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Fig. 5 in The largest arthropod in Earth history: insights from newly discovered Arthropleura remains (Serpukhovian Stainmore Formation, Northumberland, England)

Fig. 5. Sedimentological characteristics of the Stainmore Formation at the southern end of Howick Bay, attesting to lower delta plain deposition. (a) Rotated view of fallen block hosting fossil at starred horizon, showing lithology of amalgamated trough cross-beds of fine sandstone, coarsening upwards from laminated very fine sandstone and siltstone. Located at c. 8–10 m on stratigraphic log in Figure 3d. Scale bar 20 cm. (b) Casts of syneresis cracks on underside of fallen block. Located at 8 m on stratigraphic log in Figure 3d. Scale bar 10 cm. (c) Detail of cross-bedded sets in which Arthropleura fossil was interred. Note clasts of coaly debris. Located at 9.5 m on stratigraphic log in Figure 3d. Ruler 20 cm. (d) Crudely developed rhythmites of probable tidal origin, colonized with Skolithos (Sk) and Teichnichnus (Te) burrows. Located at 6 m on stratigraphic log in Figure 3d. Scale bar 15 cm. (e) Inclined heterolithic stratification in form of lateral accretion set of small tidal channel; northwards direction of migration arrowed. Located at 1.5 m on stratigraphic log in Figure 3d. Scale bar 70 cm. (f) Incised channel filled with braided alluvium and cutting into underlying sequence at far southern end of Howick Bay. Approximate channel base highlighted. The channel truncates the sequence illustrated in Figure 3d. Scale bar 2 m.

Fig. 4 in The largest arthropod in Earth history: insights from newly discovered Arthropleura remains (Serpukhovian Stainmore Formation, Northumberland, England)

Fig. 4. Context of the specimen prior to extraction. (a) Slab A of the fossil (facing stratigraphically upwards). Note convex-down doming of the host sediment. Scale bar 20 cm. (b) Slab B of the fossil (facing stratigraphically downwards). (c) Fallen block in which the fossil was discovered in January 2018 (white circle), showing split in rock where fossil was exposed (white triangle). Black circle denotes position in cliff profile from where the block fell. Listric faults in hanging wall of Howick Fault are highlighted, showing hanging wall thickening of mudrock (HT), attesting to synsedimentary origin (red arrows indicate sense of fault movement). Scale bar 2 m. (d) View of the fallen block (white circle) and original position (black circle) in the context of the Howick Fault damage zone and master fault separating the Alston and Stainmore formations; HT is at same position as in part (c). Host bed is immediately adjacent to one of two synsedimentary (Mississippian) normal faults that were later reactivated as strike-slip faults during the latest Carboniferous to Permian emplacement of the Whin Sill dolerite intrusion (De Paola et al. 2005). This structural context attests to strain in the fossil-bearing sandstone bed prior to full lithification and may explain certain features of the fossil (see main text). Blue dashed line show approximate stratigraphic position of the Lickar Limestone, marking the onset of the late Serpukhovian (Cózar and Somerville 2021). Scale bar 5 m. Photograph in part (d) courtesy of Geospatial Research Limited.

Fig. 3 in The largest arthropod in Earth history: insights from newly discovered Arthropleura remains (Serpukhovian Stainmore Formation, Northumberland, England)

Fig. 3. Geological context of the site. (a) Locality within the Northumberland Basin. (b) Geological map of the fossil locality. (c) Regional stratigraphy. (d) Sedimentary log of the fossil site. LA sets, lateral accretion sets. (e) Structural profile along cliffs at the southern end of Howick Bay showing fossil site within damage zone of the Howick Fault (location of section denoted with British National Grid references).

Fig. 2 in The largest arthropod in Earth history: insights from newly discovered Arthropleura remains (Serpukhovian Stainmore Formation, Northumberland, England)

Fig. 2. Interpreted sketch of the fossil, as preserved in slab A, while still intact in fallen block of host sandstone prior to excavation. The overlap pattern of the paratergites on the left indicates that this is the ventral site of the dorsal exoskeleton. The typical ornamentation of the dorsal site of Arthropleura tergites and paratergites is therefore not visible.

