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Vieira TB, Brasil LS, da Silva LCN, Tejerina‐Garro FL, de Aquino PDPU, Pompeu PS, de Marco P. Elements of fish metacommunity structure in Neotropical freshwater streams. Ecol Evol 2020; 10:12024-12035. [PMID: 33209267 PMCID: PMC7663076 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.6804] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2020] [Revised: 08/17/2020] [Accepted: 08/19/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The identification of the mechanisms underlying patterns of species co-occurrence is a way to identify which process(es) (niche, neutral, or both) structure metacommunities. The current paper had the goal of identifying patterns of co-occurrence in Neotropical stream fish and determining which processes structure the fish metacommunity, and identifying any gradients underlying this structure. Results indicated that the metacommunity formed by the species pool was structured by a pattern of nested co-occurrence (hyperdispersed species loss) and a mass-effect mechanism. However, a set of core species, displaying a Clementsian pattern, was structured by a species-sorting mechanism. Both, hyperdispersed species loss and the Clementsian patterns point to a discrete set of communities within the metacommunity. These communities could be isolated by the water physicochemical conditions or morphological characteristics of the stream channel.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thiago Bernardi Vieira
- Laboratório de Ictiologia de AltamiraFaculdade de Ciências BiológicasUniversidade Federal do ParáAltamiraParáBrazil
| | | | - Liriann Chrisley N. da Silva
- Laboratório de Ictiologia de AltamiraFaculdade de Ciências BiológicasUniversidade Federal do ParáAltamiraParáBrazil
| | - Francisco Leonardo Tejerina‐Garro
- Centro de Biologia AquáticaEscola de Ciências Agrárias e BiológicasPontifícia Universidade Católica de GoiásGoiâniaGoiásBrazil
- Programa de Pós‐Graduação em SociedadeTecnologia e Meio ambienteUniEVANGÉLICAAnápolisGoiásBrazil
| | | | - Paulo S. Pompeu
- Departamento de BiologiaUniversidade Federal de LavrasLavrasMinas GeraisBrazil
| | - Paulo de Marco
- Departamento de EcologiaInstituto de Ciências BiológicasUniversidade Federal de Goiás Campus IIGoiâniaGoiásBrazil
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Yitbarek S, Philpott SM. Arboreal twig-nesting ants form dominance hierarchies over nesting resources. PeerJ 2019; 7:e8124. [PMID: 31799079 PMCID: PMC6884992 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.8124] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2019] [Accepted: 10/30/2019] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Interspecific dominance hierarchies have been widely reported across animal systems. High-ranking species are expected to monopolize more resources than low-ranking species via resource monopolization. In some ant species, dominance hierarchies have been used to explain species coexistence and community structure. However, it remains unclear whether or in what contexts dominance hierarchies occur in tropical ant communities. This study seeks to examine whether arboreal twig-nesting ants competing for nesting resources in a Mexican coffee agricultural ecosystem are arranged in a linear dominance hierarchy. We described the dominance relationships among 10 species of ants and measured the uncertainty and steepness of the inferred dominance hierarchy. We also assessed the orderliness of the hierarchy by considering species interactions at the network level. Based on the randomized Elo-rating method, we found that the twig-nesting ant species Myrmelachista mexicana ranked highest in the ranking, while Pseudomyrmex ejectus was ranked as the lowest in the hierarchy. Our results show that the hierarchy was intermediate in its steepness, suggesting that the probability of higher ranked species winning contests against lower ranked species was fairly high. Motif analysis and significant excess of triads further revealed that the species networks were largely transitive. This study highlights that some tropical arboreal ant communities organize into dominance hierarchies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Senay Yitbarek
- University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, United States of America
| | - Stacy M. Philpott
- University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, United States of America
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Philpott SM, Serber Z, De la Mora A. Influences of Species Interactions With Aggressive Ants and Habitat Filtering on Nest Colonization and Community Composition of Arboreal Twig-Nesting Ants. ENVIRONMENTAL ENTOMOLOGY 2018; 47:309-317. [PMID: 29506257 DOI: 10.1093/ee/nvy015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Ant community assembly is driven by many factors including species interactions (e.g., competition, predation, parasitism), habitat filtering (e.g., vegetation differences, microclimate, food and nesting resources), and dispersal. Canopy ant communities, including dominant and twig-nesting ants, are structured by all these different factors, but we know less about the impacts of species interactions and habitat filters acting at the colonization or recruitment stage. We examined occupation of artificial twig nests placed in shade trees in coffee agroecosystems. We asked whether species interactions-aggression from the dominant canopy ant, Azteca sericeasur Longino (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)-or habitat filtering-species of tree where nests were placed or surrounding vegetation-influence colonization, species richness, and community composition of twig-nesting ants. We found 20 species of ants occupying artificial nests. Nest occupation was lower on trees with A. sericeasur, but did not differ depending on tree species or surrounding vegetation. Yet, there were species-specific differences in occupation depending on A. sericeasur presence and tree species. Ant species richness did not vary with A. sericeasur presence or tree species. Community composition varied with A. sericeasur presence and surrounding vegetation. Our results suggest that species interactions with dominant ants are important determinants of colonization and community composition of twig-nesting ants. Habitat filtering at the level of tree species did not have strong effects on twig-nesting ants, but changes in coffee management may contribute to differences in community composition with important implications for ant conservation in agricultural landscapes, as well as biological control of coffee pests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stacy M Philpott
