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1. Hurricanes lead to declines in taxonomic, phylogenetic, and functional richness and shifts in moth community composition

   https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.70279  

   Alonso‐Rodríguez, Aura M; Gutiérrez‐Fonseca, Pablo E; Agnarsson, Ingi; Hulshof, Catherine M; Miller, Scott E; Ricketts, Taylor H (May 2025, Ecosphere)

   Abstract Disturbances play a central role in shaping biodiversity, influencing both community structure and ecosystem function. The responses of biodiversity to disturbance are inherently multidimensional, often leading to shifts in taxonomic composition, functional traits, and evolutionary dynamics within biological communities. Unraveling these dimensions offers valuable insights into ecosystem resilience and how communities adapt under changing disturbance regimes. This study examines the immediate effects of large‐scale hurricane disturbance on the taxonomic, phylogenetic, and functional dimensions of moth biodiversity in a tropical forest. We conducted monthly moth surveys in two forest types within the Luquillo Mountains of Puerto Rico, 5 months before and 6 months after Hurricanes Irma and María (September 2017). We collected 6152 individuals from 244 species across 19 families, performed DNA barcoding for phylogenetic analysis, and classified them by functional traits such as body size, coloration, and proboscis presence. Our findings show that hurricane disturbance reduced species richness across all diversity dimensions, while functional diversity among dominant species increased, suggesting potential stabilization of ecosystem functions despite reduced richness. In addition, the hurricanes altered both taxonomic and phylogenetic composition, with smaller grass‐feeding species increasing in abundance post‐hurricane, while larger arboreal‐feeding species, especially geometrid moths, declined markedly. These shifts highlight potential effects on trophic interactions, given moths' key roles as herbivores, pollinators, and prey. Although these systems have evolved under repeated hurricane disturbances, the long‐term consequences of a changing climate remain uncertain, particularly as more frequent and severe hurricanes may reset successional pathways and hinder forest recovery. By integrating multiple dimensions of biodiversity, our study provides a more holistic understanding of the complex consequences of hurricanes on insect communities and can inform conservation strategies aimed at enhancing ecosystem resilience. 

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2. Arthropods are not declining but are responsive to disturbance in the Luquillo Experimental Forest, Puerto Rico

   https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2002556117  

   Schowalter, Timothy D.; Pandey, Manoj; Presley, Steven J.; Willig, Michael R.; Zimmerman, Jess K. (January 2021, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences)

   null (Ed.)

   A number of recent studies have documented long-term declines in abundances of important arthropod groups, primarily in Europe and North America. These declines are generally attributed to habitat loss, but a recent study [B.C. Lister, A. Garcia, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 115, E10397–E10406 (2018)] from the Luquillo Experimental Forest (LEF) in Puerto Rico attributed declines to global warming. We analyze arthropod data from the LEF to evaluate long-term trends within the context of hurricane-induced disturbance, secondary succession, and temporal variation in temperature. Our analyses demonstrate that responses to hurricane-induced disturbance and ensuing succession were the primary factors that affected total canopy arthropod abundances on host trees, as well as walkingstick abundance on understory shrubs. Ambient and understory temperatures played secondary roles for particular arthropod species, but populations were just as likely to increase as they were to decrease in abundance with increasing temperature. The LEF is a hurricane-mediated system, with major hurricanes effecting changes in temperature that are larger than those induced thus far by global climate change. To persist, arthropods in the LEF must contend with the considerable variation in abiotic conditions associated with repeated, large-scale, and increasingly frequent pulse disturbances. Consequently, they are likely to be well-adapted to the effects of climate change, at least over the short term. Total abundance of canopy arthropods after Hurricane Maria has risen to levels comparable to the peak after Hurricane Hugo. Although the abundances of some taxa have declined over the 29-y period, others have increased, reflecting species turnover in response to disturbance and secondary succession. 