Fig. 1 in The largest arthropod in Earth history: insights from newly discovered Arthropleura remains (Serpukhovian Stainmore Formation, Northumberland, England)

Fig. 1. Specimen of partial remains of a giant Arthropleura (anterior 12– 14 tergites) after excavation from the Serpukhovian Stainmore Formation, Howick Bay, Northumberland, England (CAMSM X.50355). Slab A and slab B are not true part and counterpart, but rather a split through the middle of a threedimensional dorsal exoskeleton (see Fig. 7 and discussion in text).

opencc-zeroJan 2022View details →

Semi‐quantitative metabarcoding reveals how climate shapes arthropod community assembly along elevation gradients on Hawaii Island

Spatial variation in climatic conditions along elevation gradients provides an important backdrop by which communities assemble and diversify. Lowland habitats tend to be connected through time, whereas highlands can be continuously or periodically isolated, conditions that have been hypothesized to promote high levels of species endemism. This tendency is expected to be accentuated among taxa that show niche conservatism within a given climatic envelope. While species distribution modeling approaches have allowed extensive exploration of niche conservatism among target taxa, a broad understanding of the phenomenon requires sampling of entire communities. Species-rich groups such as arthropods are ideal case studies for understanding ecological and biodiversity dynamics along elevational gradients given their important functional role in many ecosystems, but community-level studies have been limited due to their tremendous diversity. Here, we develop a novel semi-quantitative metabarcoding approach that combines specimen counts and size-sorting to characterize arthropod community-level diversity patterns along two elevational gradients across two volcanoes on the island of Hawai`i. We find that arthropod communities between the two transects become increasingly distinct compositionally at higher elevations. Resistance surface approaches suggest that climatic differences between sampling localities are an important driver in shaping beta-diversity patterns, though the relative importance of climate varies across taxonomic groups. Nevertheless, the climatic niche position of OTUs between transects was highly correlated, suggesting that climatic filters shape the colonization between adjacent volcanoes. Taken together, our results highlight climatic niche conservatism as an important factor shaping ecological assembly along elevational gradients and suggest topographic complexity as an important driver of diversification.

opencc-zeroFeb 2022View details →

Simple attributes predict the value of plants as hosts to fungal and arthropod communities

Fungal and arthropod consumers constitute the vast majority of global terrestrial biodiversity. Yet, the link from richness and composition of producer (plant) communities to the richness of consumer communities is poorly understood. Fungal and arthropod species richness could be a simple function of producer species richness at a site. Alternatively, it could be a complex function of chemical and structural properties of the producer species making up communities. We used databases on plant-fungus and plant-arthropod trophic links to derive the richness of consumer biota per associated plant species (coined link score). We assessed how well link scores could be predicted by simple attributes of plant species. Next, we used a multi-taxon inventory of 130 sites, representing all major habitat types in a country (Denmark), to investigate whether link scores summed over plant species in communities (coined link sum) could outperform simple plant species richness as predictor of fungal and arthropod richness at the sites. We found plant species' link scores for both fungi and arthropods to be positively related to plant size, regional occupancy, nativeness and ectomycorrhizal status. Link-based indices generally improved the prediction of richness of fungal and arthropod communities. For fungal communities, both observed link sum (from databases) and predicted link sum (from plant attributes) had high predictive power, while plant richness alone had none. For arthropod communities, predictive performance varied between functional groups. For both fungi and arthropods, richness predictions were further improved by considering abiotic habitat conditions. Our results underline the importance of plants as niche space for the megadiverse groups of arthropods and fungi. The plant-attribute approach holds promise for predicting local and regional consumer richness in areas of the world lacking detailed plant-consumer databases.

opencc-by-4.0Jul 2018View details →

Arthropod drawings

When preparing presentations or texts to teach Entomology, one sometimes needs drawings of insects and other arthropods. Here we offer some line drawings of selected arthropods, in SVG format, hence fully editable. We also include a PNG version for each individual drawing.

opencc-zeroFeb 2022View details →

Imprints of latitude, host taxon and decay stage on fungus-associated arthropod communities

