1
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Hoenle PO, Plowman NS, Matos-Maraví P, de Bello F, Bishop TR, Libra M, Idigel C, Rimandai M, Klimes P. Forest disturbance increases functional diversity but decreases phylogenetic diversity of an arboreal tropical ant community. J Anim Ecol 2024; 93:501-516. [PMID: 38409804 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.14060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2023] [Accepted: 01/19/2024] [Indexed: 02/28/2024]
Abstract
Tropical rainforest trees host a diverse arthropod fauna that can be characterised by their functional diversity (FD) and phylogenetic diversity (PD). Human disturbance degrades tropical forests, often coinciding with species invasion and altered assembly that leads to a decrease in FD and PD. Tree canopies are thought to be particularly vulnerable, but rarely investigated. Here, we studied the effects of forest disturbance on an ecologically important invertebrate group, the ants, in a lowland rainforest in New Guinea. We compared an early successional disturbed plot (secondary forest) to an old-growth plot (primary forest) by exhaustively sampling their ant communities in a total of 852 trees. We expected that for each tree community (1) disturbance would decrease FD and PD in tree-dwelling ants, mediated through species invasion. (2) Disturbance would decrease ant trait variation due to a more homogeneous environment. (3) The main drivers behind these changes would be different contributions of true tree-nesting species and visiting species. We calculated FD and PD based on a species-level phylogeny and 10 ecomorphological traits. Furthermore, we assessed by data exclusion the influence of species, which were not nesting in individual trees (visitors) or only nesting species (nesters), and of non-native species on FD and PD. Primary forests had higher ant species richness and PD than secondary forest. However, we consistently found increased FD in secondary forest. This pattern was robust even if we decoupled functional and phylogenetic signals, or if non-native ant species were excluded from the data. Visitors did not contribute strongly to FD, but they increased PD and their community weighted trait means often varied from nesters. Moreover, all community-weighted trait means changed after forest disturbance. Our finding of contradictory FD and PD patterns highlights the importance of integrative measures of diversity. Our results indicate that the tree community trait diversity is not negatively affected, but possibly even enhanced by disturbance. Therefore, the functional diversity of arboreal ants is relatively robust when compared between old-growth and young trees. However, further study with higher plot-replication is necessary to solidify and generalise our findings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philipp O Hoenle
- Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Entomology, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
| | - Nichola S Plowman
- Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Entomology, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
- Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
| | - Pável Matos-Maraví
- Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Entomology, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
| | - Francesco de Bello
- Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
- Centro de Investigaciones sobre Desertificación (CSIC-UV-GV), Valencia, Spain
| | - Tom R Bishop
- School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
- Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Martin Libra
- Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Entomology, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
| | - Cliffson Idigel
- New Guinea Binatang Research Center, Madang, Papua New Guinea
| | - Maling Rimandai
- New Guinea Binatang Research Center, Madang, Papua New Guinea
| | - Petr Klimes
- Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Entomology, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
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2
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Cowal S, Morris JR, Jiménez-Soto E, Philpott SM. Naturally Occurring Vegetation Connectivity Facilitates Ant-Mediated Coffee Berry Borer Removal. INSECTS 2023; 14:869. [PMID: 37999068 PMCID: PMC10672115 DOI: 10.3390/insects14110869] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2023] [Revised: 11/06/2023] [Accepted: 11/07/2023] [Indexed: 11/25/2023]
Abstract
