Vertical Stratification of Insect Species Developing in Water-Filled Tree Holes

Forest ecosystems have a distinct vertical dimension, but the structuring of communities in this three-dimensional space is not well understood. Water-filled tree holes are natural microcosms structured metacommunities. Here, we used these as model systems to analyze how insect and occurrence abundance individual species influenced by biotic abiotic microhabitat characteristics, position hole, stand-scale habitat availability. We found that both characteristics water-filled their differ significantly between canopy ground level. Individual showed contrasting responses when important environmental factors at stand tree-hole scale were considered. While some species, such mosquito Aedes geniculatus beetle Prionocyphon serricornis , decreased with increasing height, biting midge Dasyhelea sp., non-biting Metriocnemus cavicola hoverfly Myiatropa florea increased abundance. Our results suggest stratification forests most likely driven only variation properties, i.e., niche separation, also traits, adult dispersal propensity, food preferences mating behavior stages, interspecific competition larval stages. Therefore, developing competition–colonization trade-offs predicted metacommunity theory.