ʻO KE KAHUA MA MUA, MA HOPE KE KŪKULU: INVESTIGATING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE FUNCTIONAL TRAITS OF LEAF LITTER AND LITTER-DWELLING ARTHROPODS
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2023-05
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Abstract
The interactions between leaf litter and litter-dwelling arthropods are often overlooked in restoration strategies, despite their importance in facilitating key ecosystem processes and functions. It is also unclear how plant community composition affects our litter-dwelling faunal communities, and the factors governing these relationships. Trait-based ecology presents a good opportunity to study the interactions between leaf litter and litter-dwelling arthropods, and can be useful in uncovering the underlying principles behind their community assemblage patterns. I studied the relationship between the traits of leaf litter and litter-dwelling arthropods in a Hawaiian lowland wet forest (Hilo, Hawai‘i) by 1) identifying how arthropod community composition and functional traits differ between native and introduced plant species, 2) determining if there are correlations between the traits of leaf litter and litter-dwelling arthropods, and 3) comparing the litter-dwelling arthropod functional trait variation of different plant community assemblages used in restoration. I collected leaf litter samples from 20 plant species and four plant communities to quantify their arthropod community composition, and compared their functional trait relationships. For the species litterbags, a total of 14,347 individuals were collected, with 151 different morphospecies. For the treatment litterbags, a total of 73,976 individuals were collected, with 219 different morphospecies. Overall, plant species and their traits were found to influence arthropod community composition. Plant species with traits tending towards the slow, conservative end of the spectrum were found to be strongly associated with larger, more predatory arthropods; and plants with moderate, more acquisitive traits were strongly associated with smaller arthropods lower in trophic positions. Introduced plant species were shown to have similar arthropod abundance and richness as native plant species, emphasizing the potential benefit of including introduced plant species in the restoration of highly degraded ecosystems. Results also showed no difference in arthropod trait variation between plant community assemblages with complementary and redundant plant functional trait profiles, suggesting that resource functional diversity does not support higher niche availability for consumers. Establishing significant linkages between the traits of leaf litter and litter-dwelling arthropods can deepen our understanding of principles governing these relationships, and guide restoration managers in creating strategies that are inclusive to species interactions on a micro-scale.
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Ecology, Arthropods, Functional trait, Leaf litter, Restoration
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