthropod richness, arthropod and vegetation community composition, and ground-cover characteristics were all useful indicators but returned slightly different results. Assessing multiple variables yielded the most complete understanding of the habitats studied.     

Camel spider (Solifugae) use of praire dog colonies

Solifugids (camel spiders) are widespread throughout arid regions of western North America and are thought to be important in structuring desert arthropod communities. Despite the ubiquity of camel spiders, little is known about their ecology. Black-tailed prairie dogs ( Cynomys ludovicianus ) are also widespread in western North America and are important ecosystem engineers, but they have been reduced in extent because of human activity. Here we report significantly greater numbers of camel spiders on black-tailed prairie dog colonies in southern New Mexico. The difference in vegetation structure created by prairie dog activity is likely the reason for the increased prevalence of camel spiders on colonies. Because camel spiders are important predators and prey, the observation that colonies support higher numbers of these animals provides a mechanism explaining differences in arthropod communities on and off colonies and explaining the preferential foraging behavior of vertebrates associated with prairie dog colonies.     

Scatter-hoarding behavior of deer mice ( Peromyscus maniculatus )

Deer mice ( Peromyscus maniculatus ) are known to larder hoard food, but their scatter-hoarding behavior is poorly documented. Eleven deer mice were each presented with 150 Jeffrey pine ( Pinus jeffreyi ) seeds in 10 γ 10- m enclosures in Jeffrey pine forests on the east slope of the Sierra Nevada. Subjects made a mean ± 1 s of 31.2 ± 30.0 caches per trial. Caches were shallow (most 2-12 mm deep) and usually contained only 1 or 2 seeds. Most caches were made at the edge of antelope bitterbrush ( Purshia tridentata ) shrubs in mineral soil or in thin layers of plant litter. These results suggest that deer mice might make a significant contribution to the dispersal of Jeffrey pine.     

Invertebrate faunas and zoogeographic significance of lava tube caves of Arizona and New Mexico

A field survey in caves near Grants, New Mexico, and Flagstaff, Arizona, found only an exceptionally poor fauna of 14 species with no strong patterns of cave restriction. The faunal poverty is judged to be correlated with and influenced by the similarly impoverished boreal forests in nearby mountains. Species of flightless arthropods, suitable for cave colonization and restricted to cool-moist litter of boreal (Hudsonian-Canadian Life Zone) forests, are apparently not now present in suitable, nearby mountain habitats. They may not have dispersed to all available montane sites from the Southern Rocky Mountains during glacial conditions. Either the forests did not exist as continuous dispersal corridors for the litter arthropods, or the fauna could not track the rate of spread of the forests.     

Standing crops and dynamics of phytomass and minerals in two salt desert shrub communities

Of two salt desert shrub communities studied in Curlew Valley, Utah, the Atriplex confertifolia- dominated community had 15% greater total midsummer phytomass than the Ceratoides lanata community. The larger Atriplex shrubs contained much more woody tissue for support of photosynthetic tissues than did Ceratoides. Atriplex aboveground phytomass and litter were about twice those of Ceratoides. Ceratoides litter was generally fine and easily decomposable, but Atriplex litter contained about equal proportions of coarse, resistant woody tissues and fine, easily decomposable material. Atriplex root phytomass was 1.3 times that of Ceratoides at the 2–30 cm depth, but at depths below 30 cm, Ceratoides exhibited up to three times greater root phytomass and had 23% more root mass overall. Net aboveground community primary production was estimated to be about one-third greater in the Atriplex than Ceratoides community. Turnover times for readily decomposable aboveground litter were quite similar, but, because Atriplex produced coarser litter, its overall rate was somewhat slower than that of Ceratoides. Analyses of selected minerals in plant parts, litter, and soil revealed that about 90% of the mineral capital is in the soil, mostly within organic matter. Nearly equivalent pools of mineral elements were found in the two communities, except for greater Na in the Atriplex community.     

Late summer changes in mule deer diets with increasing use on bitterbrush rangeland

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Impact of the 1975 Wallsburg fire on antelope bitterbrush ( Purshia tridentata )

Antelope bitterbrush ( Purshia tridentata ) is a preferred browse species that is susceptible to decreases in population density due to fire. The reduction in density of this species due to fire was determined by sampling areas within and adjacent to the burn. The 1975 burn caused a significant reduction in the population density of bitterbrush. It was also determined that rate of growth was lower for plants within the burn.     

