TY - JOUR A1 - Kriegel, Peter A1 - Matevski, Dragan A1 - Schuldt, Andreas T1 - Monoculture and mixture-planting of non-native Douglas fir alters species composition, but promotes the diversity of ground beetles in a temperate forest system JF - Biodiversity and Conservation N2 - Planting non-native tree species, like Douglas fir in temperate European forest systems, is encouraged to mitigate effects of climate change. However, Douglas fir monocultures often revealed negative effects on forest biota, while effects of mixtures with native tree species on forest ecosystems are less well understood. We investigated effects of three tree species (Douglas fir, Norway spruce, native European beech), on ground beetles in temperate forests of Germany. Beetles were sampled in monocultures of each tree species and broadleaf-conifer mixtures with pitfall traps, and environmental variables were assessed around each trap. We used linear mixed models in a two-step procedure to disentangle effects of environment and tree species identity on ground beetle abundance, species richness, functional diversity and species assemblage structure. Contradictory to our expectations, ground beetle abundance and functional diversity was highest in pure Douglas fir stands, while tree mixtures showed intermediate values between pure coniferous and pure beech stands. The main drivers of these patterns were only partially dependent on tree species identity, which highlights the importance of structural features in forest stands. However, our study revealed distinct shifts in assemblage structure between pure beech and pure Douglas fir stands, which were only partially eased through mixture planting. Our findings suggest that effects of planting non-native trees on associated biodiversity can be actively modified by promoting beneficial forest structures. Nevertheless, integrating non-native tree species, even in mixtures with native trees, will invariably alter assemblage structures of associated biota, which can compromise conservation efforts targeted at typical species composition. KW - mixed-species forestry KW - exotic species KW - Pseudotsuga menziesii KW - functional diversity KW - insects KW - microhabitats Y1 - 2021 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-269017 SN - 1572-9710 VL - 30 IS - 5 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Heidrich, Lea A1 - Pinkert, Stefan A1 - Brandl, Roland A1 - Bässler, Claus A1 - Hacker, Hermann A1 - Roth, Nicolas A1 - Busse, Annika A1 - Müller, Jörg A1 - Friess, Nicolas T1 - Noctuid and geometrid moth assemblages show divergent elevational gradients in body size and color lightness JF - Ecography N2 - Previous macroecological studies have suggested that larger and darker insects are favored in cold environments and that the importance of body size and color for the absorption of solar radiation is not limited to diurnal insects. However, whether these effects hold true for local communities and are consistent across taxonomic groups and sampling years remains unexplored. This study examined the variations in body size and color lightness of the two major families of nocturnal moths, Geometridae and Noctuidae, along an elevational gradient of 700 m in Southern Germany. An assemblage-based analysis was performed using community-weighted means and a fourth-corner analysis to test for variations in color and body size among communities as a function of elevation. This was followed by a species-level analysis to test whether species occurrence and abundance along an elevation gradient were related to these traits, after controlling for host plant availability. In both 2007 and 2016, noctuid moth assemblages became larger and darker with increasing elevation, whereas geometrids showed an opposite trend in terms of color lightness and no clear trend in body size. In single species models, the abundance of geometrids, but not of noctuids, was driven by habitat availability. In turn, the abundance of dark-colored noctuids, but not geometrids increased with elevation. While body size and color lightness affect insect physiology and the ability to cope with harsh conditions, divergent trait–environment relationships between both families underline that findings of coarse-scale studies are not necessarily transferable to finer scales. Local abundance and occurrence of noctuids are shaped by morphological traits, whereas that of geometrids are rather shaped by local habitat availability, which can modify their trait–environment-relationship. We discuss potential explanations