| 概要 |
Staphylinidae is a hyper-diverse and abundant family of beetles found worldwide. Like many tropical arthopods, our understanding of neotropical staphylinids suffers several taxonomic impediments. As a consequence, the ecology of many members of the Staphylinidae family in the neotropics is not well defined, begging the usage of alternate methods to gain insights into their ecology. In this seminar, I will discuss my research project into the ecology and functional diversity of Staphylinidae of the Área de Conservación Guanacaste (ACG) in northwestern Costa Rica. I combine molecular ecology (DNA barcoding) with morphometrics and systematics to determine how Staphylinidae functional morphological diversity changes between different habitats along an elevation gradient in my study system. By using this interdisciplinary approach, I gathered insights into how evolutionary history links traits, how much morphological variation is due to environmental factors, and how specialized staphylinids are to their environment. This work contributed to continued efforts to determine at risk communities in the ACG and develop conservation strategies. |
