Arthropods in artificial and primary forests in Taiwan: a comparison of community structure and genetic diversities.
Abstract
Recently, the goal of plantation forest management has been transformed into optimizing both economic profits and biodiversity conservation. An understanding of the differences in species composition and community structures between different types of forests is needed to design appropriate management policy to achieve effective conservation. The first object of this proposal research is to realize the differences in spider diversity between primary and plantation forests in low, mid and high elevations in Taiwan and to identify the factors responsible for the observed pattern. Currently, how to effectively conserve genetic diversity of organisms inhabiting forests is an important issue but it does not receive much study in Taiwan. The second object of this study is to use mitochondrial sequences, AFLP and microsatellite to compare the genetic diversity between ground spiders inhabiting primary and plantation forests to realize the potential impacts of habitat alternations on population genetic structures of forest-dwelling organisms. In addition, we will investigate the effects of plantation thinning on spider species and genetic diversities. Plantation thinning not only may alter the species composition and community structure of forest invertebrates, the environmental impacts generated during the operations may potentially affect population genetic structures of ground invertebrates through stochastic processes such as genetic drift and founder effect. We will first compare the spider species and genetic diversities between forests receiving different degree of thinning to have a quick realization of the impacts of such managements. In addition, we will monitor the spider species and genetic diversity before and after different degree of thinning in a plantation forest in central Taiwan to have a direct assessment of such forest management. An understanding of the potential impacts of thinning on both species and genetic diversities will help design appropriate management conducts to effectively conserve various levels of biodiversity of forest organisms.
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Updated: Nov-13-2020 04:47:00 (Taiwan, GMT+08:00).