such as taxon-specific flight characteristics and the effect of microclimatic conditions. KW - insects KW - color lightness KW - body size KW - elevation KW - habitat availability KW - flight characteristics Y1 - 2021 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-256694 VL - 44 IS - 8 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Colizzi, Francesca Sara A1 - Beer, Katharina A1 - Cuti, Paolo A1 - Deppisch, Peter A1 - Martínez Torres, David A1 - Yoshii, Taishi A1 - Helfrich-Förster, Charlotte T1 - Antibodies Against the Clock Proteins Period and Cryptochrome Reveal the Neuronal Organization of the Circadian Clock in the Pea Aphid JF - Frontiers in Physiology N2 - Circadian clocks prepare the organism to cyclic environmental changes in light, temperature, or food availability. Here, we characterized the master clock in the brain of a strongly photoperiodic insect, the aphid Acyrthosiphon pisum, immunohistochemically with antibodies against A. pisum Period (PER), Drosophila melanogaster Cryptochrome (CRY1), and crab Pigment-Dispersing Hormone (PDH). The latter antibody detects all so far known PDHs and PDFs (Pigment-Dispersing Factors), which play a dominant role in the circadian system of many arthropods. We found that, under long days, PER and CRY are expressed in a rhythmic manner in three regions of the brain: the dorsal and lateral protocerebrum and the lamina. No staining was detected with anti-PDH, suggesting that aphids lack PDF. All the CRY1-positive cells co-expressed PER and showed daily PER/CRY1 oscillations of high amplitude, while the PER oscillations of the CRY1-negative PER neurons were of considerable lower amplitude. The CRY1 oscillations were highly synchronous in all neurons, suggesting that aphid CRY1, similarly to Drosophila CRY1, is light sensitive and its oscillations are synchronized by light-dark cycles. Nevertheless, in contrast to Drosophila CRY1, aphid CRY1 was not degraded by light, but steadily increased during the day and decreased during the night. PER was always located in the nuclei of the clock neurons, while CRY was predominantly cytoplasmic and revealed the projections of the PER/CRY1-positive neurons. We traced the PER/CRY1-positive neurons through the aphid protocerebrum discovering striking similarities with the circadian clock of D. melanogaster: The CRY1 fibers innervate the dorsal and lateral protocerebrum and putatively connect the different PER-positive neurons with each other. They also run toward the pars intercerebralis, which controls hormone release via the neurohemal organ, the corpora cardiaca. In contrast to Drosophila, the CRY1-positive fibers additionally travel directly toward the corpora cardiaca and the close-by endocrine gland, corpora allata. This suggests a direct link between the circadian clock and the photoperiodic control of hormone release that can be studied in the future. KW - aphids KW - circadian clock KW - cryptochrome KW - period KW - hemiptera KW - insects KW - photoperiodism Y1 - 2021 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-242909 SN - 1664-042X VL - 12 ER - TY - THES A1 - Roth, Nicolas Mériadec Max André T1 - Temporal development of communities with a focus on insects, in time series of one to four decades T1 - Entwicklung von Artengemeinschaften in der Zeit mit einem Fokus auf Insekten in Zeitreihen von einer bis vier Dekaden N2 - Changes and development are fundamental principles in biocenoses and can affect a multitude of ecological processes. In insect communities phenological and density changes, changes in species richness and community composition, as well as interactions between those changes, are the most important macro processes. However, climate change and other factors like habitat degradation and loss alter these processes leading to shifts and general biodiversity declines. Even though knowledge about insect decline in central Europe increased during the last decades, there are significant knowledge gaps about the development of insect communities in certain habitats and taxa. For example, insect communities in small lentic as well as in forested habitats are under-sampled and reported to be less endangered than communities in other habitats. Furthermore, the changes within habitats and taxa are additionally influenced by certain traits, like host or feeding specialization. To disentangle these influences and to increase the knowledge about the general long-term development of insect communities, comprehensive long-term monitoring studies are needed. In addition, long-term