Energy, Density, and Constraints to Species Richness: Ant Assemblages along a Productivity Gradient

2000 ◽  
Vol 155 (2) ◽  
pp. 280-293 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Kaspari ◽  
Sean O'Donnell ◽  
James R. Kercher
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Energy Density ◽  
Ant Assemblages ◽  
Productivity Gradient

Latitudinal patterns in European ant assemblages: variation in species richness and body size

Oecologia ◽  
1993 ◽  
Vol 95 (1) ◽  
pp. 30-37 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Hall Cushman ◽  
John H. Lawton ◽  
Bryan F. J. Manly
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Body Size ◽  
Ant Assemblages ◽  
Latitudinal Patterns

Effect of treefall gaps on the patchiness and species richness of Neotropical ant assemblages

Oecologia ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 116 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 191-201 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donald H. Feener Jr. ◽  
Eugene W. Schupp
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Ant Assemblages ◽  
Treefall Gaps

scholarly journals Effects of the Trophobiont HerbivoreCalloconophora pugionata(Hemiptera) on Ant Fauna Associated withMyrcia obovata(Myrtaceae) in a Montane Tropical Forest

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roberth Fagundes ◽  
Kleber Del-Claro ◽  
Sérvio Pontes Ribeiro
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Species Diversity ◽  
Tropical Forest ◽  
Host Plant ◽  
Atlantic Forest ◽  
Main Hypothesis ◽  
Ant Assemblages ◽  
Montane Tropical Forest ◽  
Positive Effect ◽  
Dominant Ant

Many studies have investigated the mechanisms behind the structure of arboreal ant assemblages. In this study, the objective was to evaluate the effect of availability of honeydew-producing colonies ofCalloconophora pugionata(Membracidae) on the structure of ant assemblages associated with the host plantMyrcia obovata(Myrtaceae) in an Atlantic forest of Minas Gerais (Brazil). Our experiment consisted in a gradual exclusion of hemipteran colonies out of the host plant crown and further record of the ant assemblage response (species richness, composition, and occurrence) to the presence and density of treehopper colonies. The hypothesis was that an increase in the number of trophobiont herbivores results in an increase in tending ant occurrence but a reduction in ant species diversity. Results corroborated our main hypothesis: membracids had a positive effect on the occurrence of ants but negative on species richness. Overall insect occurrence was also reduced with increasing inC. pugionatacolonies, probably due to strengthening dominant ant species territory sizes and intensification of patrolling.

Energy density and its variation in space limit species richness of boreal forest birds

2012 ◽  
Vol 39 (8) ◽  
pp. 1462-1472 ◽  
Author(s):  
Merja Elo ◽  
Jean-Michel Roberge ◽  
Ari Rajasärkkä ◽  
Mikko Mönkkönen
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Energy Density ◽  
Boreal Forest ◽  
Forest Birds ◽  
Space Limit ◽  
Boreal Forest Birds

scholarly journals Changes in Epigaeic Ant Assemblage Structure in the Amazon during Successional Processes after Bauxite Mining

Sociobiology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 68 (1) ◽  
pp. 4973
Author(s):  
Geraldo Wilson Fernandes ◽  
Tate C. Lana ◽  
Carla R. Ribas ◽  
Jose Henrique Schoereder ◽  
Ricardo Solar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Ground Cover ◽  
Ecological Succession ◽  
Sampling Effort ◽  
Pitfall Traps ◽  
Bauxite Mining ◽  
Mining Areas ◽  
Ant Assemblages ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Advanced Stages

Environmental impact studies often involve monitoring and using bioindicators to evaluate the restoration stage of impacted areas. We aimed to assess ant assemblages’ response to the ecological succession of previously disturbed areas in the Brazilian Amazon. We sampled epigeic ant assemblages in five bauxite mining areas, representing different restoration stages, and compared them with two pristine areas. We also compared trends in species richness at the same mine site investigated 14 years earlier. Ten pitfall traps and four Winkler samples of litter were taken along a 100-m transect in each area. We expected that ant species richness would increase with the amelioration in habitat condition (i.e., environmental surrogates of ecological succession, including litter depth, soil penetrability, the circumference of trees, the distance of trees to adjacent trees, and percentage of ground cover). We also compared the efficacy of both sampling methods. Due to more significant sampling effort, pitfall traps captured more ant species than Winkler sacks. However, Winkler samples’ addition allowed the collection of more cryptic species than by pitfall traps alone. We sampled a total of 129 ant species, with increases in ant species richness in more mature rehabilitation. Nevertheless, similarity analysis indicated a significant difference between ant assemblages of rehabilitated areas and pristine ones. Assemblages differed mainly by the presence of specialist and rare species, found only in pristine plots. Rehabilitated areas exhibited a significant increase in tree circumference as they reached more ecologically advanced stages, which contributed to increasing ant species richness. These trends and comparison with the earlier study indicate that although there are favorable increases in ant species richness, in terms of species composition, rehabilitated areas were far from achieving an ant assemblage composition or environmental status that closely resembles pristine areas.

scholarly journals Ant Assemblage Structure in a Secondary Tropical Dry Forest: The Role of Ecological Succession and Seasonality

Sociobiology ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 64 (3) ◽  
pp. 261 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tatianne Gizelle Marques ◽  
Mário Marcos Espírito-Santo ◽  
Frederico Siqueira Neves ◽  
José Henrique Schoereder
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Tropical Dry Forest ◽  
Dry Forest ◽  
Biological Mechanisms ◽  
Ant Assemblages ◽  
Β Diversity ◽  
Advanced Stages ◽  
Successional Stages ◽  
Late Stages

This study identified the main biological mechanisms governing the diversity of ants on different ecological time scales. Ants were sampled in 15 plots distributed in early, intermediate and late stages of succession (five plots per stage) at the Parque Estadual da Mata Seca, Brazil. At each sample point, unbaited pitfall traps were installed in hypogaeic, epigaeic and arboreal strata. We collected 95 ant species from 26 genera and nine subfamilies. Our results indicated that there was an increase in species richness in advanced stages of succession. We also observed that ant assemblages were different among successional stages. For the arboreal and epigaeic strata, species richness did not change with succession progression, but species composition of these two strata differed among successional stages. Unlike to arboreal and epigaeic ants, hypogaiec ant species richness was higher in the intermediate and late stages of succession and the composition of hypogaeic ants differed among successional stages. Similarity between ant species foraging in arboreal and epigaeic strata decreases with succession progression and β-diversity was higher in advanced successional stages. Additionally, species richness was higher in the dry season, whereas the composition of ant assemblages did not change between seasons. A considerable fraction of the ant assemblage was found only in advanced stages of succession, demonstrating the importance of secondary habitats in maintaining biodiversity in dry forests.

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