Publication:
Comparison of leaf-litter Curculionidae community diversity and dissimilarity between two forests of western Puerto Rico

Thumbnail Image
Authors
Arvelo Galera, Cristian Javier
Embargoed Until
Advisor
Van Dam, Alex
College
College of Arts and Sciences - Sciences
Department
Department of Biology
Degree Level
M.S.
Publisher
Date
2022-12-12
Abstract
I compared the composition and abundance of Curculionidae species in the leaf litter of Maricao State Forest and Guanica State Forest. Species richness and diversity were compared utilizing the Simpson and Shannon-Weaver Indices. Sample dissimilarity between the forests was calculated the Jaccard, Bray-Curtis, and Morisita-Horn Indices. Additionally, I used a non-parametric analysis of similarities (ANOSIM) to test for statistical differences in species composition and abundance between the Curculionidae communities of the two forests. 72 samples were collected in 12 localities per forest with 24 Curculionidae species being collected from both of them. Out of those 24 species, only five were shared between forests, with 12 species being found exclusively in Maricao and seven exclusively in Guanica. A hierarchical clustering dendrogram and a non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) graph was created to visualize the dissimilarity of the samples. The Maricao State Forest had almost double the species diversity found in the Guanica State Forest, with ANOSIM revealing high dissimilarity between Curculionidae communities in Guanica and Maricao.

Comparé la composición y abundancia de especies de Curculionidae en la hojarasca del Bosque Estatal de Maricao y el Bosque Estatal de Guánica. La riqueza y diversidad de especies se comparó utilizando los índices de Simpson y Shannon-Weaver. La disimilitud muestral entre los bosques se calculó mediante los índices de Jaccard, Bray-Curtis y Morisita-Horn. Además, utilicé un análisis no paramétrico de similitudes (ANOSIM) para probar las diferencias estadísticas en la composición y abundancia de especies entre las comunidades de Curculionidae de los dos bosques. Se recolectaron 72 muestras en 12 localidades por bosque con 24 especies de Curculionidae recolectadas de ambos. De esas 24 especies, sólo cinco fueron compartidas entre bosques, con 12 especies que se encuentran exclusivamente en Maricao y siete exclusivamente en Guánica. Se creó un dendrograma de agrupamiento jerárquico y un gráfico de escalamiento multidimensional no métrico (NMDS) para visualizar la disimilitud de las muestras. El Bosque Estatal de Maricao tenía casi el doble de la diversidad de especies que se encuentra en el Bosque Estatal de Guánica, y ANOSIM reveló una gran disimilitud entre las comunidades de Curculionidae en Guánica y Maricao.
Keywords
Curculionidae
Usage Rights
Except where otherwise noted, this item’s license is described as Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 United States
Cite
Arvelo Galera, C. J. (2022). Comparison of leaf-litter Curculionidae community diversity and dissimilarity between two forests of western Puerto Rico [Thesis]. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11801/2982