effects of conservation strategies should also be evaluated on large time scales in order to be able to decide on a scientific base which strategies are effective in promoting possibly declining taxa. Hence, this thesis also tackles the effects of an integrative conservation strategy on wood dependent beetle and fungi, beside the development of water beetle and macro moth communities over multiple decades. In Chapter 2 I present a study on the development of water beetle communities (Dytiscidae, Haliplidae, Noteridae) in 33 water bodies in Southern Germany from 1991 to 2018. Time-standardized capture per waterbody was used during three periods: between 1991 and 1995, 2007 and 2008, and 2017 and 2018. Results showed annual declines in both species number (ca. -1%) and abundance (ca. -2%). In addition, community composition shifted over time in part due to changing pH values. Hence, the recorded changes during the 28-year study period partly reflect natural succession processes. However, since also moor-related beetle species decreased significantly, it is likely that water beetles in southern Germany are also threatened by non-successional factors, including desiccation, increased nitrogen input and/or mineralization, as well as the loss of specific habitats. The results suggest, that in small to midsize lentic waterbodies, current development should aim for constant creation of new water bodies and protection of moor waterbodies in order to protect water beetle communities on a landscape scale. In Chapter 3 I present an analysis of the development of nocturnal macro moth species richness, abundance and biomass over four decades in forests of southern Germany. Two local scale data sets featuring a coppiced oak forest as well as an oak high forest were analysed separately from a regional data set representing all forest types in the temperate zone of Central Europe. At the regional scale species richness, abundance and biomass showed annual declines of ca. 1 %, 1.3 % and 1.4 %, respectively. These declines were more pronounced in plant host specialists and in dark coloured species. In contrast, species richness increased by ca. 1.5 % annually in the coppiced forest, while no significant trends were found in the high forest. In contrast to past assumptions, insect decline apparently affects also hyper diverse insect groups in forests. Since host specialists and dark coloured species were affected more heavily by the decline than other groups, habitat loss and climate change seem to be potential drivers of the observed trends. However, the positive development of species richness in the coppiced oak forest indicates that maintaining complex and diverse forest ecosystems through active management might compensate for negative trends in biodiversity. Chapter 4 features a study specifically aiming to investigate the long-term effect of deadwood enrichment as an integrative conservation strategy on saproxylic beetles and fungi in a central European beech forest at a landscape scale. A before–after control–impact design, was used to compare assemblages and gamma diversities of saproxylic organisms (beetles and fungi) in strictly protected old-growth forest areas (reserves) and previously moderately and intensively managed forest areas. Forests were sampled one year before and a decade after starting a landscape-wide strategy of dead-wood enrichment. Ten years after the start of the dead-wood enrichment, neither gamma diversities of saproxylic organisms nor species composition of beetles did reflect the previous management types anymore. However, fungal species composition still mirrored the previous management gradient. The results demonstrated that intentional enrichment of dead wood at the landscape scale can effectively restore communities of saproxylic organisms and may thus be a suitable strategy in addition to permanent strict reserves in order to protect wood dependent organisms in Europe. In this thesis I showed, that in contrast to what was assumed and partly reported so far, also water beetles in lentic water bodies and macro moths in forests decreased in species richness, abundance and biomass during the last three to four decades. In line with earlier studies, especially dark coloured species and specialists decreased more than light-coloured species and generalists. The reasons for these declines could partly be attributed to natural processes and pollution and possibly to climate change. However, further studies, especially experimental ones, will be needed to achieve a better understanding