Abstract
The Monte, one of the main arid regions in Argentina, is affected by degradation processes that impact the biological communities. Arthropods are the most diverse component of the Monte fauna and play important roles in several ecosystem processes. The study of interactions between native plants and arthropods, two key elements of the Monte biodiversity, contributes to our understanding of how this ecosystem functions. Our objective was to compare the plant-dwelling arthropod assemblages associated with representative shrub species of the southern Monte and to analyse the relationship between plant architecture and the assemblage structure. We sampled arthropods using the beating method on three evergreen shrub species (Chuquiraga avellanedae, Schinus johnstonii and Larrea divaricata) at six sites during two consecutive spring seasons. We recorded shrub height, canopy area, volume and an index of canopy openness. Our results showed that native shrub species host different arthropod assemblages, partially explained by both the shrub species identity and shrub architecture (mainly canopy openness). The arthropod assemblage that lives in S. johnstonii showed the highest diversity, probably related to the plant’s intermediate canopy openness, which may determine favourable microhabitats that provide protection against adverse climatic conditions and predators. The assemblage in C. avellanedae had the lowest diversity. The closed canopy of C. avellanedae could be beneficial for a few very abundant taxa that dominate the assemblage associated with it.
Implications for Insect Conservation
Our results show that these native shrubs support a wide range of arthropod taxa and guilds, contributing to maintaining the biodiversity in the southern Monte.
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Acknowledgements
We wish to thank: Instituto Patagónico para el Estudio de los Ecosistemas Continentales (IPEEC-CONICET), Roberto Riera and Néstor Jauregui for allowing access to the study areas; professional taxonomists who collaborated with the determination (D. Carpintero, G. Dellapé, G. Flores, C. Grismado, M. Ramírez and A. Porta), and all field and laboratory assistants (R. D’Agostino, N. Martínez Román, M. Mazur, P. Olivera, C. Silva, P. Torres and F. Zaffaroni). Two anonymous reviewers contributed to improving the manuscript. Collection permits were granted by the Dirección de Flora y Fauna Silvestre de la Provincia del Chubut and Subsecretaría de Conservación y Áreas Protegidas de la Provincia del Chubut. This study was supported by Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (PUE-IPEEC CONICET No. 22920160100044), Agencia Nacional de Promoción Científica y Tecnológica (PICT 2012-2660), and International Barcode of Life Project (CONICET-IBOL).
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Martínez, F.J., Dellapé, P.M., Bisigato, A.J. et al. Native shrubs and their importance for arthropod diversity in the southern Monte, Patagonia, Argentina. J Insect Conserv 25, 27–38 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10841-020-00283-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10841-020-00283-7