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

RODOLFO CARRARA

conducted the study by collecting data in the field

performing the statistical analyses

producing the results and manuscript writing

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

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2432-5734

DIEGO P. VÁZQUEZ

conducted the study by collecting data in the field

performing the statistical analyses

producing the results and manuscript writing

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

Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, Padre Jorge Contreras 1300, M5502JMA Mendoza, Argentina

Freiburg Institute for Advanced Studies, Univeresity of Freiburg, Albertraße 19, 79104 Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3449-5748

ANA M. SCOLLO

contributed with the collection of data in the field

sample cleaning and separation

text review

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

https://orcid.org/0009-0005-7288-9739

GUSTAVO E. FLORES

supervised the research

contributed to the discussion

text review.

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

https://orcid.org/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

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

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

Abstract