Bromeliad insect communities and the biology of bromeliad dwelling cockroaches (Blattodea)

Abstract: We look at the role of terrestrial cockroaches in bromeliads and make predictions about trophic specialization and dispersal capabilities. Bromeliads provide a tractable forum for studying ecosystem dynamics and energy cycles. They are relatively small ecosystems where basic principles of ecology can be tested easily. However, they are also unique ecosystems that have interesting dynamics in their own right. The major source of energy in these ecosystems is nutrient input from canopy leaf fall. Our research shows that these nutrients may be: low in micronutrient quality, highly variable over a landscape, and subject to local stochastic effects. This leads to many questions about the nature of bromeliad ecosystems and the adaptations that resident insects would need to maximize fitness.