Noxious arthropods as potential prey of the venomous Javan slow loris (Nycticebus javanicus) in a West Javan volcanic agricultural system

Arthropods play a significant role in ecosystems as prey for animals such as insectivorous primates. The venomous Javan slow loris (Nycticebus javanicus) is a nocturnal primate endemic to the island of Java, Indonesia. It remains unknown if its venom is partially sequestered from noxious arthropod prey. We studied the little-known arthropod community in a rural agriculture system in West Java, Indonesia, in order to investigate the potential prey and source for sequestration of venom. We found specimens of the partially noxious insect orders Lepidoptera, Hemiptera, Coleoptera, Hymenoptera, Orthoptera and of the class Arachnida in slow loris foraging trees in an agricultural area in West Java, Indonesia. To examine the effects of environmental conditions on the abundance of this food source, arthropods were trapped every two weeks for five months, using sweep net transects, Malaise and pitfall traps. Trap type had a significant effect on taxa caught. Wind strength negatively affected the number of Lepidoptera captured in the Malaise trap and humidity had a confounding effect on Orthoptera caught by sweep net. Despite the short-term nature of our study, by using a combination of trapping methods, we identified a relatively high diversity of insects in a human-dominated landscape. Our results can be used as a basis to understand the proximate and ultimate factors shaping the use of venom by the slow loris as a primate.     

Forest-floor treatments in Arizona ponderosa pine restoration ecosystems: no short-term effects on plant communities

Leaf litter accumulation during fire exclusion and increases in tree density in postsettlement southwestern Pinus ponderosa forests may limit the establishment of understory vegetation. We performed an experiment in P. ponderosa forests of northern Arizona to ascertain plant community responses to forest-floor scarification and Oi removal on thirty-six 100-m 2 plots overlaid on an existing ecological restoration experiment that involved tree thinning and prescribed burning. Constrasting with findings from many other forest types, forest-floor treatments had no effect on community diversity or composition during the 2-year experiment. S?rensen similarities were as high as 97% between posttreatment years within treatments; and successional vectors also provided little indication that treatments may appreciably affect longer-term successional trajectories. Lack of response to these fairly drastic treatments is surprising given these forests' exceptionally heavy Oi horizons and large proportions of conifer litter. Apparently shading, belowground competition for water or nutrients, or other tree-associated factors more strongly limit understory communities than does leaf litter. Based on sparse A-horizon seed banks averaging <300 seeds ? m –2 and limited aboveground vegetation, we hypothesize that seed shortages, particularly for native perennials, also partly precluded a treatment response. Because extensive unvegetated areas at these restoration sites may be colonized by exotics, conservative management strategies could include testing the seeding or outplanting of desirable native species as an option for filling unoccupied microsites. Reporting of "no treatment effect" experiments such as this one is important to avoid biasing meta-analyses, as is future research to clarify combinations of factors limiting understory communities. Increased understanding of these limiting factors may lead to identification of other treatments that promote recovery of native species during ecological restoration in this region.     

Vegetation responses to 35 and 55 years of native ungulate grazing in shrubsteppe communities

Ungulate populations are managed in shrubsteppe ecosystems around the world, but relatively few long-term datasets are available that test the impacts of these grazers on shrubsteppe structure and function. This study evaluated 8 exclosures in 4 shrubsteppe communities to determine the effects of deer and elk over 35 or 55 years on (1) plant biomass and species composition, (2) soil nitrogen (N) mineralization and net nitrification rates, Olsen extractable phosphorus (P), and C:N ratios, and (3) arthropod diversity and abundance. The site with deer, the highest ungulate densities, and coldest climate (Sinlahekin Wildlife Area, WA) had greater vegetative biomass and cover inside the exclosures than outside. The sites with elk, moderate ungulate densities, and intermediate climatic conditions (Oak Creek and Wenas Wildlife Areas, WA) had no effects of exclosures on vegetative biomass or cover. The site with elk, the lowest ungulate densities, and driest climatic conditions (L.T. Murray Wildlife Area, WA) had greater shrub cover outside of the exclosures. Ungulates significantly increased net N mineralization and nitrification rates, providing a potential explanation for compensatory growth by grazed plants. Our data suggest that arthropod herbivory does not substitute for ungulate herbivory. To the contrary, arthropod diversity reflected ungulate-induced changes in plant biomass. In addition to effects on standing biomass, ungulates were associated with increased exotic plant species richness at all 4 sites. Our results suggest that there may be a balance between indirect positive and direct negative effects of herbivory on plants that varies with ungulate densities and site characteristics, and that arthropod herbivory does not functionally replace ungulate herbivory.     

