Analysis of spatial and seasonal variability of carrion beetle (Coleoptera) assemblages in two arid zones of Spain
1997
The composition of carrion assemblages is analyzed at local and regional scales studying carrion beetles at 2 arid sites in southeastern Spain. Assemblage composition at the 2 sites is similar to assemblages described in other arid regions, although divergence in composition occurs because of biogeographical and environmental differences. Analysis of the trophic composition shows the dominance of specialist predators and necrovores in terms of abundance; opportunistic detritivores also are an important component of the assemblage, contributing substantially to both species richness and biomass. The carrion beetle assemblages are characterized by high variability, not only through a high change in species composition between sites, but also from different seasonal activity patterns in each site. Despite these qualitative differences between sites, only abundance and biomass of necrovores differ significantly. High variability caused by stochastic fluctuations can explain the lack of statistical differences in the rest of the assemblage. These results suggest that extreme variability is, in fact, the pattern for carrion beetle dynamics in the study area. Abiotic factors, competition, and predation contribute to the spatial and temporal variability of the carrion beetle assemblages, suggesting that environmental variations are important factors in the generally observed pattern of divergence in desert communities.
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