Despite recent progress in understanding mechanisms of tree species coexistence in tropical forests, a simple explanation for the even more extensive diversity of insects feeding on these plants has been missing. We compared folivorous insects from temperate and tropical trees to test the hypothesis that herbivore species coexistence in more diverse communities could reflect narrow host specificity relative to less diverse communities. Temperate and tropical tree species of comparable phylogenetic distribution supported similar numbers of folivorous insect species, 29.0 ± 2.2 and 23.5 ± 1.8 per 100 square meters of foliage, respectively. Host specificity did not differ significantly between community samples, indicating that food resources are not more finely partitioned among folivorous insects in tropical than in temperate forests. These findings suggest that the latitudinal gradient in insect species richness could be a direct function of plant diversity, which increased sevenfold from our temperate to tropical study sites.

There So Many Species of Herbivorous Insects in Tropical Rainforests

Lady beetle fauna of the New Guinea has been studied by several entomologists but there are still many coccinellid groups that have not been recorded from the island yet. Newly collected materials from “Our Planet Reviewed – Papua New Guinea” expedition revealed three new species belonging to the subfamily Microweiseinae, till now unknown from New Guinea. Scymnomorphus bimaculatus sp. nov., S. papuensis sp. nov., and S. kausi sp. nov. are described, and key characters are illustrated. A key to Scymnomorphus species of the Australasian Region is provided.

/pdf/missing-geographic-link-minute-lady-beetles-coleoptera-39yxy8jzwo.pdf

Missing geographic link: minute lady beetles (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae: Microweiseinae) from Mount Wilhelm, New Guinea

Three new Papuan species of the ladybird genus Rhyzobius Stephens, Rhyzobius albinos sp. nov., R. atramentarius sp. nov. and R. serratus sp. nov., are described, diagnosed and illustrated. An updated key to species of Rhyzobius from New Guinea is provided.

/pdf/three-new-species-of-the-genus-rhyzobius-stephens-1829-from-1zcp6jfha1.pdf

Three new species of the genus Rhyzobius Stephens, 1829 from New Guinea (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae: Coccidulini)

Global change is impacting forests worldwide, threatening biodiversity and ecosystem services including climate regulation. Understanding how forests respond is critical to forest conservation and climate protection. This review describes an international network of 59 long-term forest dynamics research sites (CTFS-ForestGEO) useful for characterizing forest responses to global change. Within very large plots (median size 25 ha), all stems ≥ 1 cm diameter are identified to species, mapped, and regularly recensused according to standardized protocols. CTFS-ForestGEO spans 25 °S-61 °N latitude, is generally representative of the range of bioclimatic, edaphic, and topographic conditions experienced by forests worldwide, and is the only forest monitoring network that applies a standardized protocol to each of the world's major forest biomes. Supplementary standardized measurements at subsets of the sites provide additional information on plants, animals, and ecosystem and environmental variables. CTFS-ForestGEO sites are experiencing multifaceted anthropogenic global change pressures including warming (average 0.61 °C), changes in precipitation (up to ± 30% change), atmospheric deposition of nitrogen and sulfur compounds (up to 3.8 g N m(-2) yr(-1) and 3.1 g S m(-2) yr(-1)), and forest fragmentation in the surrounding landscape (up to 88% reduced tree cover within 5 km). The broad suite of measurements made at CTFS-ForestGEO sites makes it possible to investigate the complex ways in which global change is impacting forest dynamics. Ongoing research across the CTFS-ForestGEO network is yielding insights into how and why the forests are changing, and continued monitoring will provide vital contributions to understanding worldwide forest diversity and dynamics in an era of global change.

