ENTOMOFAUNA ASSOCIATED WITH AGROFORESTRY SYSTEMS IMMERSED IN THE MESOPHILIC MOUNTAIN FOREST OF ATZALAN, PUEBLA, MEXICO

Abstract

Agroforestry systems contribute to entomological conservation by allowing the development of interactions that maintain the stability of the agroecosystem. To determine the diversity of insect families and their trophic guilds associated with agroforestry systems immersed in the mountain mesophyll forest, two agricultural systems (agroforestry and agrosilvopastoral) were studied in Atzalan, in the municipality of Xochiapulco, Puebla, Mexico. Insect collections were conducted at 10 sites from November 2021 to October 2022. The frequencies of observation (FO), the richness estimator (Jackknife test), and the indices of relative abundance (RAI), diversity (Shannon-Wiener), equity, and evenness (Jaccard) were determined. Kruskal-Wallis, χ² and cluster analysis tests were performed. The frequencies of observation showed high values for the families Drosophilidae (34.15 %), Tachinidae (9.45 %), and Sciaridae (4.95 %). The RAI had higher values for Drosophilidae (0.68), Tachinidae (0.18), and Sciaridae (0.09). The Jackknife test presented average values of 70.1, 91.7, and 94.77. The Shannon-Wiener index exhibited an average diversity of H ́ = 3.78, 4.12, and 4.18. The Jaccard index displayed values of 45, 53, and 55 %, respectively. The Kruskal-Wallis test exhibited significant differences for abundance, richness, and diversity. The χ² test showed that abundance and richness for the agrosilvicultural condition were not as expected by the model. Cluster analysis showed the formation of two, two, and three clusters for abundance and five, two, and three, respectively, for richness. The evaluated systems harbor a high diversity of insect families that apply the differential use of the available trophic resource and allow the ecological balance of the analyzed agroecosystems. It is recommended to broaden the structural complexity of agroforestry systems in order to contribute to the conservation of entomological resources.