Efecto de la degradación del bosque sobre la diversidad taxonómica y funcional de la comunidad de polillas

Abstract

Abstract: Chronic disturbance resulting from human activities alters the interactions of biological communities, modifies forest structure, and destabilizes forests, leading to a loss of biodiversity and ecological functioning in the dry forests of Zapotillo. This study evaluated the effect of chronic disturbance on moth community diversity, using this group as a bioindicator of forest degradation. The study was conducted in four forests in the Zapotillo canton, along a disturbance gradient defined by an anthropogenic pressure index. Alpha and beta diversity patterns were analyzed, as well as their relationship with vegetation attributes. A total of 1,606 moth individuals were recorded. The results showed that species richness and abundance are affected by changes in vegetation structure heterogeneity due to the pressure index. On the other hand, Simpson's moth diversity was not affected by the chronic disturbance gradient but showed differentiated responses to the various vegetation attributes analyzed. The Jaccard-fitted models show a negative linear trend where diversity dissimilarity and species turnover tend to decrease as the pressure index increases. Nesting, on the other hand, showed a quadratic relationship with pressure. Regarding abundance-based betadiversity metrics (Bray-Curtis), total dissimilarity showed a decreasing trend with increasing pressure. Overall, the findings indicate that chronic disturbance primarily affects the spatial and compositional organization of moth communities rather than their local diversity, solidifying this group as a sensitive bioindicator of degradation processes in tropical dry forests.