- Environmental Studies Department, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA
| | - Zachary Serber
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA
| | - Aldo De la Mora
- ECOSUR, Departamento de Entomología Tropical, Carretera Antiguo Aeropuerto Tapachula, Chiapas, Mexico
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Mathis KA, Philpott SM, Ramirez SR. Variation in spatial scale of competing polydomous twig-nesting ants in coffee agroecosystems. INSECTES SOCIAUX 2016; 63:447-456. [PMID: 27795573 PMCID: PMC5082435 DOI: 10.1007/s00040-016-0489-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2015] [Revised: 03/16/2016] [Accepted: 04/25/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Arboreal ants are both highly diverse and ecologically dominant in the tropics. This ecologically important group is particularly useful in ongoing efforts to understand processes that regulate species diversity and coexistence. Our study addresses how polydomy can influence patterns of nest occupation in competing arboreal ants. We examined the spatial structure of nest occupation (nest distance, abundance and density) in three polydomous co-occurring twig-nesting ant species (Pseudomyrmex simplex, P. ejectus and P. PSW-53) by mapping twigs occupied by ants from each species within plots in our study site. We then used two colony structure estimators (intraspecific aggression and cuticular hydrocarbon variation) to determine the relative degree of polydomy for each species. All work was conducted in coffee agroforests in Chiapas, Mexico. Our results revealed that the two species with highest abundance and nest density were also highly polydomous, where both species had either single or multiple non-aggressive colonies occupying nests on a large spatial scale (greater than the hectare level). Our results also indicate that the species with the lowest abundance and density is less polydomous, occupying several overlapping and territorial colonies at the hectare level in which multiple colonies never co-occur on the same host plant. These results contribute evidence that successful coexistence and highly polydomous colony structure may allow ants, through reduced intraspecific aggression, to successfully occupy more nests more densely than ant species that have multiple territorial colonies. Furthermore our study highlights the importance of considering intraspecific interactions when examining community assembly of ants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaitlyn A Mathis
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, Berkeley,130 Mulford Hall, Berkeley, CA 94702-3114, USA.
| | - Stacy M Philpott
- Environmental Studies Department, University of California, Santa Cruz, 1165 High St., Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
| | - Santiago R Ramirez
- Department of Evolution and Ecology, University of California, Davis, 2320 Storer Hall, 1 Shields Ave., Davis, CA, 95616
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Jiménez-Soto E, Philpott SM. Size matters: nest colonization patterns for twig-nesting ants. Ecol Evol 2015; 5:3288-98. [PMID: 26380664 PMCID: PMC4569026 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.1555] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/01/2015] [Revised: 05/03/2015] [Accepted: 05/04/2015] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding the drivers of ant diversity and co-occurrence in agroecosystems is fundamental because ants participate in interactions that influence agroecosystem processes. Multiple local and regional factors influence ant community assembly.We examined local factors that influence the structure of a twig-nesting ant community in a coffee system in Mexico using an experimental approach. We investigated whether twig characteristics (nest entrance size and diversity of nest entrance sizes) and nest strata (canopy shade tree or coffee shrub) affected occupation, species richness, and community composition of twig-nesting ants and whether frequency of occupation of ant species varied with particular nest entrance sizes or strata.We conducted our study in a shaded coffee farm in Chiapas, Mexico, between March and June 2012. We studied ant nest colonization by placing artificial nests (bamboo twigs) on coffee shrubs and shade trees either in diverse or uniform treatments. We also examined whether differences in vegetation (no. of trees, canopy cover and coffee density) influenced nest colonization.We found 33 ant species occupying 73% of nests placed. Nest colonization did not differ with nest strata or size. Mean species richness of colonizing ants was significantly higher in the diverse nest size entrance treatment, but did not differ with nest strata. Community composition differed between strata and also between the diverse and uniform size treatments on coffee shrubs, but not on shade trees. Some individual ant species were more frequently found in certain nest strata and in nests with certain entrance sizes.Our results indicate that twig-nesting ants are nest-site limited, quickly occupy artificial nests of many sizes, and that trees or shrubs with twigs of a diversity of entrance sizes likely support higher ant species richness. Further, individual ant species more frequently occupy nests with different sized entrances promoting ant richness on individual coffee plants and trees.
