Climate effects on canopy arthropod communities of pinyon pine and juniper trees

Riskas, Hannah Lee (2021) Climate effects on canopy arthropod communities of pinyon pine and juniper trees. Masters thesis, Northern Arizona University.

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Abstract

Pinyon-juniper woodlands have undergone compositional changes because of climate change in the last several decades as pinyons have succumbed to droughts and bark beetles, and juniper have encroached into grass and shrublands. These changes pose challenges to animal communities utilizing these woodlands, especially for species that specialize on pinyon pine or plant species sensitive to changes in climate. Here we assess potential differences in foliar and bark arthropod communities between pinyon pine (Pinus edulis) and one-seed juniper (Juniperus monosperma) along three elevational gradients in northern Arizona. We sampled 3,275 arthropods comprising 117 species over two years. Some foliar and bark arthropods species differ in abundance and occurrence on or juniper trees, and it is likely that these species specialize on one of these tree species or utilize a resource only associated with one of these tree species. Climatic factors strongly affected arthropods communities and appeared to drive differences between sites and across elevations.Overall, our results suggest that most tree arthropods are not entirely dependent on one of these tree species in pinyon-juniper woodlands, but are strongly linked to climate, especially precipitation. Our results show that tree arthropods in this habitat are more susceptible to changes in climate, especially at lower elevations where it is hot and dry, than changes in dominant tree vegetation. We discuss ecological and management implications of our findings and compare them to foliar and bark arthropods relationships with vegetation in other systems.

Item Type:	Thesis (Masters)
Publisher’s Statement:	© Copyright is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the Cline Library, Northern Arizona University. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author.
Keywords:	Pinyon pine;, One-seed juniper; Climate chang;, Foliar arthropods; Bark arthropods; Ecology; Drought; Arizona; Elevation
Subjects:	S Agriculture > SD Forestry
NAU Depositing Author Academic Status:	Student
Department/Unit:	Graduate College > Theses and Dissertations College of the Environment, Forestry, and Natural Sciences > School of Forestry
Date Deposited:	05 Jul 2022 22:30
Last Modified:	05 Jul 2022 22:30
URI:	https://openknowledge.nau.edu/id/eprint/5808

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