Vegetation connectivity is an essential aspect of the habitat complexity that impacts species interactions at local scales. However, agricultural intensification reduces connectivity in agroforestry systems, including coffee agroecosystems, which may hinder the movement of natural enemies and reduce the ecosystem services that they provide. Ants play an important role in regulating the coffee berry borer (CBB), which is the most damaging coffee pest. For arboreal ant communities, the connections between trees are important structures that facilitate ant mobility, resource recruitment, foraging success, and pest control ability. To better understand how connectivity impacts arboreal ants in coffee agroecosystems, we conducted an experiment to assess the impact of artificial (string) and naturally occurring vegetation (vines, leaves, branches) connectivity on Azteca sericeasur behavior on coffee plants. We compared ant activity, resource recruitment, and CBB removal rates across three connectivity treatments connecting coffee plants to A. sericeasur nest trees: vegetation connectivity, string, and control (not connected) treatments. We found higher rates of ant activity, resource recruitment, and CBB removal on plants with naturally occurring vegetation connections to A. sericeasur nest trees. Artificial connectivity (string) increased the rates of resource recruitment and CBB removal but to a lesser extent than vegetation connectivity. Moreover, vegetation connectivity buffered reductions in ant activity with distance from the ant nest tree. These results reinforce how habitat complexity in the form of vegetation connectivity impacts interspecific interactions at the local scale. Our results also suggest that leaving some degree of vegetation connectivity between coffee plants and shade trees can promote ant-mediated biological pest control in coffee systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sanya Cowal
- Department of Environmental Studies, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA;
| | - Jonathan R. Morris
- School for Environment and Sustainability, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA;
| | - Estelí Jiménez-Soto
- Geography, Environmental Science and Policy, School of Geosciences, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33612, USA;
| | - Stacy M. Philpott
- Department of Environmental Studies, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA;
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3
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Putri D, Cronin AL. Widespread and ongoing invasion by the ant
Technomyrmex brunneus
Forel in eastern Asia as elucidated by molecular data. Ecol Res 2023. [DOI: 10.1111/1440-1703.12383] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Diyona Putri
- Department of Biological Sciences Tokyo Metropolitan University Tokyo Japan
| | - Adam L. Cronin
- Department of Biological Sciences Tokyo Metropolitan University Tokyo Japan
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4
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Mawan A, Hartke TR, Deharveng L, Zhang F, Buchori D, Scheu S, Drescher J. Response of arboreal Collembola communities to the conversion of lowland rainforest into rubber and oil palm plantations. BMC Ecol Evol 2022; 22:144. [DOI: 10.1186/s12862-022-02095-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2022] [Accepted: 12/02/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Background
In the last decades, Southeast Asia has experienced massive conversion of rainforest into rubber and oil palm monoculture plantations. The effects of this land-use change on canopy arthropods are still largely unknown. Arboreal Collembola are among the most abundant canopy arthropods in tropical forests, potentially forming a major component of the canopy food web by contributing to the decomposition of arboreal litter and being an important prey for canopy arthropod predators. We investigated abundance, richness, and community composition of, as well as the influence of a series of environmental factors on, canopy Collembola communities in four land-use systems in Jambi Province, Sumatra, Indonesia: (1) lowland rainforest, (2) jungle rubber (rubber agroforest), and monoculture plantations of (3) rubber and (4) oil palm.
Results
Using canopy fogging in 32 research plots in both the dry and rainy seasons in 2013, we collected 77,104 specimens belonging to 68 (morpho) species. Generally, Collembola communities were dominated by few species including two species of the genus Salina (Paronellidae; 34% of total individuals) and two species of Lepidocyrtinae (Entomobryidae; 20%). The abundance of Collembola in lowland rainforest (53.4 ± 30.7 ind. m−2) was more than five times higher than in rubber plantations, and more than ten times higher than in oil palm plantations; abundances in jungle rubber were intermediate. Collembola species richness was highest in rainforest (18.06 ± 3.60 species) and jungle rubber (16.88 ± 2.33 species), more than twice that in rubber or oil palm. Collembola community composition was similar in rainforest and jungle rubber, but different from monoculture plantations which had similar Collembola community composition to each other. The environmental factors governing community composition differed between the land-use systems and varied between seasons.
Conclusions
Overall, this is the first in-depth report on the structure of arboreal Collembola communities in lowland rainforest and agricultural replacement systems in Southeast Asia. The results highlight the potentially major consequences of land-use change for the functioning of arboreal arthropod food webs.