of the reasons for insect decline. Furthermore, analyses of time series data should be interpreted cautiously especially if the number of sampling years is smaller than ten years. In addition, validation techniques such as left- and right- censoring and cross validation should be used in order to proof the robustness of the analyses. However, the lack of knowledge, we are still facing today, should not prevent scientists and practitioners from applying conservation measures. In order to prove the effectiveness of such measures, long-term monitoring is crucial. Such control of success is essential for evidence based and thus adapted conservation strategies of threatened organisms. N2 - Veränderungen und Entwicklung sind grundlegende Prinzipien in Biozönosen und können eine Vielzahl von ökologischen Prozessen beeinflussen. In Insektengemeinschaften stellen Veränderungen in der Phänologie und Dichte, Veränderungen des Artenreichtums und der Artenzusammensetzung sowie die Wechselwirkungen zwischen diesen, die wichtigsten Makroprozesse dar. Klimawandel und andere Faktoren wie der Verlust von Lebensräumen oder deren Qualitätsverschlechterung beeinflussen diese Prozesse jedoch und führen zu Veränderungen und allgemeinen Rückgängen der Biodiversität. Auch wenn die Erkenntnisse zum „Insektensterben“ in Mitteleuropa in den letzten Jahrzehnten zugenommen haben, gibt es erhebliche Wissenslücken über die Entwicklung von Insektengemeinschaften in bestimmten Lebensräumen und Taxa. Beispielsweise ist die Entwicklung von Insektengemeinschaften in kleinen, stehenden Gewässern und in Wäldern wenig erforscht. Darüber hinaus werden die Veränderungen innerhalb von Habitaten und Taxa zusätzlich durch bestimmte Merkmale, wie Wirts- oder Nahrungsspezialisierung, beeinflusst. Um diese verschiedenen Einflüsse auseinanderhalten zu können und das Wissen über die allgemeine Langzeitentwicklung von Insektengemeinschaften zu vergrößern, sind umfassende Langzeitstudien erforderlich. Darüber hinaus sollten auch die langfristigen Auswirkungen von Naturschutzstrategien über lange Zeiträume evaluiert werden, um auf wissenschaftlicher Grundlage entscheiden zu können, welche Strategien zur Förderung bedrohter Taxa wirksam sind. Daher befasst sich diese Arbeit neben der Entwicklung von Wasserkäfer- und Großschmetterlingsgemeinschaften über mehrere Jahrzehnte auch mit den Auswirkungen einer integrativen Naturschutzmaßnahme auf xylobionte Käfer und Pilze. In Kapitel 2 stelle ich eine Studie über die Entwicklung von Wasserkäfergemeinschaften (Dytiscidae, Haliplidae, Noteridae) in 33 Gewässern Süddeutschlands von 1991 bis 2018 vor. Die zeitstandardisierte Erfassung pro Wasserkörper erfolgte in drei Zeiträumen: zwischen 1991 und 1995, 2007 und 2008 sowie 2017 und 2018. Die Ergebnisse zeigten einen jährlichen Rückgang sowohl der Artenzahl (ca. -1%) als auch der Abundanz (ca. -2%). Darüber hinaus verschob sich die Artenzusammensetzung im Laufe der Zeit zum Teil aufgrund sich ändernder pH-Werte. Daraus lässt sich schlussfolgern, dass die erfassten Veränderungen während des 28- jährigen Untersuchungszeitraums teilweise natürliche Sukzessionsprozesse widerspiegeln. Da aber auch an moorige Gewässer gebundene Käferarten deutlich abgenommen haben, ist es wahrscheinlich, dass die Wasserkäfer Süddeutschlands auch durch Faktoren wie Austrocknung, erhöhten Stickstoffeintrag und/oder Mineralisierung sowie durch den Verlust spezifischer Lebensräume bedroht sind. Aufgrund dieser Entwicklungen ist es empfehlenswert, auf Landschaftsebene auf die ständige Schaffung neuer Gewässer und den besonderen Schutz von Moorgewässern zu setzen, um Wasserkäfergemeinschaften erfolgreich schützen zu können. In Kapitel 3 präsentiere ich eine Analyse der Diversitäts-, Abundanz- und Biomassenentwicklung von nachtaktiven Großschmetterlingen über vier Jahrzehnte in Wäldern Süddeutschlands. Neben einem bayernweiten Datensatz, der alle typischen Waldtypen der gemäßigten Zone Mitteleuropas beinhaltet, wurden zwei lokale, besonders regelmäßig besammelte Gebiete getrennt analysiert. In diesen Gebieten werden die Eichenwälder als Hoch- bzw. als Mittelwald bewirtschaftet. Bayernweit wiesen Artenreichtum, Abundanz und Biomasse jährliche Rückgänge von ca. 1 %, 1,3 % bzw. 1,4 % auf. Diese Rückgänge waren bei Wirtspflanzenspezialisten und bei dunkel gefärbten Arten besonders stark ausgeprägt. Im Gegensatz dazu nahm der Artenreichtum im Mittelwald jährlich um ca. 1,5 % zu, während im Hochwald keine signifikanten Trends festgestellt werden konnten. Im Gegensatz zu früheren Annahmen