Permalink : http://hdl.handle.net/2115/45193

This paper reviews previous works on the vertical distributions of drosophilid flies in various forests ranging from the tropics to the subarctic region, especially along the Asian Green Belt, and addresses relationships between forest structure and drosophilid diversity on various spatial scales from the global to forest-stand ones, based on the data obtained by comparable, standardized collecting methods. The structure-diversity relationships show that on any spatial scales, more complex foliage structure contributes to the higher beta diversity along the vertical dimension and in consequence to higher species diversity in the whole community. Thus, the spatial habitat heterogeneity should be an important factor responsible for global to local variations in drosophilid species diversity. In forests with continuous, closed canopy, the vertical foliage structure defines the physical template of habitats, where inhabitant organisms actually interact with each other under various physical environments, and as a consequence determines the species diversity in inhabitant communities.