CTFS-ForestGEO: A worldwide network monitoring forests in an era of global change

This article introduces the biodiversity survey “Our Planet Reviewed” in the south of French Guiana organized in February–March and August 2015 It has enabled more than 50 scientists to inventory the following groups: Actinopterygii, Amphibia, Annelida, Arachnida, Insecta, Mollusca and Squamata, with a particular effort on diverse and little-known orders, such as Coleoptera, Diptera, Hemiptera and Hymenoptera The forested area under investigation presents a mosaic of hills and inselbergs, with a wide variety of ecosystems The main objectives were to discover new species for science, report first records for French Guiana, and establish a baseline inventory for biogeographic studies The organisation of the field trip and post-field phase are supported by coordinators of major taxonomic groups Authorisations and associated commitments, including Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) are specified The sampling effort, in terms of number and diversity of methods, is certainly the largest ever made in French Guiana over a short period of time Thirteen different trap types were used including four types of interception traps and nine types of attraction-based traps Active research methods (13 techniques) and extraction from the substrate (five techniques, including Winkler sieves, emergence from dead wood, etc) completed the sampling array The sample processing procedure describes the difference between active collecting and the longer and more complex process of processing massive samples of traps such as window pane flight intercept traps, Malaise traps, colored pan traps and automatic light traps After a sorting phase that lasted less than a year for most groups, a network of 165 taxonomic experts was mobilized by the coordinators to study the sorted specimens The data are stored and managed in an observations database and in the database of the collections of the Museum national d'Histoire naturelle (Paris) Data are widely disseminated, notably in France via the Inventaire national du Patrimoine naturel (INPN) and internationally by the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) This introductory article will be supplemented by a second paper, which will analyse research results three years after the survey and assess the effectiveness of the expedition in advancing taxonomic knowledge