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3. Succession and seasonality drive tropical butterfly assembly after an extreme hurricane

   https://doi.org/10.1111/btp.13331  

   Aparicio‐Jiménez, Dayneris; Terry, Caitlin N.; Massol‐Deyá, Arturo; Puente‐Rolón, Alberto R.; Hulshof, Catherine M. (April 2024, Biotropica)

   Abstract The composition and biodiversity of insect community assemblages are mediated by a complex set of biotic and abiotic factors. Among these factors are forest structure and atmospheric variables (like temperature and humidity), which are heavily influenced by frequent hurricane activity in the Caribbean. Despite this, changes in Caribbean insect assemblages as forests recover from hurricane disturbance are poorly documented. Butterflies represent a charismatic model taxon in biodiversity and conservation, and are thus an ideal subject for exemplifying these shifts in insect abundances and diversity across ecological succession. Here, we monitored butterfly communities in two Puerto Rican forests differing in structure (i.e., canopy height, tree size) to assess butterfly diversity, abundances, and community level wing traits (size and color) over 1 year, beginning 6 months after Hurricane Maria. Monthly sampling over the course of 1 year revealed no relationships between abundances and canopy openness or humidity; instead, species abundances fluctuated seasonally and were nonlinearly correlated with temperature. In contrast, wing size and color were linearly correlated with abiotic variables. Specifically, wings were larger in cooler and more open conditions. Wing color saturation and brightness were negatively correlated with humidity. Our results suggest that, first, a functional approach may provide better insight into the factors mediating species responses to disturbances. Second, further disentangling abundance seasonality from impacts of extreme disturbances necessitates long‐term monitoring. Abstract in Spanish is available with online material. 

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4. On the Shoulders of Giants: Continuing the Legacy of Large-Scale Ecosystem Manipulation Experiments in Puerto Rico

   https://doi.org/10.3390/f10030210  

   Wood, Tana; González, Grizelle; Silver, Whendee; Reed, Sasha; Cavaleri, Molly (March 2019, Forests)

   There is a long history of experimental research in the Luquillo Experimental Forest in Puerto Rico. These experiments have addressed questions about biotic thresholds, assessed why communities vary along natural gradients, and have explored forest responses to a range of both anthropogenic and non-anthropogenic disturbances. Combined, these studies cover many of the major disturbances that affect tropical forests around the world and span a wide range of topics, including the effects of forest thinning, ionizing radiation, hurricane disturbance, nitrogen deposition, drought, and global warming. These invaluable studies have greatly enhanced our understanding of tropical forest function under different disturbance regimes and informed the development of management strategies. Here we summarize the major field experiments that have occurred within the Luquillo Experimental Forest. Taken together, results from the major experiments conducted in the Luquillo Experimental Forest demonstrate a high resilience of Puerto Rico’s tropical forests to a variety of stressors. 

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5. Understory plant communities show resistance to drought, hurricanes, and experimental warming in a wet tropical forest

   https://doi.org/10.3389/ffgc.2022.733967  

   Alonso-Rodríguez, Aura M.; Wood, Tana E.; Torres-Díaz, Jamarys; Cavaleri, Molly A.; Reed, Sasha C.; Bachelot, Benedicte (July 2022, Frontiers in Forests and Global Change)

   Global climate change has led to rising temperatures and to more frequent and intense climatic events, such as storms and droughts. Changes in climate and disturbance regimes can have non-additive effects on plant communities and result in complicated legacies we have yet to understand. This is especially true for tropical forests, which play a significant role in regulating global climate. We used understory vegetation data from the Tropical Responses to Altered Climate Experiment (TRACE) in Puerto Rico to evaluate how plant communities responded to climate warming and disturbance. The TRACE understory vegetation was exposed to a severe drought (2015), 2 years of experimental warming (4°C above ambient in half of the plots, 2016–2017 and 2018–2019), and two major hurricanes (Irma and María, September 2017). Woody seedlings and saplings were censused yearly from 2015 to 2019, with an additional census in 2015 after the drought ended. We evaluated disturbance-driven changes in species richness, diversity, and composition across ontogeny. We then used Bayesian predictive trait modeling to assess how species responded to disturbance and how this might influence the functional structure of the plant community. Our results show decreased seedling richness after hurricane disturbance, as well as increased sapling richness and diversity after warming. We found a shift in species composition through time for both seedlings and saplings, yet the individual effects of each disturbance were not significant. At both ontogenetic stages, we observed about twice as many species responding to experimental warming as those responding to drought and hurricanes. Predicted changes in functional structure point to disturbance-driven functional shifts toward a mixture of fast-growing and drought-tolerant species. Our findings demonstrate that the tropical forest understory community is more resistant to climatic stressors than expected, especially at the sapling stage. However, early signs of changes in species composition suggest that, in a warming climate with frequent droughts and hurricanes, plant communities might shift over time toward fast-growing or drought-tolerant species. 

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