Associations of Small Mammals Occurring in a Pluvial Lake Basin, Ruby Lake, Nevada

Ruby Lake is a highly mesic and vegetationally diverse pluvial lake basin of east central Nevada. Small mammal associations were examined in six plant communities at Ruby Lake using transects of live traps. Small mammal activity was recorded for these six habitats plus an additional three other specialized habitats. A total of 11 species of small mammals were trapped from the six habitat types; from the entire study area 26 species were trapped or observed. Two greasewood shrub habitats and a shadscale-spiny hopsage habitat held the highest number of trapped species, 6, 5, and 7, respectively. The mesic haymeadow and spring habitats, as well as the big sagebrush-antelope bitterbrush habitat held 4 trapped species each. Peromyscus maniculatus and Perognathus parvus made up 76% of the total captures and were found in all habitat types except marshlands. Eutamius minimus was found in four of the six habitat types, while Dipodomys ordii , Dipodomys microps , Perognathus parvus , and Microtus montanus were limited to specialized habitats. Mesic adapted, wetland species such as Mustela vison , Ondatra zibethicus , and Sorex vagrans possibly dispersed into Ruby Valley from the northeastern drainages and valleys during the late Pleistocene or Holocene.     

Diel activity of arboreal arthropods associated with a rainforest tree

The diel activity of arboreal arthropods associated with the Australian rainforest tree Argyrodendron actinophyllum was investigated with interception traps during a week in the summer season. When all arthropods were considered, there were no significant differences in flight activity, expressed as either numbers of individuals, numbers of species or biomass, between day-time and night-time. Flights of fungalfeeding species were not restricted to night-time, presumably because scents may also spread well during day-time with the high humidity of the rainforest. However, arthropod activity was high during night-time in comparison with temperate woodlands, and herbivores were generally more active during night-time than during day-time, whereas this was the reverse for predators and parasitoids. These limited data tend to support the hypothesis that some herbivores may feed during night-time in rainforests in order to escape predators and parasitoids.     

Relationship between environmental and vegetational parameters for understory and open-area communities

Ten individuals from each of four tree species were selected, and their associated understory and adjacent open-area communities were sampled for both environmental and vegetational parameters, including light intensity, pH, litter depth, soil depth, and percentages of exposed rock, litter cover, living cover, shrubs, forbs, grasses, and annuals. The four tree species were ponderosa pine, Rocky Mountain juniper, Gambel oak, and snowbrush ceanothus. The study site was in the lower Uinta Mountains about 10 miles east of Kamas, Utah. Correlations among the various biotic and abiotic parameters were examined. The interplay of these factors in differentiating the understory and open-area communities is discussed.       

Spatial relationships among young Cercogarpus ledifolius (curlleaf mountain mahogany)

This study analyzed spatial location patterns Cercocarpus ledifolius Nutt. (cutleaf mountain mahogany) plants, classified as current-year seedling, established seedling, juvenile, and immature individuals, at a central Nevada study site. Most current-year seedlings were located in mahogany stands in which large, mature individuals had the greatest abundance. These stands had greater litter cover and a thicker layer of litter than areas with few current-year seedlings. Most established young Cercocarpus were located in adjacent Artemisia tridentata spp. vaseyana (mountain big sagebrush) communities, or in frequent canopy gaps between relatively few large, mature Cercocarpus . We discuss potential roles of plant litter, root growth characteristics, nurse plants, and herbivory in the establishment and renewal of Cercocarpus communities.