Biodiversidad De Ciliados Y Su Contribucion A La Productividad Secundaria En Briofitos Del Bosque Estatal De Toro Negro, Puerto Rico

Resumen del Libro

During the last two decades there has been on evaluation regarding the controversial observation that to as plant diversity and biomass increases, net primary productivity and retention of nutrients also increases. It is still unknown whether an increase in plant diversity leads to an increase in the diversity and productivity of other trophic levels such as ciliates. Bryophytes represent an ideal system for studying this relationship since their microenvironmental conditions are intermediate between an aquatic and terrestrial system and thus promoting microbial biodiversity and activity. If bryophyte microhabitats generate morphological and spatial heterogeneity, then an increase in bryophyte species richness will stimulate ciliate diversity and consequently their contribution to secondary productivity. Microcosms were established with four levels of richness (random combinations of 1, 3, 5 and 8 bryophyte species). A total of 77 morphospecies of ciliates were found distributed among seven classes: Colpodea, Oligohymenophorea, Spirotrichea, Litostomatea, Nassophorea, Prostomatea and Phyllopharyngea. There was no effect of bryophyte diversity on ciliates species richness (p>0.34) and abundance (p>0.05), that is, an increase in plant species richness apparently does not have an effect on ciliate diversity. And the other hand, there was an effect of bryophyte diversity on the secondary productivity of ciliates (p>0.01). Hence, the highest annual ciliate productivity was found in microcosms with eight species of bryophytes (0.53 kJ (g sustrate yr)-1, whereas the lowest in microcosm one (0.23 kJ (g sutrate yr)-1. The contribution of ciliates to secondary productivity in bryophytes of tropical ecosystems is lower than reported for tropical soils and aquatic ecosystems only increasing when organic matter was added to the microcosm. Despite the fact the bryophyte diversity does not seem to enhance ciliate diversity it stimulate ciliate secondary productivity.