A survey of Coleopteran species richness, diversity and abundance in habitats along a disturbance gradient

Three microhabitats in La Cruz, Costa Rica were surveyed for Coleopteran species richness, diversity and abundance in primary forest, secondary forest and active pasture. Survey sites correlated with levels of disturbance, which were hypothesized to reflect the availability and diversity of natural resources. A total of 865 Coleopterans were collected. Of the collected samples, 125 morpho-species and 22 families were identified. Species richness, diversity and abundance were calculated to see if they correlated with levels of habitat disturbance. It was hypothesized that natural resource abundance and diversity would be associated with levels of habitat disturbance. Forested areas with less habitat disturbance ought to have a greater variety of available resources on account of microclimate diversity and would therefore be able to sustain a greater diversity of Coleopterans. Results indicated that morpho-species richness was highest in primary forest whereas Coleopteran family analysis showed that family richness was highest in secondary forest. Results validate a correlation between habitat disturbance and Coleopteran diversity. Tres microhabitats en la Cruz, Costa Rica fueron encuestados para conocer la riqueza de especies, la diversidad y la abundancia de coleópteros en un bosque primario, en un bosque secundario y en un pastizal activo.https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/tropical_ecology/1508/thumbnail.jp