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Spatial variation in insect community and species responses to habitat loss and plant community composition

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Abstract

Several experimental studies have examined species responses to manipulations of habitat area and spatial arrangement, but plant composition and spatial variation in species distributions also affect animal responses to habitat alteration. We used an experimental approach to study the combined effects of habitat area, edge, and plant community composition on the spatial structure of insect species richness and composition. The abundance of three guilds (herbivores, predators and parasitoids) and individual species were also analyzed. Habitat patches were created that differed in area and edge by selectively mowing portions of 15 m×15 m plots in a 1.7-ha old field. Spatial and environmental variables were used to predict insect responses in separate multiple regression and ordination models. The variation in species responses due to spatial and environmental variables was then partitioned by combining these variables into an overall regression or ordination. Spatial and environmental variables contributed similar percentages to the total variance in insect species richness, abundance or composition. No significant effects of habitat area were observed in any response variable. Herbivore abundance showed positive responses to legume or grass cover, as well as spatial variation that was unrelated to environmental variables. Predators and parasitoids had greater effects of plant species richness and habitat edge, and less unexplained spatial variation. Individual species differed in their responses to plant variables, depending on host specialization or intraspecific aggregation. Our study highlights the importance of plant community composition and spatial variation apart from environmental variables. Spatial variation stems both from species responses to environmental features as well as species differences in habitat specialization and intraspecific aggregation.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Kyle Haynes, Tim Diekötter, and two anonymous reviewers for providing helpful comments on earlier versions of the manuscript. The experiments conducted in this study were in compliance with the laws of the US and the State of Ohio.

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Author notes

  1. Sharmila V. Pradhan-Devare

    Present address: Environmental Health and Safety, Miami University, Oxford, OH, 45056, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Zoology and Ecology Program, Miami University, Oxford, OH, 45056, USA

    Thomas O. Crist

  2. Institute of Environmental Science, Miami University, Oxford, OH, 45056, USA

    Sharmila V. Pradhan-Devare

  3. Department of Environmental Science and Policy, Olin Hall, Drake University, Des Moines, IA, 50311, USA

    Keith S. Summerville

Authors
  1. Thomas O. Crist
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  2. Sharmila V. Pradhan-Devare
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  3. Keith S. Summerville
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Thomas O. Crist.

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Communicated by Richard Karban

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Crist, T.O., Pradhan-Devare, S.V. & Summerville, K.S. Spatial variation in insect community and species responses to habitat loss and plant community composition. Oecologia 147, 510–521 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-005-0275-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-005-0275-1

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