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5
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Burger H, Hylander K, Ayalew B, van Dam N, Mendesil E, Schedl A, Shimales T, Zewdie B, Tack A. Bottom-up and top-down drivers of herbivory on Arabica coffee along an environmental and management gradient. Basic Appl Ecol 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.baae.2021.12.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
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6
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DaRocha W, Antoniazzi R, Delabie JHC, Schroth G, Fernandes GW, Neves FS. Disentangling the factors that shape bromeliad and ant communities in the canopies of cocoa agroforestry and preserved Atlantic Forest. Biotropica 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/btp.13018] [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)
- Wesley DaRocha
- Programa de Pós‐Graduação em Ecologia Conservação e Manejo da Vida Silvestre Instituto de Ciências Biológicas Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais Belo Horizonte Brazil
- Laboratório de Mirmecologia CEPEC/CEPLAC Itabuna Brazil
| | - Reuber Antoniazzi
- Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture Stephen F. Austin State University Nacogdoches Texas USA
| | - Jacques H. C. Delabie
- Laboratório de Mirmecologia CEPEC/CEPLAC Itabuna Brazil
- Departamento de Ciências Agrárias e Ambiental Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz Ilhéus Brazil
| | | | - Geraldo W. Fernandes
- Programa de Pós‐Graduação em Ecologia Conservação e Manejo da Vida Silvestre Instituto de Ciências Biológicas Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais Belo Horizonte Brazil
- Departamento de Genética Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais Belo Horizonte Brazil
| | - Frederico S. Neves
- Programa de Pós‐Graduação em Ecologia Conservação e Manejo da Vida Silvestre Instituto de Ciências Biológicas Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais Belo Horizonte Brazil
- Departamento de Genética Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais Belo Horizonte Brazil
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7
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Mottl O, Yombai J, Novotný V, Leponce M, Weiblen GD, Klimeš P. Inter‐specific aggression generates ant mosaics in canopies of primary tropical rainforest. OIKOS 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.08069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Ondřej Mottl
- Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Inst. of Entomology Ceske Budejovice Czech Republic
- Dept of Biological Sciences, Univ. of Bergen Bergen Norway
| | - Jacob Yombai
- The New Guinea Binatang Research Center Madang Papua New Guinea
| | - Vojtěch Novotný
- Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Inst. of Entomology Ceske Budejovice Czech Republic
- Faculty of Science, Univ. of South Bohemia Ceske Budejovice Czech Republic
| | - Maurice Leponce
- Operational Directorate Natural Environment, Royal Belgian Inst. of Natural Sciences Brussels Belgium
- Evolutionary Biology and Ecology, Univ. Libre de Bruxelles Brussels Belgium
| | - George D. Weiblen
- Bell Museum and Dept of Plant and Microbial Biology, Univ. of Minnesota Saint Paul MN USA
| | - Petr Klimeš
- Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Inst. of Entomology Ceske Budejovice Czech Republic
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8
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Mottl O, Fibich P, Klimes P, Volf M, Tropek R, Anderson-Teixeira K, Auga J, Blair T, Butterill P, Carscallen G, Gonzalez-Akre E, Goodman A, Kaman O, Lamarre GPA, Libra M, Losada ME, Manumbor M, Miller SE, Molem K, Nichols G, Plowman NS, Redmond C, Seifert CL, Vrana J, Weiblen GD, Novotny V. Spatial covariance of herbivorous and predatory guilds of forest canopy arthropods along a latitudinal gradient. Ecol Lett 2020; 23:1499-1510. [PMID: 32808457 DOI: 10.1111/ele.13579] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2020] [Revised: 06/15/2020] [Accepted: 06/29/2020] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
In arthropod community ecology, species richness studies tend to be prioritised over those investigating patterns of abundance. Consequently, the biotic and abiotic drivers of arboreal arthropod abundance are still relatively poorly known. In this cross-continental study, we employ a theoretical framework in order to examine patterns of covariance among herbivorous and predatory arthropod guilds. Leaf-chewing and leaf-mining herbivores, and predatory ants and spiders, were censused on > 1000 trees in nine 0.1 ha forest plots. After controlling for tree size and season, we found no negative pairwise correlations between guild abundances per plot, suggestive of weak signals of both inter-guild competition and top-down regulation of herbivores by predators. Inter-guild interaction strengths did not vary with mean annual temperature, thus opposing the hypothesis that biotic interactions intensify towards the equator. We find evidence for the bottom-up limitation of arthropod abundances via resources and abiotic factors, rather than for competition and predation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ondrej Mottl
- Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Entomology, Branisovska 1160/31, 370 05, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic.,Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Ceske Budejovice, Branisovska 1760, 370 05, Czech Republic.,Department of Biological Sciences, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Pavel Fibich
- Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Entomology, Branisovska 1160/31, 370 05, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic.,Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Ceske Budejovice, Branisovska 1760, 370 05, Czech Republic
| | - Petr Klimes
- Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Entomology, Branisovska 1160/31, 370 05, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
| | - Martin Volf
- Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Entomology, Branisovska 1160/31, 370 05, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic.,German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, DE, Germany
| | - Robert Tropek
- Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Entomology, Branisovska 1160/31, 370 05, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic.,Department of Ecology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Vinicna 7, Prague, 12843, Czech Republic
| | - Kristina Anderson-Teixeira
- Conservation Ecology Center, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, Front Royal, VA, USA.,Center for Tropical Forest Science- Forest Global Earth Observatory, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Ancon, Panama
| | - John Auga
- The New Guinea Binatang Research Center, P.O. Box 604, Madang, Papua New Guinea
| | - Thomas Blair
- Conservation Ecology Center, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, Front Royal, VA, USA
| | - Phil Butterill
- Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Entomology, Branisovska 1160/31, 370 05, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic.,Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Ceske Budejovice, Branisovska 1760, 370 05, Czech Republic.,Department of Ecology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Vinicna 7, Prague, 12843, Czech Republic
| | - Grace Carscallen
- Department of Biology, The University of Western Ontario, London, Canada
| | - Erika Gonzalez-Akre
- Conservation Ecology Center, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, Front Royal, VA, USA
| | - Aaron Goodman
- Conservation Ecology Center, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, Front Royal, VA, USA
| | - Ondrej Kaman
- Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Entomology, Branisovska 1160/31, 370 05, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
| | - Greg P A Lamarre
- Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Entomology, Branisovska 1160/31, 370 05, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic.,Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Ceske Budejovice, Branisovska 1760, 370 05, Czech Republic.,Center for Tropical Forest Science- Forest Global Earth Observatory, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Ancon, Panama
| | - Martin Libra
- Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Entomology, Branisovska 1160/31, 370 05, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic.,Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Ceske Budejovice, Branisovska 1760, 370 05, Czech Republic
| | - Maria E Losada
- National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Markus Manumbor
- The New Guinea Binatang Research Center, P.O. Box 604, Madang, Papua New Guinea
| | - Scott E Miller
- National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Kenneth Molem
- The New Guinea Binatang Research Center, P.O. Box 604, Madang, Papua New Guinea
| | - Geoffrey Nichols
- Conservation Ecology Center, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, Front Royal, VA, USA
| | - Nichola S Plowman
- Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Entomology, Branisovska 1160/31, 370 05, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic.,Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Ceske Budejovice, Branisovska 1760, 370 05, Czech Republic
| | - Conor Redmond
- Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Entomology, Branisovska 1160/31, 370 05, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic.,Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Ceske Budejovice, Branisovska 1760, 370 05, Czech Republic
| | - Carlo L Seifert
- Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Entomology, Branisovska 1160/31, 370 05, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic.,Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Ceske Budejovice, Branisovska 1760, 370 05, Czech Republic
| | - Jan Vrana
- The Czech University of Life Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - George D Weiblen
- Bell Museum and Department of Plant & Microbial Biology, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, MN, USA
| | - Vojtech Novotny
- Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Entomology, Branisovska 1160/31, 370 05, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic.,Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Ceske Budejovice, Branisovska 1760, 370 05, Czech Republic
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9
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Mottl O, Yombai J, Fayle TM, Novotný V, Klimeš P. Experiments with artificial nests provide evidence for ant community stratification and nest site limitation in a tropical forest. Biotropica 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/btp.12684] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Ondřej Mottl
- Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences Institute of Entomology Ceske Budejovice Czech Republic
- Faculty of Science University of South Bohemia Ceske Budejovice Czech Republic
| | - Jacob Yombai
- The New Guinea Binatang Research Center Madang Papua New Guinea