Interactions among fungi and insects involve hundreds of thousands of species. While insect communities on plants have formed some of the classic model systems in ecology, fungus-based communities and the forces structuring them remain poorly studied by comparison. We characterize the arthropod communities associated with fruiting bodies of eight mycorrhizal basidiomycete fungus species from three different orders along a 1200-km latitudinal gradient in northern Europe. We hypothesized that—matching the pattern seen for most insect taxa on plants—we would observe a general decrease of fungal-associated species with latitude. Against this backdrop, we expected local communities to be structured by host identity and phylogeny, with more closely related fungal species sharing more similar communities of associated organisms. As a more unique dimension added by the ephemeral nature of fungal fruiting bodies, we expected further imprints generated by successional change, with younger fruiting bodies harboring communities different from older ones. Using DNA metabarcoding to identify arthropod communities from fungal fruiting bodies, we find that latitude leaves a clear imprint on fungus-associated arthropod community composition, with host phylogeny and decay stage of fruiting bodies leaving lesser but still-detectable effects. The main latitudinal imprint is on a high arthropod species turnover, with no detectable pattern in overall species richness. Overall, these findings paint a new picture of the drivers of fungus-associated arthropod communities, suggesting that latitude will not affect how many arthropod species inhabits a fruiting body, but rather what species occur in it and at what relative abundances (as measured by sequence read counts). These patterns upset simplistic predictions regarding latitudinal gradients in species richness and in the strength of biotic interactions.

Fig. 2 in First Report Of Arthropod Fauna In Flooded Plains Of Northern Patagonia (38° S, Araucania Region Chile)

Fig. 2. Results of NMDS ordination and ANOSIM analysis of study sites based on invertebrate resemblance matrix.

opencc-zeroApr 2022View details →

Data from: Restoration of native saltmarshes can reverse arthropod assemblages and trophic interactions changed by a plant invasion

Plant invasions profoundly impact both natural and managed ecosystems, and removal of the invasive plants addresses only part of the problem of restoring impacted areas. The rehabilitation of diverse communities and their ecosystem functions following removal of invasive plants is an important goal of ecological restoration. Arthropod assemblages and trophic interactions are important indicators of the success of restoration, but have largely been overlooked in saltmarshes. We determined how arthropod assemblages and trophic interactions changed with the invasion of the exotic plant Spartina alterniflora and with the restoration of the native plant Phragmites australis following Spartina removal in a Chinese saltmarsh. We investigated multiple biotic and abiotic variables to gain insight into the factors underlying the changes in arthropod assemblages and trophic structure. We found that although Spartina invasion had changed arthropod diversity, community structure, feeding-guild composition, and the diets of arthropod natural enemies in the saltmarsh, these changes could be reversed by the restoration of native Phragmites vegetation following removal of the invader. The variation in arthropod assemblages and trophic structure were critically associated with four biotic and abiotic variables (aboveground biomass, plant density, leaf N, and soil salinity). Our findings demonstrate the positive effects of controlling invasive plants on biodiversity and nutrient cycling, and provide a foundation for assessing the efficacy of ecological restoration projects in saltmarshes.

opencc-zeroApr 2022View details →

Data from: Landscape diversity and local temperature, but not climate, affect arthropod predation among habitat types

Arthropod predators are relevant for top-down regulation of insect herbivores. Biotic and abiotic factors influence predator communities and their activity with consequences for the strength of top-down regulation ('arthropod predation'). Anthropogenic climate and land-use change urges a deeper understanding of the combined effects of potential drivers on arthropod predation. This study obtained arthropod predation rates on 113 plots of open herbaceous vegetation adjacent to different habitat types (forest, grassland, arable field, settlement) along climate and land-use gradients in Bavaria, Germany, using a standardized method of artificial caterpillars at ground level. Predation rates were analysed with regard to habitat characteristics (habitat type, plant species richness, local mean temperature and mean relative humidity during artificial caterpillar exposure), landscape diversity (0.5–3.0-km, six scales), climate (multi-annual mean temperature, 'MAT') and interactive effects of habitat type with other drivers. Arthropod predation rates did not substantially differ between the studied habitat types, related to plant species richness and across the Bavarian-wide climatic temperature gradient, and also no interactive effects were observed. However, arthropod predation rates were limited by low local mean temperatures, tended to decrease towards higher relative humidity and increased towards more diverse landscapes at a 2-km scale. Thus, high arthropod predation rates in open herbaceous vegetation are favoured by diverse landscapes independent of the dominant habitat in the vicinity. Diversifying landscapes may help to improve top-down control of herbivores, e.g. agricultural pests, but more research is needed to derive specific recommendations on landscape management. Little influence of MAT on predation rates suggests that moderate increases of MAT may not strongly alter this process in the near future.

