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Martello F, de Bello F, Morini MSDC, Silva RR, Souza-Campana DRD, Ribeiro MC, Carmona CP. Homogenization and impoverishment of taxonomic and functional diversity of ants in Eucalyptus plantations. Sci Rep 2018; 8:3266. [PMID: 29459699 PMCID: PMC5818526 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-20823-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2017] [Accepted: 12/04/2017] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite its negative impacts on the environment and biodiversity, tree plantations can contribute to biodiversity conservation in fragmented landscapes, as they harbor many native species. In this study, we investigated the impact of Eucalyptus plantations on the taxonomic and functional diversity of ant communities, comparing ant communities sampled in managed and unmanaged (abandoned for 28 years) Eucalyptus plantations, and native Atlantic rain forests. Eucalyptus plantations, both managed and unmanaged, reduced the functional diversity and increased the similarity between ant communities leading to functional homogenization. While communities in managed plantations had the lowest values of both taxonomic and functional ant diversities, ant communities from unmanaged plantations had similar values of species richness, functional redundancy and Rao's Q compared to ant communities from forest patches (although functional richness was lower). In addition, communities in unmanaged Eucalyptus plantations were taxonomically and functionally more similar to communities located in managed plantations, indicating that Eucalyptus plantations have a severe long-term impact on ant communities. These results indicate that natural regeneration may mitigate the impact of Eucalyptus management, particularly regarding the functional structure of the community (α diversity), although it does not attenuate the effects of long term homogenization in community composition (β diversity).
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Affiliation(s)
- Felipe Martello
- Departament of Environmental Science, Federal University of São Carlos, UFSCar, Rod., Washigton Luís Km 235, São Carlos, SP, Brazil.
- Spatial Ecology and Conservation lab (LEEC), São Paulo State University, UNESP, Ecology Department, Avenida 24 A, 1515, Bela Vista, Rio Claro, São Paulo, Brazil.
| | - Francesco de Bello
- Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Branišovská 31, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Maria Santina de Castro Morini
- Laboratório de Mirmecologia do Alto Tietê (LAMAT), Universidade de Mogi das Cruzes, UMC, Avenida Dr. Cândido Xavier de Almeida Souza, 200, Centro Cívico, Mogi das Cruzes, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Rogério R Silva
- Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi, Coordenação de Ciências da Terra e Ecologia, Av. Perimetral 1901, CEP 66077-830, Belém, PA, Brazil
| | - Débora Rodriges de Souza-Campana
- Laboratório de Mirmecologia do Alto Tietê (LAMAT), Universidade de Mogi das Cruzes, UMC, Avenida Dr. Cândido Xavier de Almeida Souza, 200, Centro Cívico, Mogi das Cruzes, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Milton Cezar Ribeiro
- Spatial Ecology and Conservation lab (LEEC), São Paulo State University, UNESP, Ecology Department, Avenida 24 A, 1515, Bela Vista, Rio Claro, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Carlos P Carmona
- Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Lai 40, Tartu, 51005, Estonia
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Rosser N. Shortcuts in biodiversity research: What determines the performance of higher taxa as surrogates for species? Ecol Evol 2017; 7:2595-2603. [PMID: 28428850 PMCID: PMC5395451 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.2736] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2016] [Revised: 09/14/2016] [Accepted: 12/21/2016] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Biodiversity research is often impeded by the time and resources required to identify species. One possible solution is to use higher taxa to predict species richness and community composition. However, previous studies have shown that the performance of higher taxa as surrogates for species is highly variable, making it difficult to predict whether the method will be reliable for a particular objective. Using 8 independent datasets, I tested whether higher taxa accurately characterize the responses of beetle and ant communities to environmental drivers. For each dataset, ordinations were carried out using species and higher taxa, and the two compared using the Procrustes m² statistic (a scale‐independent variant of Procrustes sum of squares). I then modelled the relationship between five hypothesised explanatory variables and 1) Procrustes m², and 2) the coefficient of determination (R²) for the correlation between richness of species and higher taxa. The species to higher taxon ratio, community structure, beta diversity, completeness of sampling, and taxon (beetles or ants) were all significant predictors of m², together explaining 88% of the variance. The only significant predictor of R² was the species to higher taxon ratio, which explained 45% of the variance. When using higher taxa to predict community composition, better performance is expected when the ratio of species to higher taxa is low, in communities with high evenness and high species turnover, and when there is niche conservation within higher taxa. When using higher taxa to predict species richness, effective surrogacy can be expected when the species to higher taxon ratio is very low. When it is not, surrogacy performance may be strongly influenced by stochastic factors, making predictions of performance difficult.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neil Rosser
- Department of Biology University of York York UK
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Travassos-De-Britto B, Rocha PLBD. Habitat amount, habitat heterogeneity, and their effects on arthropod species diversity. ECOSCIENCE 2015. [DOI: 10.2980/20-3-3606] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
