The Abras de Mantequilla wetland, a Neotropical Ramsar site in coastal Ecuador, is a landscape where agricultural production increasingly overlaps with biodiversity conservation. In this context, cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.) agroecosystems may function as complementary habitats for arthropod diversity. We evaluated arthropod communities associated with cocoa agroecosystems across three sectors of the wetland (high, medium, and low) using standardized manual sampling and baited traps. Specimens were identified to the lowest feasible taxonomic level and assigned to functional groups. A total of 2,896 arthropod specimens were recorded, representing 51 unique taxa and 81 sector-level taxon ocurrences, across 11 orders, and 31 families, with Hemiptera as the dominant order. The medium sector showed the highest abundance and taxonomic richness, whereas the low sector presented the highest evenness. Assemblages were dominated by sap-sucking herbivores, but predators, parasitoids, and detritivores were also well represented, indicating the coexistence of ecosystem disservices and ecological regulation within the same production system. These findings suggest that cocoa agroecosystems embedded in this Ramsar wetland retain considerable ecological complexity and may contribute to insect conservation and wetland-friendly management when canopy cover is maintained and pesticide use is reduced.
Litardo et al. (Wed,) studied this question.
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