betrifft der Insektenrückgang offenbar auch hyperdiverse Insektengruppen im Wald. Da Wirtspflanzenspezialisten und dunkel gefärbte Arten vom Rückgang stärker betroffen waren als andere, scheinen Lebensraumverlust und Klimawandel potentielle Treiber der beobachteten Trends zu sein. Die positive Entwicklung des Artenreichtums im Mittelwald zeigt jedoch, dass der Erhalt komplexer und vielfältiger Waldökosysteme durch aktives Management, negative Biodiversitätstrends zum Teil kompensieren könnte. Kapitel 4 enthält eine Studie, die die Langzeitwirkung von Totholzanreicherung als integrative Naturschutzmaßnahme auf xylobionte Käfer und Pilze in einem mitteleuropäischen Buchenwald auf der Landschaftsebene untersucht. Dabei wurde die Gamma-Diversität und die Artenzusammensetzung dieser beiden Gruppen anhand einer Vorher-Nachher Untersuchung mit Kontrollflächen (Naturwaldreservate) untersucht. Die bewirtschafteten Flächen wurden weiterhin in zuvor mäßig und intensiv bewirtschaftete Flächen eingeteilt. Die Wälder wurden ein Jahr vor und ein Jahrzehnt nach Beginn einer Totholzanreicherungsstrategie auf Landschaftsebene beprobt. Zehn Jahre nach Beginn der Totholzanreicherung spiegelten weder die Gamma-Diversität der xylobionten Organismen noch die Artenzusammensetzung der Käfer die früheren Bewirtschaftungstypen wider, und wiesen keine Unterschiede mehr zu den Naturwaldreservaten auf. Die Pilzartenzusammensetzung spiegelte jedoch noch immer den früheren Bewirtschaftungsgradienten wider. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass Totholzanreicherung auf Landschaftsebene positive Effekte auf xylobionte Artengemeinschaften haben kann. Somit stellt Totholzanreicherung eine Naturschutzmaßnahme dar, die zusätzlich zu permanenten Schutzgebieten, eine Grundlage schaffen kann, um holzabhängige Organismen in Europa zu schützen. In dieser Arbeit habe ich gezeigt, dass im Gegensatz zu dem, was bisher angenommen und zum Teil berichtet wurde, auch Wasserkäfer in stehenden Gewässern und nachtaktive Großschmetterlingen in Wäldern in den letzten drei bis vier Jahrzehnten an Artenreichtum, Abundanz und Biomasse abgenommen haben. In Übereinstimmung mit anderen Studien nahmen vor allem dunkel gefärbte Arten und Spezialisten stärker ab als hell gefärbte Arten und Generalisten. Die Gründe für diese Rückgänge konnten zum Teil auf natürliche Prozesse, Umweltverschmutzung und möglicherweise auf den Klimawandel zurückgeführt werden. Es sind jedoch weitere Studien, insbesondere experimentelle, erforderlich, um die Gründe für das „Insektensterben“ besser zu verstehen. Darüber hinaus sollten Zeitreihendaten mit Vorsicht interpretiert werden, insbesondere wenn die Anzahl der besammelten Jahre kleiner als zehn Jahre ist. Darüber hinaus sollten Validierungstechniken wie Links- und Rechts-Zensierung und Kreuzvalidierung eingesetzt werden, um die Robustheit der Analysen nachzuweisen. Der Mangel an Wissen, mit dem wir heute noch konfrontiert sind, sollte Wissenschaftler und Praktiker jedoch nicht davon abhalten, Naturschutzmaßnahmen anzuwenden. Um die Wirksamkeit solcher Maßnahmen nachzuweisen, ist eine langfristige Überprüfung von entscheidender Bedeutung. Solche Erfolgskontrollen sind für evidenzbasierte und damit angepasste Erhaltungsstrategien bedrohter Organismen unerlässlich. KW - climate change KW - insects KW - temporal development KW - nature conservation KW - entomology Y1 - 2021 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-235499 ER - TY - THES A1 - Bertolini, Enrico T1 - Comparative analysis of insect circadian clocks: a behavioural, anatomical, and molecular study T1 - Vergleichende Analyse der zirkadianen Uhr von Insekten: eine verhaltensbezogene, anatomische und molekulare Studie N2 - Biological clocks are endogenous oscillators that give organisms the sense of time. Insects, as the largest taxonomic group, offer fascinating models to study the evolution of clocks and their adaptation to various environments. Although the laboratory fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, led the role in the field of circadian biology as it provides a powerful genetic experimental tool, new model insect species need to be established to understand photoperiodic responses and to enable comparative studies. This work reports the behavioural, anatomical, and molecular characterization of the circadian clock of five insect species. The malt fly Chymomyza costata carries a D. melanogaster-like clock network, which supports circadian rhythms under rhythmic environment but cannot self-sustain when isolated from