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Moyano L, Cárdenas AM, Gallardo P, Presa JJ. Short-term effects of a revegetation program on the Orthopteran diversity in oak forests of the southern Iberian Peninsula. JOURNAL OF INSECT SCIENCE (ONLINE) 2014; 14:ieu152. [PMID: 25527595 PMCID: PMC5657949 DOI: 10.1093/jisesa/ieu152] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2013] [Accepted: 09/25/2014] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Orthopterans are insects closely linked to vegetation as primary consumers as well as for other biological processes such as oviposition and development. This research aims to assess the effect of a revegetation program that began in 2007 in the compensation area linked to the construction of the Breña II dam on Orthopteran diversity within several different human-created and natural habitats (forest-islands, hedges, and river-copses). We assessed vegetation and orthopteran communities during monthly sampling performed during March through September 2011. For the Orthopterans, two replicates per habitat type were sampled in each of the eight selected sampling plots, providing 48 observations per environment per month. To characterize the structure of communities, diversity, dominance, and evenness were calculated, and posterior comparisons were made using bootstrapping analysis. Additionally, rarefaction curves were obtained. We found large between-habitat differences in plant abundance but smaller differences in diversity. The high degree of vegetational homogeneity likely explains the structural similarity among the Orthopteran communities in the different habitats. Although Caelifera were more abundant and diverse in unmanaged biotopes, Ensifera seem to be favored in revegetated areas. Because accurate management requires documenting diversity at the field scale, work like that presented here should increase the efficiency of future assessments of Orthopteran habitat suitability for diversity conservation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lourdes Moyano
- Department of Zoology, Campus Rabanales, E-14071, University of Córdoba, Córdoba, Spain
| | - Ana María Cárdenas
- Department of Zoology, Campus Rabanales, E-14071, University of Córdoba, Córdoba, Spain
| | - Patricia Gallardo
- Department of Zoology, Campus Rabanales, E-14071, University of Córdoba, Córdoba, Spain
| | - Juan José Presa
- Department of Zoology and Anthropology, Campus Espinardo, E-30100, University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain
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Ant exclusion in citrus over an 8-year period reveals a pervasive yet changing effect of ants on a Mediterranean spider assemblage. Oecologia 2013; 173:239-48. [PMID: 23361153 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-013-2594-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2012] [Accepted: 01/10/2013] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
Ants and spiders are ubiquitous generalist predators that exert top-down control on herbivore populations. Research shows that intraguild interactions between ants and spiders can negatively affect spider populations, but there is a lack of long-term research documenting the strength of such interactions and the potentially different effects of ants on the diverse array of species in a spider assemblage. Similarly, the suitability of family-level surrogates for finding patterns revealed by species-level data (taxonomic sufficiency) has almost never been tested in spider assemblages. We present a long-term study in which we tested the impact of ants on the spider assemblage of a Mediterranean citrus grove by performing sequential 1-year experimental exclusions on tree canopies for 8 years. We found that ants had a widespread influence on the spider assemblage, although the effect was only evident in the last 5 years of the study. During those years, ants negatively affected many spiders, and effects were especially strong for sedentary spiders. Analyses at the family level also detected assemblage differences between treatments, but they concealed the different responses to ant exclusion shown by some related spider species. Our findings show that the effects of experimental manipulations in ecology can vary greatly over time and highlight the need for long-term studies to document species interactions.
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Birkhofer K, Bezemer T, Hedlund K, Setälä H. Community composition of soil organisms under different wheat farming systems. MICROBIAL ECOLOGY IN SUSTAINABLE AGROECOSYSTEMS 2012. [DOI: 10.1201/b12339-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/11/2023]
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Global models of ant diversity suggest regions where new discoveries are most likely are under disproportionate deforestation threat. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2012; 109:7368-73. [PMID: 22529355 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1113867109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Most of the described and probably undescribed species on Earth are insects. Global models of species diversity rarely focus on insects and none attempt to address unknown, undescribed diversity. We assembled a database representing about 13,000 records for ant generic distribution from over 350 regions that cover much of the globe. Based on two models of diversity and endemicity, we identified regions where our knowledge of ant diversity is most limited, regions we have called "hotspots of discovery." A priori, such regions might be expected to be remote and untouched. Instead, we found that the hotspots of discovery are also the regions in which biodiversity is the most threatened by habitat destruction. Our results not only highlight the immediate need for conservation of the remaining natural habitats in these regions, but also the extent to which, by focusing on well-known groups such as vertebrates, we may fail to conserve the far greater diversity of the smaller species yet to be found.