| | - Tom M. Fayle
- Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences Institute of Entomology Ceske Budejovice Czech Republic
| | - Vojtěch Novotný
- Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences Institute of Entomology Ceske Budejovice Czech Republic
- Faculty of Science University of South Bohemia Ceske Budejovice Czech Republic
| | - Petr Klimeš
- Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences Institute of Entomology Ceske Budejovice Czech Republic
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10
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Longino JT, Colwell RK. The arboreal ants of a Neotropical rain forest show high species density and comprise one third of the ant fauna. Biotropica 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/btp.12772] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- John T. Longino
- Department of Biology The University of Utah Salt Lake City UT USA
| | - Robert K. Colwell
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of Connecticut Storrs CT USA
- University of Colorado Museum of Natural History Boulder CO USA
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11
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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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12
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Volf M, Klimeš P, Lamarre GPA, Redmond CM, Seifert CL, Abe T, Auga J, Anderson-Teixeira K, Basset Y, Beckett S, Butterill PT, Drozd P, Gonzalez-Akre E, Kaman O, Kamata N, Laird-Hopkins B, Libra M, Manumbor M, Miller SE, Molem K, Mottl O, Murakami M, Nakaji T, Plowman NS, Pyszko P, Šigut M, Šipoš J, Tropek R, Weiblen GD, Novotny V. Quantitative assessment of plant-arthropod interactions in forest canopies: A plot-based approach. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0222119. [PMID: 31644586 PMCID: PMC6808442 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0222119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2019] [Accepted: 08/21/2019] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Research on canopy arthropods has progressed from species inventories to the study of their interactions and networks, enhancing our understanding of how hyper-diverse communities are maintained. Previous studies often focused on sampling individual tree species, individual trees or their parts. We argue that such selective sampling is not ideal when analyzing interaction network structure, and may lead to erroneous conclusions. We developed practical and reproducible sampling guidelines for the plot-based analysis of arthropod interaction networks in forest canopies. Our sampling protocol focused on insect herbivores (leaf-chewing insect larvae, miners and gallers) and non-flying invertebrate predators (spiders and ants). We quantitatively sampled the focal arthropods from felled trees, or from trees accessed by canopy cranes or cherry pickers in 53 0.1 ha forest plots in five biogeographic regions, comprising 6,280 trees in total. All three methods required a similar sampling effort and provided good foliage accessibility. Furthermore, we compared interaction networks derived from plot-based data to interaction networks derived from simulated non-plot-based data focusing either on common tree species or a representative selection of tree families. All types of non-plot-based data showed highly biased network structure towards higher connectance, higher web asymmetry, and higher nestedness temperature when compared with plot-based data. Furthermore, some types of non-plot-based data showed biased diversity of the associated herbivore species and specificity of their interactions. Plot-based sampling thus appears to be the most rigorous approach for reconstructing realistic, quantitative plant-arthropod interaction networks that are comparable across sites and regions. Studies of plant interactions have greatly benefited from a plot-based approach and we argue that studies of arthropod interactions would benefit in the same way. We conclude that plot-based studies on canopy arthropods would yield important insights into the processes of interaction network assembly and dynamics, which could be maximised via a coordinated network of plot-based study sites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Volf
- Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
- * E-mail:
| | - Petr Klimeš
- Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
| | - Greg P. A. Lamarre
- Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
- Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
| | - Conor M. Redmond
- Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
- Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
| | - Carlo L. Seifert
- Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
- Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
| | - Tomokazu Abe
- Faculty of Science, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan
| | - John Auga
- New Guinea Binatang Research Center, Madang, Papua New Guinea
| | - Kristina Anderson-Teixeira
- Conservation Ecology Center, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute; Front Royal, VA, United States of America
- ForestGEO, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama City, Panama
| | - Yves Basset
- Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
- Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
- ForestGEO, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama City, Panama
- Maestria de Entomologia, Universidad de Panama, Panama City, Panama
| | - Saul Beckett
- ForestGEO, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama City, Panama
