热带雨林林冠层和林下层生物捕食水平的调查

A Comparative Study of Predation Level Between Canopy and Understory of Tropical Rainforest

指出了热带雨林作为地球上生物多样性最为丰富的生态系统,有着复杂的物理结构和生物交互。林冠层和林下层由于接受光照等条件不同,造成了不同的微环境。在不同的微环境里,蚂蚁和鸟类等捕食者对植食性昆虫的捕食水平可能有所差异。利用绿色橡皮泥制作模拟自然状态下的毛毛虫,探究了其在热带雨林林冠和林下层的被捕食的水平的差异。结果显示:林下层的捕食水平显著高于林冠层,并且蚂蚁有着显著高于鸟类的捕食水平。这说明热带雨林的林冠层资源丰富、结构复杂,在为植食性昆虫提供大量食物资源的同时也能为其提供庇护从而躲避天敌,尤其是鸟类的捕食。

Tropical rainforest is the most biologically diverse ecosystem on the planet with complex physical structures and biological interactions.Due to the difference in terms of light intensity and other environmental factors, rainforest canopy and understory have a contrasting micro-environment, whichmay lead to a discrepancy of predation level from ants, birds and other insectivorous predators between canopy and understory. This study used dummy caterpillars made by green plasticine to investigate whether the predation level between rainforest canopy and understory is different. The results show that the predation level is remarkably higher in understory compared with canopy, and the predation from ants significantly exceed that of birds, which indicates that the rich resources in rainforest canopy can not only be fed by herbivorous insects but also could offer an ideal refuge for them.