Saproxylic Diptera assemblages in a temperate deciduous forest: implications for community assembly

Harrow Research and Development Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Harrow, Ontario, Canada
Conseil du bassin versant de la région de Vaudreuil-Soulanges, Rigaud, Quebec, Canada
Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec, Canada
DOI
10.7287/peerj.preprints.27034v1
Subject Areas
Biodiversity, Conservation Biology, Ecology, Entomology
Keywords
dead wood, flies, American beech, community assembly, coarse woody debris, sugar maple
Copyright
© 2018 Mlynarek et al.
Licence
This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, reproduction and adaptation in any medium and for any purpose provided that it is properly attributed. For attribution, the original author(s), title, publication source (PeerJ Preprints) and either DOI or URL of the article must be cited.
Cite this article
Mlynarek J, Grégoire Taillefer A, Wheeler TA. 2018. Saproxylic Diptera assemblages in a temperate deciduous forest: implications for community assembly. PeerJ Preprints 6:e27034v1

Abstract

Saproxylic insects, those that feed on wood or bark, compose a large proportion of forest organisms. Flies (Diptera) are often the most abundant and species-rich groups in forest microhabitats, yet most work to date on saproxylic insect diversity and ecology has focused on beetles (Coleoptera). We compared saproxylic Diptera assemblages reared from two tree species (sugar maple and American beech) at two stages of decay (ca. two years, and ca. six years after death) for a total of 20 logs in an eastern Canadian Nearctic old-growth forest. We found that communities are distinct within both species type and decay stage of wood. Early decay stage wood is more variable in community composition than later decay stage; however, as the age of the decaying wood increases, the abundance of Diptera increases significantly. Most indicator species are discernible in later decay stage and wood type. Both stochastic and deterministic processes seem to play a role in community of temperate deciduous forests. To retain the highest saproxylic Diptera diversity in a forest, a variety of decaying wood types at different stages of decomposition is necessary.

Author Comment

This is a submission to PeerJ for review.

Supplemental Information

Raw data table of the specimens collected including species names, their species code, trophic group and abundance per log of saproxylic Diptera community assembly in southern Quebec

SA = saprophagous, FU = fungivorous, PR = predator, PA = parasitic, PH = phytophagous, OM = omnivorous, YM = young maple, OM = old maple, YB = young beech, OB = old beech.

DOI: 10.7287/peerj.preprints.27034v1/supp-1

Map of Mont Saint-Hilaire Biosphere Reserve in Southern Quebec, Canada (45°32’40”N, 73°9’5”W)

Google maps; topo map: 31 H/11 1:50,000.

DOI: 10.7287/peerj.preprints.27034v1/supp-2