| | - Philip T. Butterill
- Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
- Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
| | - Pavel Drozd
- Faculty of Science, University of Ostrava, Ostrava, Czech Republic
| | - Erika Gonzalez-Akre
- Conservation Ecology Center, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute; Front Royal, VA, United States of America
| | - Ondřej Kaman
- Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
- Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
| | - Naoto Kamata
- Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Furano, Japan
| | - Benita Laird-Hopkins
- Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
- Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom
| | - Martin Libra
- Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
- Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
| | - Markus Manumbor
- New Guinea Binatang Research Center, Madang, Papua New Guinea
| | - Scott E. Miller
- National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, United States of America
| | - Kenneth Molem
- New Guinea Binatang Research Center, Madang, Papua New Guinea
| | - Ondřej Mottl
- Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
- Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
| | | | - Tatsuro Nakaji
- Tomakomai Experimental Forest, Hokkaido University, Tomakomai, Japan
| | - Nichola S. Plowman
- Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
- Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
| | - Petr Pyszko
- Faculty of Science, University of Ostrava, Ostrava, Czech Republic
| | - Martin Šigut
- Faculty of Science, University of Ostrava, Ostrava, Czech Republic
| | - Jan Šipoš
- Institute of Botany, Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic
- Department of Zoology, Fisheries, Hydrobiology and Apiculture, Mendel University in Brno, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Robert Tropek
- Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
- Department of Ecology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - George D. Weiblen
- Bell Museum and Department of Plant & Microbial Biology, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, MN, United States of America
| | - Vojtech Novotny
- Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
- Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
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13
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Mottl O, Plowman NS, Novotny V, Gewa B, Rimandai M, Klimes P. Secondary succession has surprisingly low impact on arboreal ant communities in tropical montane rainforest. Ecosphere 2019. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.2848] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Ondrej Mottl
- Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences Institute of Entomology Branisovska 1160/31 Ceske Budejovice 370 05 Czech Republic
- Faculty of Science University of South Bohemia Branisovska 1760 Ceske Budejovice 370 05 Czech Republic
| | - Nichola S. Plowman
- Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences Institute of Entomology Branisovska 1160/31 Ceske Budejovice 370 05 Czech Republic
- Faculty of Science University of South Bohemia Branisovska 1760 Ceske Budejovice 370 05 Czech Republic
| | - Vojtech Novotny
- Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences Institute of Entomology Branisovska 1160/31 Ceske Budejovice 370 05 Czech Republic
- Faculty of Science University of South Bohemia Branisovska 1760 Ceske Budejovice 370 05 Czech Republic
| | - Bradley Gewa
- The New Guinea Binatang Research Center P.O. Box 604 Madang Papua New Guinea
| | - Maling Rimandai
- The New Guinea Binatang Research Center P.O. Box 604 Madang Papua New Guinea
| | - Petr Klimes
- Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences Institute of Entomology Branisovska 1160/31 Ceske Budejovice 370 05 Czech Republic
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14
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Suspended leaf litter in an understorey treelet as habitat extension for ground-dwelling ants in the Atlantic Forest, south-eastern Brazil. JOURNAL OF TROPICAL ECOLOGY 2019. [DOI: 10.1017/s0266467419000154] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
AbstractGround-dwelling ants are active foragers that may extend their foraging area into the vegetation, although the factors affecting their diversity in the suspended litter of understorey plants remain overlooked. To evaluate the influence of the distance between strata, litter biomass and plant size on the ant fauna, the litter ant assemblage of the suspended stratum was compared with the ground immediately below the understorey treelet Erythrochiton brasiliensis (Rutaceae) in an Atlantic Forest, south-eastern Brazil. We collected 1364 ants from 26 ant species. The suspended litter ant assemblage represented a subset of the ground-dwelling ants present in soil litter. The beta diversity results primarily from the high ant species turnover among individual suspended-litter samples, and among ground-litter samples, while species turnover among suspended-ground pairs is lower. Additionally, plant height was not important in determining the species turnover between strata. However, plant height positively correlated with ant species richness, probably because of the increased number of microhabitats. These results suggest that suspended litter in the forest understorey can provide the conditions for ground-dwelling ants to forage and nest, functioning as a vertical extension of resources and microhabitat conditions present in the ground litter.
