We explored the resilience of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal (AMF) communities of a tropical dry forest ecosystem to land use as pastures. We compared spore community species richness, composition, abundance, and similarity between old-growth forests and active pastures, as a measure of resistance and examined the trajectory of change in successional fields when pasture use stopped to evaluate re- covery. Despite a few changes in species richness, community composition and structure were strikingly similar in all sites, including the active pastures.
We explored the resilience of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal (AMF) communities of a tropical dry forest ecosystem to land use as pastures. We compared spore community species richness, composition, abundance, and similarity between old-growth forests and active pastures, as a measure of resistance and examined the trajectory of change in successional fields when pasture use stopped to evaluate re- covery. Despite a few changes in species richness, community composition and structure were strikingly similar in all sites, including the active pastures.
Los saltamontes son una plaga importante del maíz, uno de sus enemigos naturales son los hongos entomopatógenos (HEP). El manejo adecuado de este cultivo, que involucre cambios en el microhábitat puede contribuir al control de las poblaciones de saltamontes, así como la presencia de sus enemigos naturales. Se evaluó el efecto de dos tipos de manejo agrícola: monocultivo (MC-I) de maíz y policultivo de maíz, calabaza y frijol (PC-I), así como de la vegetación de los márgenes del monocultivo (VMM) y la vegetación de los márgenes del policultivo (VMP), sobre la riqueza y abundancia de saltamontes y sus hongos entomopatógenos (HEP) asociados en Erongarícuaro, Michoacán.
*Seasonally dry tropical forests (SDTFs) are one of the most threatened forests worldwide. These species-rich forests not only cope with several acute (e.g. forest loss) and chronic (e.g. overgrazing and firewood extraction) human disturbances, but also with climate change (e.g. longer and more severe droughts); yet, the isolated and combined effects of climate and acute and chronic human disturbances on SDTF vegetation are poorly known.
Given the environmental filter imposed by drought in SDTFs, the composition and structure of vegetation is expected to be strongly associated with annual precipitation, and thus the effects of human disturbances on vegetation may also depend on precipitation (i.
Dung beetles are secondary seed dispersers, incidentally moving many of the seeds defecated by mammals vertically (seed burial) and/or horizontally as they process and relocate dung. Although several studies have quantified this ecological function of dung beetles, very few have followed seed fate until seedling establishment, and most of these have focused on the effects of seed burial. We know very little about the effects of horizontal seed movement by dung beetles, though it is generally assumed that it will affect plant recruitment positively through diminishing seed clumping.