Basal plant facilitation extends to insect community structure and diversity in the Mojave Desert, California
Hypothesis: Larrea tridentata positively influences the abundance and diversity of the insects within its canopy
Predictions:
1.Insect community composition differs between microsites under the L. tridentata canopy and in the open
2.Insect abundance differs between microsites under the L. tridentata canopy and in the open
3.Dominant insect species such as pollinators benefit more strongly from L. tridentata facilitation
Significance:
Shrubs positively influenced insect community structure, but there was no evidence for differences in relative abundance between functional groups of insects (bees and non-bees) suggesting that trophic and non-trophic effects are driven primarily by the shrubs.
Management of these desert shrubs can enhance insect biodiversity and can also increase potential pollination rates of desert annual plant species.
The mechanistic pathways used by L. tridentata to enhance the insect community need to be examined in order to decouple the direct and indirect effects.