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15
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Antoniazzi R, Garro RNSL, Dáttilo W, Ribeiro SP, Neves FS. Ant species richness and interactions in canopies of two distinct successional stages in a tropical dry forest. Naturwissenschaften 2019; 106:20. [PMID: 31041541 DOI: 10.1007/s00114-019-1614-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2018] [Revised: 03/29/2019] [Accepted: 04/03/2019] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Canopy ecology is a fast-growing field, but still a scientific frontier in many ecological aspects. For instance, the hypothesis that tree traits shape patterns in ant-plant interactions lacks data, notably for tropical canopies in different successional stages. In this study, we investigated canopy traits, such as tree height, the presence of extrafloral nectaries (EFNs), connectivity among tree crowns, and successional stage, structure ant-tree interactions in a tropical dry forest (TDF), examining whether these are the determinant factors for ant species richness. We collected ants on trees in early and late successional stages over 2 years, in rainy and dry seasons. In the late successional stage, ant species richness was greater in the taller trees; in the early successional stage, the smallest trees had a greater ant species richness than the taller trees. The EFNs and connectivity among treetops had no effect on ant species richness. We obtained a tree-ant network of the early successional stage, involving 786 interactions among 57 ant species and 75 trees; in the late successional stage, the network had 914 interactions among 60 ant species and 75 trees. There were 27 species of trees in our study, 11 of which (40.7% of all individual trees) had EFNs. The ant-plant interactions were not randomly distributed, suggesting that various biotic factors structured the ant assemblies. This study presents new insights into ant-tree interactions, showing that both tree height and successional stage influence the occurrence of many species of ants in tree canopies of tropical dry forests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Reuber Antoniazzi
- Red de Ecoetología, Instituto de Ecología A.C., Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico. .,Programa de Pós-Graduação Stricto Sensu em Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Estadual de Montes Claros, Montes Claros, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
| | - Raphael N S L Garro
- Programa de Pós-Graduação Stricto Sensu em Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Estadual de Montes Claros, Montes Claros, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Wesley Dáttilo
- Red de Ecoetología, Instituto de Ecología A.C., Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico
| | - Sérvio P Ribeiro
- Laboratório de Ecohealth e Ecologia de Insetos de Dossel e Sucessão Natural, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Frederico S Neves
- Programa de Pós-Graduação Stricto Sensu em Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Estadual de Montes Claros, Montes Claros, Minas Gerais, Brazil.,Laboratório de Ecologia de Insetos, Departamento de Genética, Ecologia e Evolução, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
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16
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Dejean A, Orivel J, Leponce M, Compin A, Delabie JHC, Azémar F, Corbara B. Ant–plant relationships in the canopy of an Amazonian rainforest: the presence of an ant mosaic. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2018. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/bly125] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Alain Dejean
- Ecolab, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, Toulouse, France
- CNRS, UMR EcoFoG, AgroParisTech, Cirad, INRA, Université des Antilles, Université de Guyane, Kourou, France
| | - Jérôme Orivel
- CNRS, UMR EcoFoG, AgroParisTech, Cirad, INRA, Université des Antilles, Université de Guyane, Kourou, France
| | - Maurice Leponce
- Biodiversity Monitoring & Assessment, Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences (RBINS), Brussels, Belgium
- Behavioural & Evolutionary Ecology, Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Brussels, Belgium
| | - Arthur Compin
- Ecolab, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, Toulouse, France
| | - Jacques H C Delabie
- U.P.A. Laboratório de Mirmecologia, Convênio UESC/CEPLAC, Itabuna, Bahia, Brazil
| | | | - Bruno Corbara
- Université Clermont Auvergne, CNRS, LMGE, Clermont-Ferrand, France
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17
