Ant Occupation of Twigs in the Leaf Litter of the Atlantic Forest: Influence of the Environment and External Twig Structure

被引:15
|
作者
Fernandes, Tae Tanaami [1 ]
Dattilo, Wesley [2 ]
Silva, Rogerio R. [3 ]
Luna, Pedro [2 ]
Oliveira, Carla M. [1 ]
de Castro Morini, Maria Santina [1 ]
机构
[1] Univ Mogi das Cruzes, Lab Mirmecol Alto Tiete, Mogi Das Cruzes, SP, Brazil
[2] Inst Ecol AC, Red Ecoetol, Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico
[3] Coordenacao Ciencias Terra & Ecol, Museu Paraense Emilio Goeldi, Belem, Para, Brazil
来源
基金
巴西圣保罗研究基金会;
关键词
Atlantic forest; ant communities; tropical diversity; ant nesting; conservation; DWELLING ANT; SPECIES RICHNESS; RAIN-FOREST; COMMUNITY; FORMICIDAE; PATTERNS; BIODIVERSITY; HYMENOPTERA; DIVERSITY; DYNAMICS;
D O I
10.1177/1940082919852943
中图分类号
X176 [生物多样性保护];
学科分类号
090705 ;
摘要
Twig cavities are microhabitats that may be used by different ant species for nesting and colony expansion. However, ants do not colonize all twigs available in the leaf litter, pointing to the existence of environmental or twig-related filters. In this study, we analyzed which environmental and twig attributes affected twig occupation by ants. We surveyed seven plots in six Atlantic forest sites in southeastern Brazil. To characterize the environmental filters, we quantified canopy cover and leaf litter moisture and depth. At the twig level, we measured twig length and diameter and the area and circumference of all holes in each twig. Ant colonies occupied 13.42% of the 4,805 twigs surveyed, and we recorded a total of 52 twig-nesting ant species. Brachymyrmex admotus was the most frequent species. Ant species richness increased with canopy cover and leaf litter moisture and with the relative number of occupied twigs. In addition, we found that ant species richness increased with length and diameter of the twigs, and that twigs with smaller holes were more frequently occupied by ants, regardless of the availability of larger diameter holes. Our work demonstrates that both environmental characteristics and twig morphology can structure occupation of twigs by ants. In addition, we demonstrated that certain species show a preference for certain twig types. We highlight the importance of twigs for maintaining ant diversity and for colony expansion of arboreal species and species inhabiting the leaf litter.
引用
收藏
页数:9
相关论文
共 50 条
  • [41] Comparative evaluation of taxonomic and functional diversities of leaf-litter ants of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest
    Azevedo Koch, Elmo Borges
    Maia dos Santos, Jose Raimundo
    Nascimento, Ivan Cardoso
    Charles Delabie, Jacques Hubert
    TURKISH JOURNAL OF ZOOLOGY, 2019, 43 (05) : 437 - +
  • [42] Biodiversity Assessment in Incomplete Inventories: Leaf Litter Ant Communities in Several Types of Bornean Rain Forest
    Pfeiffer, Martin
    Mezger, Dirk
    PLOS ONE, 2012, 7 (07):
  • [43] Effects of fragmentation on forest structure and litter dynamics in Atlantic rainforest in Pernambuco, Brazil
    Schessl, Michael
    Da Silva, Wilkilane Luiz
    Gottsberger, Gerhard
    FLORA, 2008, 203 (03) : 215 - 228
  • [44] Richness and structure of ant assemblies (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Atlantic forest in southern Brazil
    Lutinski, Junir A.
    Lutinski, Cladis J.
    Guarda, Carin
    Busato, Maria A.
    Garcia, Flavio R. M.
    ANAIS DA ACADEMIA BRASILEIRA DE CIENCIAS, 2017, 89 (04): : 2719 - 2729
  • [45] Leaf traits predict global patterns in the structure and flammability of forest litter beds
    Burton, Jamie E.
    Cawson, Jane G.
    Filkov, Alex, I
    Penman, Trent D.
    JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY, 2021, 109 (03) : 1344 - 1355
  • [46] Structure of ant-diaspore networks and their functional outcomes in a Brazilian Atlantic Forest
    Laviski, Bianca F. S.
    Mayhe-Nunes, Antonio J.
    Nunes-Freitas, Andre F.
    SOCIOBIOLOGY, 2021, 68 (03):
  • [47] Influence of conidial traits and leaf structure on attachment success of aquatic hyphomycetes on leaf litter
    Dang, Christian K.
    Gessner, Mark O.
    Chauvet, Eric
    MYCOLOGIA, 2007, 99 (01) : 24 - 32
  • [48] Forest edge orientation influences leaf-cutting ant abundance and plant drought stress in the Brazilian Atlantic forest
    da Silva, Jonatas L. G.
    de Holanda Silva, Isabelle L.
    Ribeiro-Neto, Jose D.
    Wirth, Rainer
    Leal, Inara R.
    AGRICULTURAL AND FOREST ENTOMOLOGY, 2018, 20 (03) : 358 - 365
  • [49] Influence of the leaf-cutting ant Atta sexdens Linnaeus (1758) on the taxonomic and functional diversity of woody plants in Atlantic Forest fragments
    Garcia, Jessica Magon
    Rodrigues, Larissa Cerqueira Dias
    Pereira, Lya Carolina da Silva Mariano
    Vasconcelos, Heraldo Luis
    Torezan, Jose Marcelo Domingues
    PLANT ECOLOGY, 2024, 225 (07) : 695 - 704
  • [50] INFLUENCE OF THE ENVIRONMENT ON WILLOW LEAF LITTER DECOMPOSITION IN THE ALLUVIAL CORRIDOR OF THE GARONNE RIVER
    CHAUVET, E
    ARCHIV FUR HYDROBIOLOGIE, 1988, 112 (03): : 371 - 386