opencc-by-4.0Apr 2013View details →

Supplementary material 1 from: Spafford R, Lortie C, Butterfield B (2013) A systematic review of arthropod community diversity in association with invasive plants. NeoBiota 16: 81-102. https://doi.org/10.3897/neobiota.16.4190

Supplementary material 1 from: Spafford R, Lortie C, Butterfield B (2013) A systematic review of arthropod community diversity in association with invasive plants. NeoBiota 16: 81-102. https://doi.org/10.3897/neobiota.16.4190

opencc-by-4.0Apr 2013View details →

Supplementary material 2 from: Spafford R, Lortie C, Butterfield B (2013) A systematic review of arthropod community diversity in association with invasive plants. NeoBiota 16: 81-102. https://doi.org/10.3897/neobiota.16.4190

Supplementary material 2 from: Spafford R, Lortie C, Butterfield B (2013) A systematic review of arthropod community diversity in association with invasive plants. NeoBiota 16: 81-102. https://doi.org/10.3897/neobiota.16.4190

Fig. 10. A in Ecological interactions between arthropods and small vertebrates in a lowland Amazon rainforest

Fig. 10. A more congenial relationship: the spider Pamphobeteus sp. (Theraphosidae) and Chiasmocleis royi. Photo by Emanuele Biggi.

Fig. 9 in Ecological interactions between arthropods and small vertebrates in a lowland Amazon rainforest

Fig. 9. (A) Osteocephalus cf. leprieurii infected by several fly larvae; part of the skin of the infected area was removed to show cavity with degraded tissue and one fly larva (on right); (B) Dendropsophus leali and fly larvae (Diptera) that emerged through the frog's mouth; (C) Ranitomeya uakarii infected by a maggot that emerged from a small round lesion on its back. Photos by Rudolf von May (A), Daniel Rabosky (B), and Valia Herrera (C).

Fig. 7 in Ecological interactions between arthropods and small vertebrates in a lowland Amazon rainforest

Fig. 7. (A) A wandering spider (Ctenidae) preying upon Hamptophryne boliviana; (B) the spider Ancylometes sp. (Ctenidae) preying upon an adult Dendropsophus sarayacuensis; (C) giant water bug (Belostomatidae) preying upon an adult Dendropsophus minutus; the belostomatid was guarding a clutch of eggs (likely its own clutch). Photos by Erin Westeen (A) and María Isabel Díaz (B–C).

Fig. 8 in Ecological interactions between arthropods and small vertebrates in a lowland Amazon rainforest

Fig. 8. (A) Stingless bees in the genus Trigona (Apidae) preying upon a clutch of tree frog eggs (Hylidae) at a temporary pond located in terra firme forest; (B) the spider Phoneutria sp. (Ctenidae) preying upon an adult Dendropsophus kamagarini. Photos by Rudolf von May (A) and Roy Santa-Cruz (B).

Fig. 6 in Ecological interactions between arthropods and small vertebrates in a lowland Amazon rainforest

Fig. 6. (A) Theraphosid spider Pamphobeteus sp. (Theraphosidae) preying upon the mouse opossum Marmosops cf. noctivagus; (B) The same individual of Pamphobeteus sp. dragging the mouse opossum on the leaf litter. Photos by Maggie Grundler (A–B).

Fig. 5 in Ecological interactions between arthropods and small vertebrates in a lowland Amazon rainforest

Fig. 5. (A) Juvenile snake Dipsas catesbyi with lesion caused by scolopendrid centipede (red arrow); (B) juvenile snake Micrurus obscurus, missing head and soft tissues on most anterior part of body as a result of predation by scolopendrid centipede. Photos by Joanna Larson (A–B).