Morphological approaches to community structure in hoverflies (Diptera, Syrphidae)

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Abstract
Simulation techniques are used to generate random communities of hoverflies that can be compared with observed communities: both the species composition and morphological size ratios are compared. Patterns of morphology are also examined through the study of size ratios within taxa. Three sites were surveyed, 2 man-made garden habitats, and 1 ancient woodland. The man-made habitats contained assemblages of species indistinguishable from species assembled randomly from those present in the county (area = 3400 km2) as a whole, given the assumptions of the random model. The ancient woodland site contained significantly fewer species in common with the man-made habitats than expected from the random model. Size ratios (of both absolute and relative proboscis length) show a similar pattern, with non-random (constant) ratios observed among the common species in ancient woodland. Significantly constant proboscis length ratios were detected in Eristalis and Platycheirus. In the former, these are due to regular ratios of general body size. In Platycheirus, species have significantly regular differences in relative as well as absolute proboscis length.