Species diversity and geographic distribution in mountain systems are affected by multiple factors, including those that vary systematically with elevation (e.g.temperature, pressure, solar radiation, area of bioclimatic floors) and others that are much more unpredictable (e.g. volcanic eruptions). In this project we have the aim to document altitudinal patterns in abundance, species richness, taxonomic composition and relevant morphological attributes in assemblages of epigaeic Coleoptera and ants to explain the presence of taxa more and less susceptible to volcanic eruptions, and to identify the magnitude of the ecological response and the existence of biological legacy patterns that are determinants of the evolution and recovery of these ecosystems.
Biological diversity in Andean systems subjected to extreme natural events
