BackgroundRecently it has been proposed that the genetic diversity of foundation species influences the structure and function of the community by creating locally stable conditions for other species and modulating ecosystem dynamics. Oak species are an ideal system to test this hypothesis because many of them have a wide geographical distribution, and they are dominant elements of the forest canopy. In this study we explored the response of canopy arthropod community structure (diversity and biomass) to the level of genetic diversity of Quercus crassipes and Q. rugosa, two important canopy species. Also, we examined the effect of oak species and locality on some community structure parameters (diversity, biomass, rare species, and richness of arthropod fauna) of canopy arthropods. In total, 160 canopies were fogged in four localities at the Mexican Valley (ten trees per species per locality per season).ResultsQ. crassipes registered the highest number of rare species, diversity index, biomass, and richness in comparison with Q. rugosa. We found a positive and significant relationship between genetic diversity parameters and canopy arthropod diversity. However, canopy arthropod biomass registered an inverse pattern. Our results support the hypothesis that the genetic diversity of the host-plant species influences the assemblage of the canopy arthropod community.ConclusionsThe pattern found in our study provides a powerful tool when trying to predict the effects of the genetic diversity of the host-plant species on different community structure parameters, which permits assignment of a new conservation status to foundation species based on their genetic diversity.

中文翻译：

---

寄主植物遗传多样性对墨西哥中部橡树冠层节肢动物群落结构的影响

背景最近有人提出基础物种的遗传多样性通过为其他物种创造局部稳定条件和调节生态系统动态来影响群落的结构和功能。橡树树种是检验这一假设的理想系统，因为其中许多树种具有广泛的地理分布，并且它们是森林冠层的主要元素。在这项研究中，我们探讨了冠层节肢动物群落结构（多样性和生物量）对两个重要冠层物种 Quercus crassipes 和 Q. rugosa 遗传多样性水平的响应。此外，我们还研究了橡树物种和地点对冠层节肢动物的一些群落结构参数（多样性、生物量、稀有物种和节肢动物群的丰富度）的影响。总共，在墨西哥山谷的四个地方（每个季节每个地方每个物种十棵树）有 160 个树冠被雾化。与 Q. rugosa 相比， crassipes 登记的稀有物种、多样性指数、生物量和丰富度最高。我们发现遗传多样性参数与冠层节肢动物多样性之间存在显着的正相关关系。然而，冠层节肢动物生物量记录了相反的模式。我们的结果支持寄主植物物种的遗传多样性影响冠层节肢动物群落组合的假设。结论我们研究中发现的模式为试图预测寄主植物物种遗传多样性的影响提供了一个有力的工具在不同的群落结构参数上，