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Ribeiro LF, Solar RRC, Muscardi DC, Schoereder JH, Andersen AN. Extrafloral nectar as a driver of arboreal ant communities at the site-scale in Brazilian savanna. AUSTRAL ECOL 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/aec.12612] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Laila Fieto Ribeiro
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Entomologia; Universidade Federal de Viçosa; Avenida P.H. Rolfs, s/n, Campus Universitário CEP 36570-000 Viçosa MG Brazil
| | - Ricardo R. C. Solar
- Departamento de Biologia Geral; Instituto de Ciências Biológicas; Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais; Belo Horizonte MG Brazil
| | - Dalana C. Muscardi
- Departamento de Ciências Agrárias e Biológicas; Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo; São Mateus ES Brazil
| | - José H. Schoereder
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Entomologia; Universidade Federal de Viçosa; Avenida P.H. Rolfs, s/n, Campus Universitário CEP 36570-000 Viçosa MG Brazil
| | - Alan N. Andersen
- Research School for the Environment and Livelihoods; Charles Darwin University; Darwin Northern Territory Australia
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18
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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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Orivel J, Klimes P, Novotny V, Leponce M. Resource use and food preferences in understory ant communities along a complete elevational gradient in Papua New Guinea. Biotropica 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/btp.12539] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jérôme Orivel
- CNRS, UMR Ecologie des Forêts de Guyane; AgroParisTech, CIRAD, INRA; Université de Guyane; Université des Antilles; Campus Agronomique, BP316 97379 Kourou cedex France
| | - Petr Klimes
- Institute of Entomology Biology Centre; Czech Academy of Sciences and Faculty of Science; University of South Bohemia; Branisovska 31 370 05 Ceske Budejovice Czech Republic
- The New Binatang Research Center; Nagada Harbour, P.O. Box 604 Madang Papua New Guinea
| | - Vojtech Novotny
- Institute of Entomology Biology Centre; Czech Academy of Sciences and Faculty of Science; University of South Bohemia; Branisovska 31 370 05 Ceske Budejovice Czech Republic
- The New Binatang Research Center; Nagada Harbour, P.O. Box 604 Madang Papua New Guinea
| | - Maurice Leponce
- Biodiversity Monitoring & Assessment Unit; Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences; 29 rue Vautier 1000 Brussels Belgium
- Evolutionary Biology & Ecology; Université Libre de Bruxelles; CP 160/12, 50 av. F.D. Roosevelt 1050 Brussels Belgium
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20
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Chen X, Adams B, Layne M, Swarzenski C, Norris D, Hooper-Bùi L. Effects of isolation on ant assemblages depend on microhabitat. Ecosphere 2017. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.2049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Xuan Chen
- College of the Coast and Environment; Louisiana State University; Baton Rouge Louisiana 70803 USA
| | - Benjamin Adams
- Department of Biology; University of Louisville; 139 Life Science Building Louisville Kentucky 40292 USA
| | - Michael Layne
- College of the Coast and Environment; Louisiana State University; Baton Rouge Louisiana 70803 USA
| | - Christopher Swarzenski
- U.S. Geological Survey; Lower Mississippi-Gulf Water Science Center; 3535 S. Sherwood Forest Blvd. Baton Rouge Louisiana 70816 USA
| | - David Norris
- School of Renewable Natural Resources; Louisiana State University; Baton Rouge Louisiana 70803 USA
| | - Linda Hooper-Bùi
- College of the Coast and Environment; Louisiana State University; Baton Rouge Louisiana 70803 USA
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21
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Kimber A, Eggleton P. Strong but taxon-specific responses of termites and wood-nesting ants to forest regeneration in Borneo. Biotropica 2017. [DOI: 10.1111/btp.12517] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Annie Kimber
- Department of Life Sciences; Imperial College London; Silwood Park Campus, Buckhurst Road Ascot SL5 7PY UK
- The Life Sciences Department; the Natural History Museum; Cromwell Road London SW7 5BD UK
| | - Paul Eggleton
- The Life Sciences Department; the Natural History Museum; Cromwell Road London SW7 5BD UK
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22
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Novais SM, DaRocha WD, Calderón-Cortés N, Quesada M. Wood-boring beetles promote ant nest cavities: extended effects of a twig-girdler ecosystem engineer. Basic Appl Ecol 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.baae.2017.09.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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