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Affiliation(s)
- Estelí Jiménez-Soto
- Environmental Studies Department, University of California 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064
| | - Stacy M Philpott
- Environmental Studies Department, University of California 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064
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Perfecto I, Vandermeer J, Philpott SM. Complex Ecological Interactions in the Coffee Agroecosystem. ANNUAL REVIEW OF ECOLOGY EVOLUTION AND SYSTEMATICS 2014. [DOI: 10.1146/annurev-ecolsys-120213-091923] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ivette Perfecto
- School of Natural Resources and Environment, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109;
| | - John Vandermeer
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109;
| | - Stacy M. Philpott
- Environmental Studies Department, University of California, Santa Cruz, California 95064;
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Dáttilo W, Fagundes R, Gurka CAQ, Silva MSA, Vieira MCL, Izzo TJ, Díaz-Castelazo C, Del-Claro K, Rico-Gray V. Individual-based ant-plant networks: diurnal-nocturnal structure and species-area relationship. PLoS One 2014; 9:e99838. [PMID: 24918750 PMCID: PMC4053393 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0099838] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2014] [Accepted: 05/16/2014] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite the importance and increasing knowledge of ecological networks, sampling effort and intrapopulation variation has been widely overlooked. Using continuous daily sampling of ants visiting three plant species in the Brazilian Neotropical savanna, we evaluated for the first time the topological structure over 24 h and species-area relationships (based on the number of extrafloral nectaries available) in individual-based ant-plant networks. We observed that diurnal and nocturnal ant-plant networks exhibited the same pattern of interactions: a nested and non-modular pattern and an average level of network specialization. Despite the high similarity in the ants’ composition between the two collection periods, ant species found in the central core of highly interacting species totally changed between diurnal and nocturnal sampling for all plant species. In other words, this “night-turnover” suggests that the ecological dynamics of these ant-plant interactions can be temporally partitioned (day and night) at a small spatial scale. Thus, it is possible that in some cases processes shaping mutualistic networks formed by protective ants and plants may be underestimated by diurnal sampling alone. Moreover, we did not observe any effect of the number of extrafloral nectaries on ant richness and their foraging on such plants in any of the studied ant-plant networks. We hypothesize that competitively superior ants could monopolize individual plants and allow the coexistence of only a few other ant species, however, other alternative hypotheses are also discussed. Thus, sampling period and species-area relationship produces basic information that increases our confidence in how individual-based ant-plant networks are structured, and the need to consider nocturnal records in ant-plant network sampling design so as to decrease inappropriate inferences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wesley Dáttilo
- Instituto de Neuroetología, Universidad Veracruzana, Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico
- * E-mail:
| | - Roberth Fagundes
- Laboratório de Ecologia Comportamental e Interações, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, Uberlândia, Brazil
- Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto, Brazil
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Kleber Del-Claro
- Laboratório de Ecologia Comportamental e Interações, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, Uberlândia, Brazil
| | - Victor Rico-Gray
- Instituto de Neuroetología, Universidad Veracruzana, Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico
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Munguia P. Life history affects how species experience succession in pen shell metacommunities. Oecologia 2013; 174:1335-44. [PMID: 24305864 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-013-2849-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2013] [Accepted: 11/20/2013] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
In nature, very few species are common and broadly distributed. Most species are rare and occupy few sites; this pattern is ubiquitous across habitats and taxa. In spatially structured communities (metacommunities), regional distribution and local abundance may change as the relative effects of within-habitat processes (e.g., species interactions) and among-habitat processes (e.g., dispersal) may vary through succession. A field experiment with the marine benthic inhabitants of pen shells (Atrina rigida) tested how common and rare species respond to succession and metacommunity size. I followed community development through time and partitioned species into sessile and motile based on their natural history. Rare species drive diversity patterns and are influenced by metacommunity size: there are strong abundance-distribution differences between common and rare species in large metacommunities, but motile species show lower rates of change than sessile species. In small metacommunities both common and rare species have similar changes through time; the dichotomous distinction of common and rare species is not present. Edge effects in metacommunities affect species' changes in distribution and abundance. In large metacommunities diversity is higher in edge habitats relative to small metacommunities during early succession. However, edge effects benefit motile species over time in small metacommunities showing a rapid increase in diversity. Individual mobility is sensitive to regional community size and allows individuals to sort among different communities. In contrast, sessile species do not show this edge effect. Metacommunity theory is a useful framework for understanding spatially structured communities, but the natural history of coexisting species cannot be ignored.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pablo Munguia
- Southern Seas Ecology Laboratories, The School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, 5005, Australia,
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Livingston G, Philpott SM, de la Mora Rodriguez A. Do Species Sorting and Mass Effects Drive Assembly in Tropical Agroecological Landscape Mosaics? Biotropica 2012. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1744-7429.2012.00894.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- George Livingston
- Section of Integrative Biology; University of Texas at Austin; 1 University Station C0930 Austin TX 78712 U.S.A
| | - Stacy M. Philpott
- Department of Environmental Sciences; University of Toledo; 2801 W. Bancroft St Mail Stop #604 Toledo OH 43606 U.S.A
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Philpott SM, Pardee GL, Gonthier DJ. Cryptic biodiversity effects: importance of functional redundancy revealed through addition of food web complexity. Ecology 2012; 93:992-1001. [DOI: 10.1890/11-1431.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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