external time cues. The olive fly Bactrocera oleae is the major pest of olive plantations and the characterization of its circadian clock will improve future pest management strategies. The linden bug Pyrrhocoris apterus, a well suited model for investigating circadian and photoperiodic timing interactions, shows high degree of homology of the clock network with D. melanogaster. The scuttle flies Megaselia scalaris and Megaselia abdita represent new fascinating models to study how the clock network controls circadian behaviour. Overall, this work highlights high degree of homology between different circadian clock systems, but at the same time also dramatic differences in terms of circadian behaviour and neuro-anatomical expression of clock components. These have been mainly discussed in regards to the evolution of clocks in Diptera, and the adaptation of clocks to high latitudes. N2 - Biologische Uhren sind endogene Oszillatoren, mit welchen Organismen die Zeit messen können. Als größte taxonomische Gruppe stellen Insekten eine Vielzahl faszinierender Modelle, um die Evolution und Anpassung von biologischen Uhren an verschiedene Umweltbedingungen zu untersuchen. Obwohl Drosophila melanogaster eines der führenden Modelltiere im Feld der Chronobiologie ist, was sich leicht auf die herausragende genetische Manipulierbarkeit der Fliege zurück führen lässt, müssen weitere Insektenarten als Modellorganismen etabliert werden, um anhand verglei- chender Studien die Anpassungen an photoperiodische Veränderungen verstehen zu können. Die vorliegende Arbeit beschreibt die Charakterisierung der zirkadianen Uhr von fünf Insektenarten auf molekularer-, anatomischer- und Verhaltens-Ebene. Die Taufliegenart Chymomyza costata besitzt eine Drosophila-ähnliche Uhr, die zirkadiane Rhythmen unterstützt solange sich das Tier in einer rhythmischen Umwelt befindet. Allerdings kann die Uhr den Rhythmus nicht selbstständig aufrecht erhalten, wenn die Fliege von externen Zeitgebern isoliert ist. Die Olivenfruchtfliege Bactrocera oleae ist der bedeutendste Schädling auf Olivenplantagen und die Charakterisierung der zirkadianen Uhr dieser Art wird zuku¨nftige Schädlingsbekämpfungsstrategien verbessern. Die Gemeine Feuerwanze Pyrrhocoris apterus, ein gut geeignetes Modell um die Interaktion des zirkadianen und photoperiodischen Timings zu untersuchen, zeigt hohe Homologie zum Uhrennetzwerk von D. melanogaster. Die Buckelfliegen Megaselia scalaris und Megaselia abdita repräsentieren neue faszinierende Modelle für die Erforschung wie das Uhrennetzwerk zirkadianes Verhalten steuert. Zusammengenommen hebt diese Arbeit die hohe Ähnlichkeit zwischen verschiedenen zirkadianen Systemen hervor, zeigt jedoch gleichermaßen gravierende Unterschiede in Bezug auf zirkadianes Verhalten und der neuroanatomischen Expression von Uhrenkomponenten. Die Homologien und Unterschiede werden hauptsächlich in Bezug auf die Evolution biologischer Uhren in Dipteren, sowie der Anpassung der Uhren an höhere geografische Breiten, erörtert. KW - neurobiology KW - circadian clock KW - insects Y1 - 2020 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-164651 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Floren, Andreas A1 - von Rintelen, Thomas A1 - Herbert, Paul D. N. A1 - de Araujo, Bruno Cancian A1 - Schmidt, Stefan A1 - Balke, Michael A1 - Narakusumo, Raden Pramesa A1 - Peggie, Djunijanti A1 - Ubaidillah, Rosichon A1 - von Rintelen, Kristina A1 - Müller, Tobias T1 - Integrative ecological and molecular analysis indicate high diversity and strict elevational separation of canopy beetles in tropical mountain forests JF - Scientific Reports N2 - Tropical mountain forests contribute disproportionately to terrestrial biodiversity but little is known about insect diversity in the canopy and how it is distributed between tree species. We sampled tree-specific arthropod communities from 28 trees by canopy fogging and analysed beetle communities which were first morphotyped and then identified by their DNA barcodes. Our results show that communities from forests at 1100 and 1700 m a.s.l. are almost completely distinct. Diversity was much lower in the upper forest while community structure changed from many rare, less abundant species to communities with a pronounced dominance structure. We also found significantly higher beta-diversity between trees at the lower than higher elevation forest where community similarity was high. Comparisons on tree species found at both elevations reinforced these results. There was little species overlap between sites