Predictions and test of multiple climate-species richness hypotheses to explain the spatial distribution of tenebrionid beetles in mountain environments

CARRARA, RODOLFO; VÁZQUEZ, DIEGO P.; SCOLLO, ANA M.; FLORES, GUSTAVO E.

doi:10.1590/0001-3765202320210439

person RODOLFO CARRARA

conducted the study by collecting data in the field · performing the statistical analyses · producing the results and manuscript writing

schoolInstituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas, CONICET, CC 507, 5500 Mendoza, Argentina

0000-0003-2432-5734

person DIEGO P. VÁZQUEZ

conducted the study by collecting data in the field · performing the statistical analyses · producing the results and manuscript writing

schoolInstituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas, CONICET, CC 507, 5500 Mendoza, ArgentinaschoolFacultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, Padre Jorge Contreras 1300, M5502JMA Mendoza, ArgentinaschoolFreiburg Institute for Advanced Studies, Univeresity of Freiburg, Albertraße 19, 79104 Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany

0000-0002-3449-5748

person ANA M. SCOLLO

contributed with the collection of data in the field · sample cleaning and separation · text review

schoolInstituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas, CONICET, CC 507, 5500 Mendoza, Argentina

0009-0005-7288-9739

person GUSTAVO E. FLORES

supervised the research · contributed to the discussion · text review.

schoolInstituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas, CONICET, CC 507, 5500 Mendoza, Argentina

0000-0002-9108-7038

Correspondence to: Rodolfo Carrara E-mail: rcarrara@mendoza-conicet.gob.ar

Figures (5)
Tables (2)

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Figure 1 Path diagrams representing the relationship expected by each climate-based hypothesis (a to f). Full arrows represent positive relationships, dotted arrows negative relationships, and double arrows covariance. S, species richness; N, individual abundance; RS, species range size; T_A, average annual temperature; P_A, average annual precipitation; E_A, average annual normalized difference vegetation index; T_TV, average annual temperature corrected by its annual coefficient of variation fitted to N; E_TV, average annual EVI corrected by its annual coefficient of variation fitted to N; T_R, annual temperature range; P_R, standard deviation of annual precipitation; T_M, annual minimum temperature; P_M, annual minimum precipitation.

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Figure 2 Distribution of sampling sites across Andean and extra-Andean mountain environments in central Argentina around parallel 32, 34 and 35.

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Figure 3 Path analysis results showing standardized path coefficients (letters a to f refer to the same hypotheses specified in Figure 1). Solid arrows represent positive relationships and hatched arrows negative relationships, double arrows covariance and vertical arrows unexplained variance. S, species richness; N, individual abundance; RS, species range size; T_A, average annual temperature; P_A, average annual precipitation; E_A, average annual normalized difference vegetation index; T_VN, average annual temperature corrected by its annual coefficient of variation fitted to N; T_VS, average annual temperature corrected by its annual coefficient of variation fitted to S; E_VN, average annual EVI corrected by its annual coefficient of variation fitted to N; T_R, annual temperature range; P_R, standard deviation of annual precipitation; T_M, annual minimum temperature; P_M, annual minimum precipitation.

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Figure 4 Best fitting model (OCHQ, Figure 1f) after elimination of non-significant paths. Arrows and variables as in Figure 1.

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Figure 5 Annual temperature (red line) and precipitation (black points and dashed line) throughout the altitudinal gradients analyzed.

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Table I Taxonomic position of total species recorded in study sites: Abundance represents total number of individuals collected throughout sampling.

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Table II Goodnes of fit used for model selection and analysis of the spatial structure of causal models; SEH, species-energy hypothesis; SEH_M, species energy hypothesis modified; CVH, climatic variability hypothesis; CEH, climatic extreme hypothesis; OCH, climatic optimal hypothesis; and OCHQ, quadratic version of the climatic optimal hypothesis. SB^- ^χ², Satorra-Bentler-^χ²; NNFI, Non-Normed Fit Index (high values indicate good fit); CFI, Comparative Fit Index (high values indicate good fit); BIC, Schwartz-Bayes Information Criterion (low values indicate good fit); R², proportion of variance explained (high values indicate good fit); a, variance explained by nonenvironmental spatial fraction; b, variance explained by spatially structured environmental fraction; c, variance explained by nonspatial environmental fraction; and d, unexplained variation. AIC, Akaike’s Information Criterion used for spatially structured model selection; dAIC, relative model fit (the best fitting model has dAIC = 0).

Subfamily	Tribe	Species	Abundance
Alleculinae	Alleculini	Lobopoda breyeri	1
Lagriinae		Gen. sp. undetermined	1
Pimeliinae	Caenocrypticini	Caenocrypticoides triplehorni	26
	Edrotini	Arthroconus sp. 1	31
		Arthroconus sp. 2	19
		Hylithus kovacsi	4
		Hylithus tentyroides tentyroides	33
	Epitragini	Epitragus sp.	3
		Nyctopetus sp.	3
		Nyctopetus tenebrioides aconcaguensis	88
		Omopheres sp.	3
	Nycteliini	Epipedonota cristallisata	543
		Epipedonota senex	138
		Mitragenius araneiformis	27
		Nyctelia laevis	148
		Nyctelia nevadoensis	367
		Nyctelia plicatipennis	80
		Nyctelia setipennis	12
		Psectracelis semistrigosa	14
		Psectrascelis mamillionea	29
		Scelidospecta lobata	1
	Physogasterini	Gen. sp. undetermined	2
	Praocini	Calymmophorus cucullatus	2
		Falsopraocis australis	336
		Platyholmus uspallatensis	5
		Praocis concinna	13
		Praocis rotundata	27
		Praocis sp. 1	91
	Stenosini	Discopleurus sp.	2
		Ecnomoderes bruchi	1
Tenebrioninae	Opatrini	Blapstinus punctulatus	35
	Scotobiini	Scotobius andrassy	114
		Scotobius wittmeri	14
		Scotobius punctatus	94

Model	SB^-χ ²	NNFI	CFI	BIC	R²	a	b	c	d	AIC	dAIC
SEH	0.01	-0.18	0.41	0.04	<0.01	0.56	0.03	0.02	0.39	7.78	14.50
SEH_M	<0.01	-0.89	0.06	40.79	<0.01	0.56	0.03	0.02	0.39	7.78	14.50
CVH	<0.01	-3.33	0.28	16.13	0.24	0.38	0.21	0.02	0.39	11.04	17.76
CEH	0.05	0.64	0.94	0.18	0.32	0.37	0.22	0.09	0.32	7.87	14.59
OCH	0.12	-0.13	0.66	-4.89	0.21	0.53	0.06	0.15	0.26	4.77	11.49
OCHQ	0.99	0.95	0.98	-42.28	0.62	0.25	0.34	0.25	0.16	-6.72	0.00

Predictions and test of multiple climate-species richness hypotheses to explain the spatial distribution of tenebrionid beetles in mountain environments

Abstract