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Bona K, Delabie JH, Cazetta E. Effects of anthropogenic disturbances on diaspore removal by ants: A meta-analysis. ACTA OECOLOGICA 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.actao.2023.103893] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/16/2023]
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Azevedo-Silva M, Lemos ASM, Gonçalves-Neto S, Salles LFP, Pereyra M, Christianini AV, Souza AP, Oliveira PS. Are There Edge Effects on the Genetic Diversity of the Trap-Jaw Ant Odontomachus chelifer (Formicidae: Ponerinae) in a Neotropical Savanna Fragment? A First Assessment. ENVIRONMENTAL ENTOMOLOGY 2023; 52:279-285. [PMID: 36745143 DOI: 10.1093/ee/nvad008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2022] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Habitat fragmentation is considered an important threat to biodiversity, increasing species exposure to edge effects. The Brazilian Cerrado savanna is considered a biodiversity hotspot and has been converted to small, isolated fragments due to human activities. Ant communities and colony survivorship are known to be affected by edge effects in Cerrado, but to date there is no information on the genetic diversity of ant colonies at the edge of fragmented areas. Here, we investigate if colony genetic diversity and structure of Odontomachus chelifer (Latreille) ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) are subject to edge effects in a Cerrado reserve in southeast Brazil. Using microsatellites, we evaluated the number of breeders (queens and males) and the genetic diversity in O. chelifer colonies located in the interior versus edge of a Cerrado fragment. All O. chelifer nests had multiple queens, which presented a low mating frequency. The number of breeders and most estimates of genetic diversity did not differ between colonies at the edge versus interior of the fragment. Genetic structure was not influenced by nest location as well. However, we detected a small and positive increase in the observed heterozygosity in colonies located at fragment edges. High heterozygosity is thought to be particularly important in fast-changing environments, such as edges, providing an advantage for genetic diversity. Further investigation is needed to assess in greater detail how habitat loss affects O. chelifer biology. Our study is a first step toward elucidating edge effects on genetic diversity of ant colonies, a topic still poorly explored in tropical environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marianne Azevedo-Silva
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas, SP, Brazil
| | - Alessandra S M Lemos
- Graduação em Ciências Biológicas, Departamento de Biologia Animal, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas, SP, Brazil
| | - Salatiel Gonçalves-Neto
- Graduação em Ciências Biológicas, Departamento de Biologia Animal, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas, SP, Brazil
| | - Luís F P Salles
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas, SP, Brazil
| | - Mariana Pereyra
- Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal, UNC-CONICET, Córdoba, Argentina
| | | | - Anete P Souza
- Departamento de Biologia Vegetal, Centro de Biologia Molecular e Engenharia Genética, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas, SP, Brazil
| | - Paulo S Oliveira
- Departamento de Biologia Animal, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas, SP, Brazil
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Renison D, Jaacks G, Pollice J, Herrero ML. Forest restoration under leaf‐cutting ant pressure: Improved sapling survival in non‐foraged sites away from ant nests or within plastic tree shelters. Restor Ecol 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/rec.13723] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Renison
- Centro de Ecología y Recursos Naturales Renovables, Dr. Ricardo Luti, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Av. Vélez Sarsfield 1611 X5016GCA Córdoba Argentina
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas y Tecnológicas. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba ‐ CONICET. Av. Vélez Sarsfield 1611 X5016GCA Córdoba Argentina
| | - Germán Jaacks
- Intendencia del Parque Nacional Quebrada del Condorito, Av. J.S. Bach N°504, B° Costa Azul, 5152 Villa Carlos Paz Córdoba Argentina
| | - Julieta Pollice
- Centro de Ecología y Recursos Naturales Renovables, Dr. Ricardo Luti, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Av. Vélez Sarsfield 1611 X5016GCA Córdoba Argentina
| | - María Lucrecia Herrero
- Centro de Ecología y Recursos Naturales Renovables, Dr. Ricardo Luti, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Av. Vélez Sarsfield 1611 X5016GCA Córdoba Argentina
- Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba ‐ CONICET. Av. Vélez Sarsfield 1611 X5016GCA Córdoba Argentina
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Jofré LE, de Torres Curth M, Farji-Brener AG. Unexpected costs of extended phenotypes: nest features determine the effect of fires on leaf cutter ant's demography. Proc Biol Sci 2022; 289:20212333. [PMID: 35168399 PMCID: PMC8848238 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2021.2333] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