indicating limited elevational ranges. Furthermore, we exploited the advantage of DNA barcodes to patterns of haplotype diversity in some of the commoner species. Our results support the advantage of fogging and DNA barcodes for community studies and underline the need for comprehensive research aimed at the preservation of these last remaining pristine forests. KW - beta-diversity KW - community data KW - gradients KW - insects KW - hypthesis KW - evolution KW - passes KW - ants Y1 - 2020 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-230565 VL - 10 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Mildner, Stephanie A1 - Roces, Flavio T1 - Plasticity of Daily Behavioral Rhythms in Foragers and Nurses of the Ant Camponotus rufipes: Influence of Social Context and Feeding Times JF - PLoS One N2 - Daily activities within an ant colony need precise temporal organization, and an endogenous clock appears to be essential for such timing processes. A clock drives locomotor rhythms in isolated workers in a number of ant species, but its involvement in activities displayed in the social context is unknown. We compared locomotor rhythms in isolated individuals and behavioral rhythms in the social context of workers of the ant Camponotus rufipes. Both forager and nurse workers exhibited circadian rhythms in locomotor activity under constant conditions, indicating the involvement of an endogenous clock. Activity was mostly nocturnal and synchronized with the 12:12h light-dark-cycle. To evaluate whether rhythmicity was maintained in the social context and could be synchronized with non-photic zeitgebers such as feeding times, daily behavioral activities of single workers inside and outside the nest were quantified continuously over 24 hours in 1656 hours of video recordings. Food availability was limited to a short time window either at day or at night, thus mimicking natural conditions of temporally restricted food access. Most foragers showed circadian foraging behavior synchronized with food availability, either at day or nighttime. When isolated thereafter in single locomotor activity monitors, foragers mainly displayed arrhythmicity. Here, high mortality suggested potential stressful effects of the former restriction of food availability. In contrast, nurse workers showed high overall activity levels in the social context and performed their tasks all around the clock with no circadian pattern, likely to meet the needs of the brood. In isolation, the same individuals exhibited in turn strong rhythmic activity and nocturnality. Thus, endogenous activity rhythms were inhibited in the social context, and timing of daily behaviors was flexibly adapted to cope with task demands. As a similar socially-mediated plasticity in circadian rhythms was already shown in honey bees, the temporal organization in C. rufipes and honey bees appear to share similar basic features. KW - honey bees KW - biological locomotion KW - foraging KW - circadian rhythms KW - chronobiology KW - insects KW - nurses KW - ants Y1 - 2016 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-148010 VL - 12 IS - 1 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Lakovic, Milica A1 - Poethke, Hans-Joachim A1 - Hovestadt, Thomas T1 - Dispersal timing: Emigration of insects living in patchy environments JF - PLoS One N2 - Dispersal is a life-history trait affecting dynamics and persistence of populations; it evolves under various known selective pressures. Theoretical studies on dispersal typically assume 'natal dispersal', where individuals emigrate right after birth. But emigration may also occur during a later moment within a reproductive season ('breeding dispersal'). For example, some female butterflies first deposit eggs in their natal patch before migrating to other site(s) to continue egg-laying there. How breeding compared to natal dispersal influences the evolution of dispersal has not been explored. To close this gap we used an individual-based simulation approach to analyze (i) the evolution of timing of breeding dispersal in annual organisms, (ii) its influence on dispersal (compared to natal dispersal). Furthermore, we tested (iii) its performance in direct evolutionary contest with individuals following a natal dispersal strategy. Our results show that evolution should typically result in lower dispersal under breeding dispersal, especially when costs of dispersal are low and population size is small. By distributing offspring evenly across two patches, breeding dispersal allows reducing direct sibling competition