Overview of Mitaraka survey: research frame, study site and field protocols

Until now the altitudinal factor has not been taken into account to estimate tropical arthropod diversity. The ultimate aim of the terrestrial biodiversity survey “Our Planet Reviewed – Papua New Guinea” was to estimate biological diversity generated by altitudinal turnover of arthropod species. It took place on Mount Wilhelm, Papua New Guinea highest peak (4509 m a.s.l.), and one of the few equatorial mountains outside the Andes left with a continuous undisturbed forest from the sea level all the way to the timber line limit. An unprecedented sampling effort was concentrated over 16 days in 2012 with a semi-simultaneous sampling at eight different elevations (every 500 m from 200 m to 3700 m a.s.l.). Arthropods were collected with various methods: flight interception traps (targeting Coleoptera), Malaise traps (targeting Hymenoptera, Diptera and Hemiptera), Steiner traps (targeting tephritid flies), beating of the understorey vegetation, and insecticide spraying on tree barks (various groups targeted). A botany survey was conducted at each elevation to characterize vegetation. An additional site, Wanang, was sampled according to the same protocol, as replicated lowland site. Our team combined international experts with local postgraduate students, para-ecologists and villagers. Arthropod samples collected during the biotic survey were pre-sorted in Papua New Guinea and forwarded to taxonomists worldwide. The current book presents the first taxonomic results of the biotic survey. Project outputs included not only species discovery, but also direct financial benefits to landowner communities, raised profile of conservation areas, training of paraecologists and postgraduate students, education programmes and, finally, crucial biodiversity information needed for ecological analyses and conservation management. RÉSUMÉ Module terrestre de “La Planète Revisitée Papouasie-Nouvelle-Guinée” : buts, méthodes et premiers résultats taxonomiques. Jusqu’à présent le facteur altitudinal n’a pas été pris en compte dans les estimations du nombre global d’arthropodes dans les milieux tropicaux. Le but ultime de l’inventaire de biodiversité terrestre “La Planète Revisitée Papouasie Nouvelle Guinée” est d’estimer la diversité biologique générée par le renouvellement altitudinal des espèces. Cet inventaire a pris place au Mont Wilhelm, le plus haut pic de Papouasie Nouvelle Guinée (4509 m), et l’une des rares montagnes, en dehors des Andes, encore couverte de forêt depuis le niveau de la mer jusqu’à la limite de distribution des arbres. Un effort d’échantillonnage sans précédent a été concentré sur 16 jours en 2012 avec des récoltes semi-simultanées à huit altitudes (tous les 500 m, de 200 à 3700 m). Les arthropodes ont été récoltés par différentes méthodes: des pièges d’interception (visant les coléoptères), des pièges Malaise (pour les hyménoptères, diptères et hémiptères), des pièges Steiner (pour les mouches téphritides), du battage de la végétation de sous-bois et de la fumigation d’insecticide sur les écorces d’arbres (récoltant une multitude de groupes). De plus, un inventaire botanique a été conduit à chaque altitude pour caractériser la végétation. Un site supplémentaire de basse altitude, Wanang, a été également échantillonné selon le même protocole, à titre de réplicat. Notre équipe était composée d’experts internationaux associés à des étudiants, des paraécologistes et des villageois. Les échantillons d’arthropodes récoltés durant l’inventaire de biodiversité ont été pré-triés en Papouasie-Nouvelle-Guinée et envoyés à des taxonomistes dans le monde entier. Le présent ouvrage présente les premiers résultats taxonomiques de l’expédition. Les résultats du projet incluent non seulement la découverte de nouvelles espèces, mais aussi le soutien financier aux communautés locales propriétaires des sites échantillonnés, la mise en valeur des aires protégées, la formation de paraécologistes et d’étudiants, l’éducation du public et, finalement, le rassemblement de données de biodiversité cruciales pour les analyses écologiques et la conservation des milieux. INTRODUCTION One of the main aims of the “Our Planet Reviewed” initiative is to document both terrestrial and marine biodiversity in some of the most biodiverse and least explored areas of the planet. This initiative results from the collaboration between a team of marine biologists led by Philippe Bouchet, Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle (MNHN, France), and Olivier Pascal, coordinator of numerous terrestrial expeditions involving the canopy raft [“Radeau des Cimes”, an inflatable platform laid down on the top of the forest canopy] and the IBISCA (Investigating the Biodiversity of Soil and Canopy Arthropods) expert network (Basset et al. 2007; Leponce et al. 2012). Previous expeditions have been conducted in 2006 in Vanuatu (SANTO2006 project, Bouchet et al. 2009, 2012; Corbara 2009) and in 2009-2010 in Mozambique/Madagascar (Clarke 2011, Pascal 2011). Typically, these scientific expeditions gather a large number of participants. In SANTO 2006, a total of 233 persons (23 nationalities) were involved, comprising 155 scientists, 20 media participants (journalists, film makers, photographers, observers) and a support staff of 58 persons (managers, technicians, logistics support). In Mozambique/Madagascar, 155 persons (19 nationalities) participated to the project: 109 scientists, 22 media participants and a support staff of 24 persons. Our Planet reviewed – PaPua new Guinea 15 Papua New Guinea (PNG) was an obvious choice for a new project. The island of New Guinea is the largest and highest tropical island. New Guinea is situated within the coral triangle and its marine biodiversity is exceptional (Veron et al. 2009). PNG is also the third largest remaining block of tropical forest, after the Amazon and Congo basins. The synergistic actions of equatorial climate, insular situation and complex orogeny have resulted in extremely rich terrestrial fauna and flora (Gressitt 1982; Barthlott et al. 2005; Marshall & Beehler 2007; Mutke et al. 2011; Toussaint et al. 2014). Plant richness is very high, estimated at between 15 and 20 thousand species, over 70% of them endemic (Davis et al. 1995). Davis et al. (1995) also estimated that there should be 5,000-6,000 plant species within an area of 9000 km2 around Mt Wilhelm, Papua New Guinea’s highest mountain (4509 m a.s.l.). Apart from its extraordinary biodiversity, Papua New Guinea presented two key advantages for the terrestrial module project. First, PNG is one of the few places left where one can find complete elevational gradients in equatorial forests, from sea level up to the tree line. In many other places lowlands are heavily disturbed by human activities, or the mountains do not reach the tree line. Second, a large-scale study was feasible thanks to the presence of a leading paraecologist/ parataxonomist research center, the New Guinea Binatang Research Center (BRC) led by Prof. Vojtech Novotny (Schmiedel et al. 2016). Parataxonomists and paraecologists are local technicians, generally hired from local communities but sometimes also new university graduates in biology (Janzen 2004, Basset et al. 2004, Schmiedel et al.2016). They were trained by professional taxonomists or ecologists. The additional workforce of paraecologists/parataxonomists allowed us to collect more biological samples and process them more efficiently. In PNG, parataxonomist training began in 1994 and led to the collection of major datasets on plant-herbivore food webs (Novotny et al. 2002, 2006, 2007, 2010). These datasets were used by Hamilton and colleagues (2010, 2013) to reassess the total number of tropical arthropods to between two and 7 million species. Another dataset collected in Panama by the IBISCA network allowed for the first time to evaluate the local arthropod diversity in a large (6,000 ha) patch of a local rainforest. The resulting estimate of approximately 25,000 species lives in a rainforest of the size of Manhattan (Basset et al. 2012). This study also suggested that tree diversity, which is far easier to determine, is a good predictor of the arthropod diversity. However a gap remains between the estimation of local and global arthropod diversity. We know too little about biodiversity at landscape-scale, where species composition changes along environmental gradients. Global estimates are based on lowland rainforests only and do not consider the rapid change in species composition along altitudinal gradients. This is a serious weakness since elevational gradients appear to be among the largest generators of species diversity, particularly in the tropics (Merckx et al. 2015). The ultimate aim of the Our Planet Reviewed terrestrial project in Papua New Guinea was to estimate, for the first time with such intense sampling effort, biological diversity generated by elevational turnover of arthropod species. Our approach was three-fold. First, we aimed to obtain, during an intense biotic survey, a global picture of the distribution of plant and selected arthropod groups along a complete elevational rainforest transect. Second, we studied in full detail the effects of plant diversity and abundance on insect diversity and abundance using a detailed census of plant-insect interactions within 0.2 ha forest plots in primary and secondary forest at 900 m asl. (to be compared with similar data from 100 and 1700 m a.s.l.). Third, using a model plant taxon with a large elevational distribution (Ficus, fig trees), we studied how herbivores of a particular plant species change with elevation and how they respond to change in their host plant species composition with elevation. We focus here on the main biotic survey during which we collected the species described in the next nineteen chapters of this book. We provide descriptions of study sites, sampling protocols, sample processing protocols and perspectives on the project.

