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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
Lightning Damage Stimulates Beetle Activity In A Tropical Forest, Samantha C. Vaughn, Kane A. Lawhorn, Evan M. Gora, Steve P. Yanoviak
Lightning Damage Stimulates Beetle Activity In A Tropical Forest, Samantha C. Vaughn, Kane A. Lawhorn, Evan M. Gora, Steve P. Yanoviak
Undergraduate Arts and Research Showcase
Disturbance alters the structure of ecological communities. Localized disturbances in tropical rainforests often create canopy gaps - patches of forest where large trees have fallen or are defoliated. Lightning is a major cause of large-tree mortality, and consequently gaps, in tropical forests. Lightning-caused gaps consist of abundant dead standing wood which likely is a predictable resource for saproxylic arthropods, specifically wood-boring beetles (Coleoptera). The goal of this study was to provide a preliminary evaluation of the beetles that are attracted to lightning-damaged trees in a tropical forest. We placed flight intercept traps in the subcanopy of 8 trees (4 struck …