High resilience of galling insect communities to selective and clear-cut logging in a tropical rainforest
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Date
2018
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
BMC Research Notes
Abstract
Increasing anthropogenic disturbance in tropical rainforests is a major challenge
to biodiversity conservation. The responses of herbivorous insect communities to habitat
changes are not well understood. In this study, we investigated the resilience of galling
insect communities associated with Neoboutonia macrocalyx (Euphorbiaceae) trees to
logging in Kibale National Park, Uganda. Resilience was measured by comparing the
species density, abundance and community structure of gallers in nine differently aged
successional forests with those in adjacent primary forests. Insect galls were sampled
from the canopy of 10 randomly selected trees in each successional stage, five times in a
10-month period. A total of 7219 individuals representing five galler species were
recorded. No significant differences were found in the species density and overall density
of gallers between the regenerating and primary forests. The mean tree height was
positively correlated with the overall density of gallers. The community structure of
gallers differed significantly among the successional stages, but exhibited no clear
directional recovery trend. In addition, remarkable seasonal variations were observed in
galler communities, with peak abundance being found in the wettest months. The results
of the preset study indicate that specialist galling insects whose hosts are pioneer trees
can recolonize successional sites rapidly and are resilient to the effects of selective and
clear-cut logging in case primary or secondary forests with an established population of
Neoboutonia host trees (source populations) are close by. Thus, recovering tropical forests
can provide important habitats for galling insect biodiversity, highlighting the need to
include them in management and conservation priority plans.
Description
Keywords
Afrotropical gallers, Deforestation, Kibale National Park, Recovery, Regeneration
Citation
Rutaro, K., Malinga, G. M., Lehtovaara, V. J., Opoke, R., Nyeko, P., Roininen, H., & Valtonen, A. (2018). Fatty acid content and composition in edible Ruspolia differens feeding on mixtures of natural food plants. BMC Research Notes, 11(1), 1-6. doi:10.1017/S1742758414000460