Land module of Our Planet Reviewed - Papua New Guinea : aims, methods and first taxonomical results

Handle everyday research tasks with reliable, citation-backed results

Your personal Research Agent to handle research tasks with citation-backed results

Popular Tasks used by Researchers

How can I help with your research?

Meet SciSpace

Get more enhanced response by uploading the PDFs you want me to reference.

No relevant PDFs in your library

SciSpace is the AI research assistant for academics. Run systematic literature reviews on 280M+ papers, and write papers with cited sources. Trusted by 1M+ students, PhDs & researchers.

SciSpace | AI for Research

Analyze PDFs

Code & Manuscripts

Funding & Grants

Literature & Patents

Medical & Clinical Data

Systematic Review

Visualize & Present

Web & Data

Build a Google Scholar-like website for your research.

Build a website

Create charts and images for your research

Create a Chart

Write a paper for submission to a journal

Draft a manuscript

Patent Search

Design eye-catching scientific posters in minutes.

Scientific Poster Generation

Systematic Literature Review

One task is running at the moment. Your messages will be shown right after.

Drag and drop or click here to browse

Loved by <highlight>1 million+</highlight> researchers

Extract a list of specific topics and their sources from unstructured text

Topics

Compare and analyze relevant papers that matches with your search

Papers

Get insights from PDFs and bookmarked papers from your library

My library

Recent searches

Try searching for:

Catch AI-generated content in scholarly and non-scholarly content

{ai} Detector

Ai Writer

Get PDF Summaries, highlighted text explanations 

Chat with PDF

Effortlessly create in-text citations and bibliographies in APA and 2,500 other formats

Citation generator

Get explanations, summaries, and answers on academic papers

Ease up your research workflow with {scispace}'s cohort of exciting AI tools

Elevate your academic writing skills and convey your ideas the way you want

Paraphraser

Explore our range of reading and writing tools

Your file is being prepared and should be ready in a few minutes. If it's a large file, it might take a bit longer. You can close this window, and we'll email you the file when it's done.

You have reached a maximum limit of <strong>{limit}</strong> columns in the table. Remove at least <strong>1</strong> column to add or create another one.

J. Kua

Author Tools

Chat about Author

Papers

Land module of Our Planet Reviewed - Papua New Guinea : aims, methods and first taxonomical results