A key principle of the extended phenotype concept is that the benefit of the structures that an animal builds exceeds its cost. However, some contexts may enhance the costs of structures that often represent a benefit, reversing their adaptive nature. In leaf-cutting ant nests, thatched mounds are extended phenotypes that offer a stable microclimate for the growth of the fungus culture. We hypothesized that fires will affect the species that build external, easily flammable thatch mounds (Acromyrmex lobicornis) more than colonies that build subterranean nests in the less-flammable bare ground (Amoimyrmex striatus). We use a stochastic matrix demographic model parameterized with 4 years of data in pre- and post-fire scenarios. Before fires, Ac. lobicornis showed higher stochastic population rate (λs) than Am. striatus. However, fire frequency every 2 years completely reversed this trend, showing population decline only in Ac. lobicornis. Small nests were the stage that most contributed to λs and the most sensitive in all the species and fire scenarios. This illustrates a novel effect of disturbances; the reversion of the adaptive nature of extended phenotypes, which may have strong consequences on population dynamics and assemblage structure through the invert of dominance relationships.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Mónica de Torres Curth
- LIHO (Research Ant Lab), INIBIOMA, CONICET-CRUB-UNCo, Bariloche, Argentina,Departamento de Matemática, CRUB-UNCo, Río Negro, Argentina
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Cole BJ, Jordan D, LaCour-Roy M, O'Fallon S, Manaker L, Ternest JJ, Askew M, Garey D, Wiernasz DC. The benefits of being big and diverse: early colony survival in harvester ants. Ecology 2021; 103:e03556. [PMID: 34622941 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3556] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2021] [Revised: 06/25/2021] [Accepted: 07/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
In sessile organisms such as plants and benthic invertebrates, founding propagules typically suffer extremely high rates of mortality due to both extrinsic and intrinsic factors. Many social insect species share similarities with these groups, but factors influencing early colony survival are relatively unstudied. We used a field experiment to measure the importance of environmental quality relative to intrinsic colony properties in the harvester ant, Pogonomyrmex occidentalis, by monitoring the survival of 584 experimental colonies. We measured survival of transplanted colonies over four months in each of three years (2014-2016) at a site in western Colorado. Colony survival was primarily determined by colony features. Multiple mating by the queen and larger colony size at the time of transplant increased survival, but queen size, maternal lineage and the composition of plant species in the vicinity of the colony did not. Food supplementation increased survival significantly when natural food was scarce, but was not consistently beneficial, in contrast to predictions. Our results emphasize the general importance of rapid growth and early attainment of large size in the survival of sessile species. However, attributes specific to ants that are a consequence of their sociality also strongly affected survival. Colonies with multiply-mated queens were more likely to survive over a wide range of circumstances, highlighting the importance of this trait even at the early stages of colony life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Blaine J Cole
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Houston, Houston, Texas, 77204-5001, USA
| | - Dayne Jordan
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Houston, Houston, Texas, 77204-5001, USA
| | - Montrel LaCour-Roy
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Houston, Houston, Texas, 77204-5001, USA
| | - Sean O'Fallon
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Houston, Houston, Texas, 77204-5001, USA.,Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, California, 90095, USA
| | - Logan Manaker
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Houston, Houston, Texas, 77204-5001, USA
| | - John J Ternest
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Houston, Houston, Texas, 77204-5001, USA.,Department of Entomology and Nematology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, 32608, USA
| | - Megan Askew
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Houston, Houston, Texas, 77204-5001, USA
| | - Daniel Garey
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Houston, Houston, Texas, 77204-5001, USA
| | - Diane C Wiernasz
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Houston, Houston, Texas, 77204-5001, USA
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Tanaka K, Tokuda M. Road preference of ants in a Japanese warm temperate forest and its implications for the regeneration of myrmecochorous sedges. Ecol Res 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/1440-1703.12225] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Koki Tanaka
