Mycetophilidae (Diptera) in Dominican amber as indicators of ecosystem stability in the Caribbean - faunistic changes through geological time

嗜丝菌科(双翅目)是一种线虫苍蝇，其幼虫生活在森林地面的凋落物中，在那里它们参与有机物的分解。这里提出的项目涉及对多米尼加琥珀中的嗜丝菌科化石和加勒比海地区该科现存成员的动物群分析。动物群之间的相似和不同将使人们深入了解地质时期的环境变化对热带雨林生态系统的影响。基于落叶的嗜丝菌动物群的研究结果将与来自不同栖息地的其他昆虫分类群的研究结果进行比较，例如水蝇科摇蚊。对关键分类群的区系分析构成了古森林古生态重建的有效途径，并揭示了环境变化引起的潜在变化。多米尼加产琥珀的森林是进行地质时期环境变化影响比较研究的理想之地。特别是该区域的气候发生了重大变化，经历了凉爽和干燥的时期。这些气候变化对加勒比海热带雨林生态系统的影响尚不清楚。

Mycetophilidae (Diptera) are nematoceran flies whose larvae live in the litter on forest floors, where they partake in decomposition of organic matter. The project proposed here concerns faunistic analyses of fossil Mycetophilidae in Dominican amber and the extant members of this family in the Caribbean. Similarities and differences between the faunas will provide insight into the impact that environmental changes through geological time had on the rainforest ecosystem. The results for the litterbased mycetophilid fauna will be compared with studies on other insect taxa from different habitats, such as the aquatic fly family Chironomidae. Faunistic analyses of key taxa constitute a productive approach for a palaeoecological reconstruction of the ancient forest, and reveal potential alterations induced by environmental change. The Dominican amber-producing forest is ideal for conducting comparative studies on the impact of environmental changes through geological time. Climate in particular has undergone significant changes in this region and experienced cool and dry periods. The effects of these climatic changes on the tropical rainforestecosystems in the Caribbean are still unclear.