Community Structure and Dynamics in Desert Ecosystems: Potential Implications for Insecticide Risk Assessment

摘要: Insecticides are increasingly being used in hot arid ecosystems. The evaluation of the ecological risk these insecticides may pose, however, is based largely on data derived from temperate organisms and major differences composition, structure, functioning desert animal communities when compared to terrestrial ecosystems discussed. Desert characterized by a high fraction ectotherms (both vertebrates invertebrates); rodents insectivores appear dominate mammalian fauna; detritivores make up very large part arthropod fauna. Presently available toxicity cover groups only limited extent. It not known if ranges insecticide susceptibility observed species representative those organisms. Thus, it certain that ecotoxicological assessments such sets adequately protect communities. shown food web connectance higher than grasslands or forests. This extent be due degree omnivory among Population regulation between predators prey appears weaker deserts. same often, though always, case for competition argued characteristics will reduce chance strong indirect effects perturbations occur. In spite fact many well adapted cope with temporal spatial environmental variability, there no reason believe they always recover more rapidly population caused insecticides. relatively physiological life-history plasticity encountered animals increase tolerance stress. Food chains longer deserts implications this observation biomagnification contaminants