- Faculty of Agriculture Saga University Saga Japan
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Versiani NF, Bailey LL, Pasqualotto N, Rodrigues TF, Paolino RM, Alberici V, Chiarello AG. Protected areas and unpaved roads mediate habitat use of the giant anteater in anthropogenic landscapes. J Mammal 2021. [DOI: 10.1093/jmammal/gyab004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
The drastic reduction of the Brazilian Cerrado has transformed this savanna hotspot into vast swaths of commodity-based agriculture fields, mainly soybean, sugarcane, and beef-production pasturelands. The resulting habitat loss and fragmentation are the principal factors underlying population decline of native species inhabiting the Cerrado, particularly those with a high demand for space, low population density, and specialized diet, such as the endangered giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla). Although the species has been studied in protected areas, we know much less about its ability to endure in disturbed landscapes. Here, we analyzed camera-trapping data to estimate a proxy of habitat use (ψ^; occupancy) and detection probabilities of the giant anteater, identifying environmental covariates influencing these parameters in landscapes with intensive agriculture and commercial forestry. We found this species using about half of the study area (model average ψ^ = 0.51, CI = 0.40–0.62), with two predictors strongly influencing habitat use: protected areas and unpaved roads. In turn, detection probability correlates positively with area of open Cerrado and negatively with area of settlements. The species is more likely to use unpaved roads inside protected areas (ψ^ = 0.90, CI = 0.47–0.75), compared to off road sites in the surrounding areas (ψ^ = 0.19, CI = 0.10–0.34). Our findings indicate that giant anteaters are dependent on nature reserves and native vegetation areas existing on private properties, whose protection is regulated by the Brazilian Native Vegetation Protection Law. Given the relative paucity of state-owned protected areas in the Brazilian Cerrado, increasing the adherence of rural owners to this law is, therefore, key for the conservation of the giant anteater. The intense use of unpaved roads might reflect travelling and/or foraging optimization, a behavioral response that, nevertheless, may compound this species’ susceptibility to suffer mortality from roadkill.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalia F Versiani
- Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brasil
| | - Larissa L Bailey
- Department of Fish, Wildlife & Conservation Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
| | - Nielson Pasqualotto
- Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brasil
- Programa Interunidades de Pós-graduação em Ecologia Aplicada, Escola Superior de Agricultura “Luiz de Queiroz”, Universidade de São Paulo, Piracicaba, São Paulo, Brasil
| | - Thiago F Rodrigues
- Programa Interunidades de Pós-graduação em Ecologia Aplicada, Escola Superior de Agricultura “Luiz de Queiroz”, Universidade de São Paulo, Piracicaba, São Paulo, Brasil
| | - Roberta M Paolino
- Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brasil
- Programa Interunidades de Pós-graduação em Ecologia Aplicada, Escola Superior de Agricultura “Luiz de Queiroz”, Universidade de São Paulo, Piracicaba, São Paulo, Brasil
| | - Vinicius Alberici
- Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brasil
- Programa Interunidades de Pós-graduação em Ecologia Aplicada, Escola Superior de Agricultura “Luiz de Queiroz”, Universidade de São Paulo, Piracicaba, São Paulo, Brasil
| | - Adriano G Chiarello
- Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brasil
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Knoechelmann CM, Oliveira FMP, Siqueira FFS, Wirth R, Tabarelli M, Leal IR. Leaf‐cutting ants negatively impact the regeneration of the Caatinga dry forest across abandoned pastures. Biotropica 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/btp.12782] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Clarissa M. Knoechelmann
- Programa de Pós‐Graduação em Biologia Vegetal Universidade Federal de Pernambuco Recife Brazil
- Faculdade de Biologia Universidade Federal do Sul e Sudeste do Pará Marabá Brazil
| | - Fernanda M. P. Oliveira
- Programa de Pós‐Graduação em Biologia Vegetal Universidade Federal de Pernambuco Recife Brazil
| | - Felipe F. S. Siqueira
- Programa de Pós‐Graduação em Biologia Vegetal Universidade Federal de Pernambuco Recife Brazil
- Faculdade de Biologia Universidade Federal do Sul e Sudeste do Pará Marabá Brazil
| | - Rainer Wirth
- Plant Ecology and Systematics University of Kaiserslautern Kaiserslautern Germany
| | - Marcelo Tabarelli
- Departamento de Botânica Universidade Federal de Pernambuco Recife Brazil
| | - Inara R. Leal
- Departamento de Botânica Universidade Federal de Pernambuco Recife Brazil
