Correlates of stability and diversity in weevil communities

Abstract

Among the parameters describing weevil communities two groups of parameters, which are positively correlated among themselves, were found. The first group includes: relative abundance, number of species, and participation of "habitat generalists", the second: stability, mean body size, and participation of "habitat specialists". The parameters belonging to opposite groups were negatively correlated.Among the parameters describing host plants of the weevils, no correlation was found between species number and relative abundance, while a negative correlation was found between total mass of host plants and their relative abundance.Weevil species diversity and the group of its correlates were positively correlated with analogical parameters of their host plants while weevil stability showed positive correlation with the total mass of host plants and the proportion of these plants in the total mass of vegetation.The reasons for negative correlation between stability and diversity of weevils and relations of these two parameters to selection strategy of these beetles are discussed.