in the next generation whereas natal dispersal can only reduce trans-generational kin competition by producing highly dispersive offspring in each generation. The added benefit of breeding dispersal is most prominent in patches with small population sizes. Finally, the evolutionary contests show that a breeding dispersal strategy would universally out-compete natal dispersal. KW - animal migration KW - statistical disperison KW - organismal evolution KW - animal sexual behavior KW - habitats KW - insects KW - carrying capacity KW - moths and butterflies Y1 - 2015 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-126466 VL - 10 IS - 7 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Stejskal, Kerstin A1 - Streinzer, Martin A1 - Dyer, Adrian A1 - Paulus, Hannes F. A1 - Spaethe, Johannes T1 - Functional Significance of Labellum Pattern Variation in a Sexually Deceptive Orchid (Ophrys heldreichii): Evidence of Individual Signature Learning Effects JF - PLoS One N2 - Mimicking female insects to attract male pollinators is an important strategy in sexually deceptive orchids of the genus Ophrys, and some species possess flowers with conspicuous labellum patterns. The function of the variation of the patterns remains unresolved, with suggestions that these enhance pollinator communication. We investigated the possible function of the labellum pattern in Ophrys heldreichii, an orchid species in which the conspicuous and complex labellum pattern contrasts with a dark background. The orchid is pollinated exclusively by males of the solitary bee, Eucera berlandi. Comparisons of labellum patterns revealed that patterns within inflorescences are more similar than those of other conspecific plants. Field observations showed that the males approach at a great speed and directly land on flowers, but after an unsuccessful copulation attempt, bees hover close and visually scan the labellum pattern for up to a minute. Learning experiments conducted with honeybees as an accessible model of bee vision demonstrated that labellum patterns of different plants can be reliably learnt; in contrast, patterns of flowers from the same inflorescence could not be discriminated. These results support the hypothesis that variable labellum patterns in O. heldreichii are involved in flower-pollinator communication which would likely help these plants to avoid geitonogamy. KW - nectar KW - color discrimination KW - bees KW - vision KW - evolution KW - pollination KW - guides KW - honeybee KW - apis mellifera KW - insects KW - signals KW - recognize images Y1 - 2015 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-137582 VL - 10 IS - 11 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Leonhardt, Sara D. A1 - Kaltenpoth, Martin T1 - Microbial Communities of Three Sympatric Australian Stingless Bee Species JF - PLoS ONE N2 - Bacterial symbionts of insects have received increasing attention due to their prominent role in nutrient acquisition and defense. In social bees, symbiotic bacteria can maintain colony homeostasis and fitness, and the loss or alteration of the bacterial community may be associated with the ongoing bee decline observed worldwide. However, analyses of microbiota associated with bees have been largely confined to the social honeybees (Apis mellifera) and bumblebees (Bombus spec.), revealing – among other taxa – host-specific lactic acid bacteria (LAB, genus Lactobacillus) that are not found in solitary bees. Here, we characterized the microbiota of three Australian stingless bee species (Apidae: Meliponini) of two phylogenetically distant genera (Tetragonula and Austroplebeia). Besides common plant bacteria, we find LAB in all three species, showing that LAB are shared by honeybees, bumblebees and stingless bees across geographical regions. However, while LAB of the honeybee-associated Firm4–5 clusters were present in Tetragonula, they were lacking in Austroplebeia. Instead, we found a novel clade of likely host-specific LAB in all three Australian stingless bee species which forms a sister clade to a large cluster of Halictidae-associated lactobacilli. Our findings indicate both a phylogenetic and geographical signal of host-specific LAB in stingless bees and highlight stingless bees as an interesting group to investigate the evolutionary history of the bee-LAB association. KW - bacteria KW - lactic acid bacteria KW - sequence alignment KW - insects KW - lactobacillus KW - sequence databases KW - honey bees Y1 - 2014 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-119341 VL - 9 IS - 8 ER -