ecology of phasmids - KLUEDO - Universität Kaiserslautern

Table of Contents II
Table of Contents
Acknowledgements ..................................................................................................................... I
Table of Contents .......................................................................................................................II
List of Figures.............................................................................................................................V
List of Tables ............................................................................................................................ VI
List of Abbreviations ..............................................................................................................VII
1 Introduction..............................................................................................................................1
1.1 General aspects....................................................................................................................1
1.2 Current knowledge about tropical phasmid ecology...........................................................2
1.2.1 Design and aims of the study.....................................................................................................3
1.3 Site characterization and general methods ..........................................................................5
1.3.1 Study site, vegetation and climate .............................................................................................5
1.3.2 Maintenance of phasmid species in the laboratory....................................................................7
1.3.3 Identification of phasmid and plant species...............................................................................7
1.3.4 Data analysis..............................................................................................................................8
2 Community structure and host range of phasmids on BCI .................................................9
2.1 Introduction .........................................................................................................................9
2.2 Materials and methods.......................................................................................................11
2.2.1 Line-transects ..........................................................................................................................11
2.2.2 No-choice feeding trials...........................................................................................................12
2.2.3 Data analysis............................................................................................................................12
2.2.3.1 Estimating phasmid community parameters........................................................12
2.2.3.2 Estimating niche dimensions and overlap ...........................................................15
2.3 Results ...............................................................................................................................16
2.3.1 Phasmid diversity and density .................................................................................................16
2.3.2 Seasonality...............................................................................................................................17
2.3.3 Food niche ...............................................................................................................................19
2.4 Discussion .........................................................................................................................24
2.4.1 Phasmid diversity, density, and distribution............................................................................24
2.4.2 Seasonality...............................................................................................................................26
2.4.3 Niche breadth and habitat choice.............................................................................................27
2.4.4 Conclusions .............................................................................................................................30