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Mentone TDO, Diniz EA, Munhae CDB, Bueno OC, Morini MSDC. Composição da fauna de formigas (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) de serapilheira em florestas semidecídua e de Eucalyptus spp., na região sudeste do Brasil. BIOTA NEOTROPICA 2011. [DOI: 10.1590/s1676-06032011000200024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Este estudo teve como objetivo avaliar a composição da fauna de formigas de serapilheira em áreas de floresta semidecídua com plantio de eucalipto sem manejo durante diferentes períodos. Foram estudadas quatro áreas, sendo três com eucalipto e uma formada por vegetação nativa; todas estão localizadas no município de Rio Claro (SP), sudeste do Brasil. Em cada área foram coletadas 100 amostras de 1 m² de serapilheira, abrangendo os períodos seco e chuvoso da região. Cada amostra foi submetida a extratores do tipo mini-winkler, onde permaneceram por 48 horas. Foram amostradas 58.410 formigas, distribuídas em 10 subfamílias, 42 gêneros e 120 morfoespécies/espécies. Destas, 85 espécies foram encontradas na floresta semidecídua e 84 na floresta de Eucalyptus tereticornis com 100 anos sem manejo. Já nas florestas de E. tereticornis e E. urophylla com 22 anos sem manejo foram encontradas 73 e 56 espécies, respectivamente. Baseando-se em estudos anteriores, este inventário proporcionou o conhecimento de mais 16 gêneros e 24 espécies para a região estudada, sendo três exóticas. A ordenação das amostras com o escalonamento multidimensional não-métrico (NMDS) indicou diferença na similaridade entre as amostras das áreas, especialmente àquelas pertencentes à floresta de E. urophylla. Além do período sem manejo, a presença de substâncias alelopáticas na serapilheira pode estar interferindo no número de espécies e nas comunidades. Os resultados demonstram a importância das florestas abandonadas de eucaliptos para a manutenção da diversidade de formigas em uma região em que a vegetação nativa é escassa.
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Suguituru SS, Silva RR, Souza DRD, Munhae CDB, Morini MSDC. Ant community richness and composition across a gradient from Eucalyptus plantations to secondary Atlantic Forest. BIOTA NEOTROPICA 2011. [DOI: 10.1590/s1676-06032011000100034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Secondary forests and exotic tree plantations are expanding across tropical landscapes. However, our current understanding of the value of these human-dominated forest landscapes for invertebrate biodiversity conservation is still very poor. In this paper, we use the leaf-litter ant fauna to assess invertebrate diversity in one commercially managed Eucalyptus plantation (four years old), two abandoned plantations of different regeneration ages (16 and 31 years), and one neighboring secondary Atlantic Forest in Southeastern Brazil. There was a clear gradient in species richness from the secondary forest to the managed Eucalyptus plantation; richness and diversity peaked in secondary forest and in the older regenerating Eucalyptus plantation. Significantly more species were recorded in secondary forest samples than in Eucalyptus plantations, but Eucalyptus plantations had a similar level of richness. Furthermore, a non-metric multidimensional scaling analysis revealed clear differences in species composition between the younger managed Eucalyptus plantation (understory absent) and habitats with sub-developed or developed understory. Eucalyptus plantations were characterized by an assemblage of widespread, generalist species very different from those known to occur in core forest habitats of southeastern Brazil. Our results indicate that while older regenerating Eucalyptus plantations can provide habitat to facilitate the persistence of generalist ant species, it is unlikely to conserve most of the primary forest species, such as specialized predators, Dacetini predators, and nomadic species.
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Gardner ET, Anderson VJ, Johnson RL. Arthropod and Plant Communities as Indicators of Land Rehabilitation Effectiveness in a Semiarid Shrubsteppe. WEST N AM NATURALIST 2009. [DOI: 10.3398/064.069.0412] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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PIPER SCOTTD, CATTERALL CARLAP, KANOWSKI JOHNJ, PROCTOR HEATHERC. Biodiversity recovery during rainforest reforestation as indicated by rapid assessment of epigaeic ants in tropical and subtropical Australia. AUSTRAL ECOL 2009. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1442-9993.2009.01943.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Munro NT, Lindenmayer DB, Fischer J. Faunal response to revegetation in agricultural areas of Australia: A review. ECOLOGICAL MANAGEMENT & RESTORATION 2007. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1442-8903.2007.00368.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 104] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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Ottonetti L, Tucci L, Santini G. Recolonization Patterns of Ants in a Rehabilitated Lignite Mine in Central Italy: Potential for the Use of Mediterranean Ants as Indicators of Restoration Processes. Restor Ecol 2006. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1526-100x.2006.00105.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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Majer JD, Shattuck SO, Andersen AN, Beattie AJ. Australian ant research: fabulous fauna, functional groups, pharmaceuticals, and the Fatherhood. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2004. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1326-6756.2004.00435.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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