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Andersen AN. Responses of ant communities to disturbance: Five principles for understanding the disturbance dynamics of a globally dominant faunal group. J Anim Ecol 2018; 88:350-362. [PMID: 30280380 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.12907] [Citation(s) in RCA: 82] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2018] [Accepted: 08/31/2018] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
Ecological disturbance is fundamental to the dynamics of biological communities, yet a conceptual framework for understanding the responses of faunal communities to disturbance remains elusive. Here, I propose five principles for understanding the disturbance dynamics of ants-a globally dominant faunal group that is widely used as bioindicators in land management, which appear to have wide applicability to other taxa. These principles are as follows: (1) The most important effects of habitat disturbance on ants are typically indirect, through its effects on habitat structure, microclimate, resource availability and competitive interactions; (2) habitat openness is a key driver of variation in ant communities; (3) ant species responses to disturbance are to a large degree determined by their responses to habitat openness; (4) the same disturbance will have different effects on ants in different habitats, because of different impacts on habitat openness; and (5) ant community responses to the same disturbance will vary according to ant functional composition and biogeographical history in relation to habitat openness. I illustrate these principles using results primarily from studies of ant responses to fire, a dominant agent of disturbance globally, to provide a common disturbance currency for comparative analysis. I argue that many of the principles also apply to other faunal groups and so can be considered as general ecological "laws." As is the case for ants, many impacts of habitat disturbance on other faunal groups are fundamentally related to habitat openness, the effects of disturbance on it and the functional composition of species in relation to it.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alan N Andersen
- Research Institute for the Environment and Livelihoods, Charles Darwin University, Darwin, NT, Australia
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Costa AN, Bruna EM, Vasconcelos HL. Do an ecosystem engineer and environmental gradient act independently or in concert to shape juvenile plant communities? Tests with the leaf-cutter ant Atta laevigata in a Neotropical savanna. PeerJ 2018; 6:e5612. [PMID: 30324010 PMCID: PMC6183508 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.5612] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2016] [Accepted: 08/14/2018] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Ecosystem engineers are species that transform habitats in ways that influence other species.While the impacts of many engineers have been well described, our understanding of how their impact varies along environmental gradients remains limited. Although disentangling the effects of gradients and engineers on biodiversity is complicated-the gradients themselves can be altered by engineers-doing so is necessary to advance conceptual and mathematical models of ecosystem engineering. We used leaf-cutter ants (Atta spp.) to investigate the relative influence of gradients and environmental engineers on the abundance and species richness of woody plants. Methods We conducted our research in South America's Cerrado. With a survey of plant recruits along a canopy cover gradient, and data on environmental conditions that influence plant recruitment, we fit statistical models that addressed the following questions: (1) Does A. laevigata modify the gradient in canopy cover found in our Cerrado site? (2) Do environmental conditions that influence woody plant establishment in the Cerrado vary with canopy cover or proximity to A. laevigata nests? (3) Do A. laevigata and canopy cover act independently or in concert to influence recruit abundance and species richness? Results We found that environmental conditions previously shown to influence plant establishment in the Cerrado varied in concert with canopy cover, but that ants are not modifying the cover gradient or cover over nests. However, ants are modifying other local environmental conditions, and the magnitude and spatial extent of these changes are consistent across the gradient. In contrast to prior studies, we found that ant-related factors (e.g., proximity to nests, ant changes in surface conditions), rather than canopy cover, had the strongest effect on the abundance of plant recruits. However, the diversity of plants was influenced by both the engineer and the canopy cover gradient. Discussion Atta laevigata in the Cerrado modify local conditions in ways that have strong but spatially restricted consequences for plant communities. We hypothesize that ants indirectly reduce seedling establishment by clearing litter and reducing soil moisture, which leads to seed and seedling desiccation. Altering soil nutrients could also reduce juvenile growth and survivorship; if so these indirect negative effects of engineering could exacerbate their direct effects of harvesting plants. The effects of Atta appear restricted to nest mounds, but they could be long-lasting because mounds persist long after a colony has died or migrated. Our results support the hypothesis that leaf-cutter ants play a dominant role in Cerrado plant demography. We suggest the ecological and economic footprint of these engineers may increase dramatically in coming decades due to the transformation of the Cerrado by human activities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alan N Costa
- Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, Uberlandia, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Emilio M Bruna
- Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA.,Center for Latin American Studies, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Heraldo L Vasconcelos
- Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, Uberlandia, Minas Gerais, Brazil
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Siqueira FFS, Ribeiro-Neto JD, Tabarelli M, Andersen AN, Wirth R, Leal IR. Human disturbance promotes herbivory by leaf-cutting ants in the Caatinga dry forest. Biotropica 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/btp.12599] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Felipe F. S. Siqueira
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biologia Vegetal; Universidade Federal de Pernambuco; Av. Prof. Moraes Rego s/n°, Cidade Universitária Recife PE 50670-901 Brazil
| | - José Domingos Ribeiro-Neto
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biologia Vegetal; Universidade Federal de Pernambuco; Av. Prof. Moraes Rego s/n°, Cidade Universitária Recife PE 50670-901 Brazil
- Departamento de Fitotecnia e Ciências Ambientais; Centro de Ciências Agrárias; Universidade Federal da Paraíba; Rodovia PB-079 Areia PB 58397-000 Brazil
| | - Marcelo Tabarelli
- Departamento de Botânica; Universidade Federal de Pernambuco; Av. Prof. Moraes Rego s/n°, Cidade Universitária Recife PE 50670-901 Brazil
| | - Alan N. Andersen
- Research Institute for the Environment and Livelihoods; Charles Darwin University; Darwin NT 0909 Australia
| | - Rainer Wirth
- Plant Ecology and Systematics; University of Kaiserslautern; PO Box 3049 Kaiserslautern 67663 Germany
| | - Inara R. Leal
- Departamento de Botânica; Universidade Federal de Pernambuco; Av. Prof. Moraes Rego s/n°, Cidade Universitária Recife PE 50670-901 Brazil
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Leaf-cutting ant populations profit from human disturbances in tropical dry forest in Brazil. JOURNAL OF TROPICAL ECOLOGY 2017. [DOI: 10.1017/s0266467417000311] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Abstract:Anthropogenic disturbance often results in the proliferation of native species of particular groups that leads to biotic homogenization. Leaf-cutting ants are an example of such winner organisms in tropical rain forests, but their response to disturbance in dry forests is poorly known. We investigated Atta colony density in areas of tropical dry forest in Brazil with different distance to roads and vegetation cover. Atta colonies were surveyed in 59 belt transects of 300 × 20 m, covering a total area of 35.4 ha. We found 224 Atta colonies, 131 of which were active and belonged to Atta opaciceps (87 colonies, 2.45 ha−1), A. sexdens (35 colonies, 0.98 ha−1) and A. laevigata (9 colonies, 0.25 ha−1). The density of active colonies sharply decreased from 15 ± 2.92 ha−1 in the 50-m zone along roads to only 2.55 ± 1.65 ha−1 at distances up to 300 m. The reverse pattern was observed for inactive colonies. Active Atta colonies preferentially occur in areas with low vegetation cover, while inactive colonies prefer areas with high vegetation cover. We demonstrate for the first time that anthropogenic disturbances promote the proliferation of leaf-cutting ants in dry forest in Brazil, which may affect plant regeneration via herbivory and ecosystem engineering as demonstrated for rain forests.
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Paniw M, Quintana‐Ascencio PF, Ojeda F, Salguero‐Gómez R. Interacting livestock and fire may both threaten and increase viability of a fire‐adapted Mediterranean carnivorous plant. J Appl Ecol 2017. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.12872] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Maria Paniw
- Departamento de Biología – IVAGRO Universidad de Cádiz Campus Río San Pedro Puerto Real 11510 Spain
| | | | - Fernando Ojeda
- Departamento de Biología – IVAGRO Universidad de Cádiz Campus Río San Pedro Puerto Real 11510 Spain
| | - Roberto Salguero‐Gómez
- Department of Animal & Plant Sciences University of Sheffield Alfred Denny Building Western Bank Sheffield S10 2TN UK
- Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science University of Queensland St Lucia Qld 4071 Australia
- Evolutionary Demography Laboratory Max Plank Institute for Demographic Research 18057 Rostock Germany
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