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Journal of Entomology

Year: 2017 | Volume: 14 | Issue: 5 | Page No.: 228-233
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Authors

Kehinde Temitope Olatayo

Kehinde Temitope Olatayo

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Research Article

Alpha and Beta Diversity of Flower-visiting Insects in Different Land Use Types

Kehinde Temitope Olatayo Kehinde Temitope Olatayo's LiveDNA
Background and Objective: Assessments of insect diversity in human landscapes often focus on local scale (alpha) diversity with little attention given to species turnover (beta diversity) of these organisms at the landscape scale. This is particularly crucial for highly mobile insects such as flower visiting insects. This study, therefore, assessed the effects of four land use types (agricultural land, grazed grassland, mown grassland and secondary forest) on the alpha and beta diversity of flower-visiting insects in Ile-Ife, Nigeria. Materials and Methods: Three replicates of each land use type were selected. Flower-visiting insects were sampled using coloured pan traps and aerial netting along 100 m transects on each study site. Additive partitioning was used to derive alpha and beta diversity of flower-visiting insects. Results: About 40, 57, 54 and 51 species of flower-visiting insects were obtained from agricultural land, grazed grassland, mown grassland and secondary forest habitats, respectively. Beta diversity had significantly higher percentage contribution to the total diversity compared to alpha diversity. Furthermore, while land use had no significant effect on alpha diversity, there was a marginally significant effect on beta diversity. This underscores the very crucial place of beta diversity in holistic assessments of flower-visiting insect diversity. Conclusion: Species turnover of flower-visiting insects provides information on the sensitivity of these organisms to disturbance such as land use change.
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