Instituto Patagónico para el Estudio de los Ecosistemas Continentales (IPEEC), Centro Científico Tecnológico CENPAT-CONICET, Bvd. Brown 2915, Puerto Madryn, CP: U9120ACF, Chubut, Argentina.
Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia San Juan Bosco, Bvd. Brown 3051, Puerto Madryn, CP: U9120ACF, Chubut, Argentina.
An Acad Bras Cienc. 2021 May 10;93(3):e20201282. doi: 10.1590/0001-3765202120201282. eCollection 2021.
Arid lands provide several products and services to humankind, but human activities affect this environment, increasing the extinction risk of the native species. Thus, to successfully conserve the biodiversity of these ecosystems, it is necessary to identify which environmental factors influence the spatial distribution of the organisms that offer these benefits. Darkling beetles play a relevant role on the functioning of deserts. Although these insects are among the most abundant and diverse in these environments, there is no agreement on the relative importance that different environmental factors have as determinants of their spatial distribution. In this work, we assessed the role of climate, vegetation, and soil variables as factors that determine distribution patterns of darkling beetles within the Natural Protected Area Península Valdés (Northeastern Patagonia). Five groups of environmental units were identified, each one with an exclusive tenebrionid species assemblage and different species diversity. The most influential environmental variables were temperature, precipitations, and soil texture. Results suggest that the magnitude of several ecosystem processes may vary among the groups of environmental units. We recommend prioritizing the conservation of the five groups of environmental units and incorporating the darkling beetles-environment relationship in future conservation strategies for arid Patagonia.
干旱地区为人类提供了多种产品和服务，但人类活动会影响这种环境，增加本地物种的灭绝风险。因此，为了成功保护这些生态系统的生物多样性，有必要确定哪些环境因素会影响提供这些益处的生物的空间分布。拟步甲科甲虫在沙漠生态系统的功能中起着重要作用。尽管这些昆虫在这些环境中是最丰富和最多样化的，但对于不同环境因素作为其空间分布决定因素的相对重要性，尚无共识。在这项工作中，我们评估了气候、植被和土壤变量作为决定潘帕斯半岛自然保护区（巴塔哥尼亚东北部）内暗甲科甲虫分布模式的因素的作用。确定了五个环境单元组，每个环境单元组都有独特的拟步甲科昆虫组合和不同的物种多样性。最有影响力的环境变量是温度、降水和土壤质地。结果表明，几个生态系统过程的幅度可能在环境单元组之间有所不同。我们建议优先保护这五个环境单元组，并将暗甲科甲虫与环境的关系纳入未来干旱巴塔哥尼亚的保护策略中。
