A Rapid Assessment of the Ants of the Grensgebergte and Kasikasima Regions of Southeastern Suriname (original) (raw)
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A Rapid Assessment of the Ants of the Boké Region, Guinea
SPIE eBooks, 2006
BioOne Complete (complete.BioOne.org) is a full-text database of 200 subscribed and open-access titles in the biological, ecological, and environmental sciences published by nonprofit societies, associations, museums, institutions, and presses.
Taxonomic, species and functional group diversity of ants in a tropical anthropogenic landscape
In tropical dry landscapes, biodiversity conservation is dependent upon both the protection of natural areas and the sustainable management of the agricultural matrix. We analyzed the taxonomic, species and functional group diversity of ants in three neighboring habitats with different degrees of anthropic disturbance in Veracruz, Mexico. A total of 34,957 ant workers belonging to 89 species, 34 genera, 19 tribes and 7 subfamilies were recorded. Primary forest had the highest species richness and most even distribution of species among the taxonomic levels, followed by secondary forest and active pasture. Because high species turnover among habitats increased species richness at the landscape level, the three neighboring habitats that we sampled are important for conservation biodiversity and together have a high conservation value for ants and probably for other invertebrates as well. Species of specialized functional groups were more frequent in primary forest, while those belonging to generalist and opportunistic groups were more frequent in active pasture. Human-disturbed areas in the vicinity of protected areas have an important role as reservoirs of biodiversity and should be included in landscape management practices designed to improve arthropod conservation in the tropics. Key words: ants, tropical dry forest, regeneration, taxonomic distinctness, guilds, turnover Popular summary in Spanish: En las regiones con alta perturbación la conservación de la diversidad biológica depende tanto de la protección de las áreas naturales como del manejo que se de a las zonas ubicadas en los cercanías de dichas áreas. En este artículo comparamos la diversidad taxonómica (variación supra-específica), la riqueza de especies y grupos funcionales de hormigas (especies con hábitos de nidificación y alimentación similares) entre un fragmento de selva, uno de vegetación secundaria y un pastizal ganadero. En total capturamos 34,957 hormigas pertenecientes a 89 especies. Las faunas asociadas a cada ambiente fueron diferentes indicando que cada uno es importante para la conservación de estos insectos a nivel regional. La selva tuvo el mayor número de especies y grupos funcionales, seguida por vegetación secundaria y pastizal. Las especies de hábitos especializados fueron más frecuentes en selva mientras que las generalistas en pastizal. La preservación de fragmentos de vegetación natural en zonas perturbadas es importante para la conservación de la biodiversidad pues sirven de refugio a especies que no se adaptan a otro tipo de ambientes. Las áreas en la periferia de zonas naturales protegidas deben ser incluidas también en las estrategias de conservación regional pues incrementan el número de especies a nivel de paisaje. Popular summary in French: Dans les régions à forte perturbation, la conservation de la biodiversité dépend autant de la protection des espaces naturels encore existants comme de la gestion des zones situées dans le voisinage de ces espaces. Dans cet article, nous comparons la diversité taxonomique (variation supra-spécifique), la richesse des espèces et les groupes fonctionnels (espèces avec besoins similaires de nidification et nourriture) de fourmis, entre un fragment de forêt tropicale, un de végétation secondaire et un pâturage utilisé pour l’élevage du bétail. Nous avons capture un total de 34,957 fourmis appartenant à 89 espèces. Les faunes associées à chaque environnement sont différentes, ce qui indique que chacun contribue en partie à la richesse de ces insectes au niveau régional. La forêt avait le plus grand nombre d'espèces et des groupes fonctionnels, suivie par la forêt secondaire et le pâturage. Les espèces plus spécialisées étaient plus abondant dans la forêt et les généralistes dans le pâturage. La préservation de quelques fragments de végétation naturelle dans les zones perturbées est très importante pour la conservation de la biodiversité, car ils servent de refuge aux espèces qui ne s’adaptent pas aux autres environnements. Les zones situées au voisinage des aires protégées devraient également être inclus dans les stratégies de conservation parce-que ils contribuent aussi à la richesse spécifique au niveau régionale.
Species diversity and distribution patterns of the ants of Amazonian Ecuador
2010
Ants are among the most diverse, abundant and ecologically significant organisms on earth. Although their species richness appears to be greatest in the New World tropics, global patterns of ant diversity and distribution are not well understood. We comprehensively surveyed ant diversity in a lowland primary rainforest in Western Amazonia, Ecuador using canopy fogging, pitfall traps, baits, hand collecting, mini-Winkler devices and subterranean probes to sample ants. A total of 489 ant species comprising 64 genera in nine subfamilies were identified from samples collected in only 0.16 square kilometers. The most species-rich genera were Camponotus, Pheidole, Pseudomyrmex, Pachycondyla, Brachymyrmex, and Crematogaster. Camponotus and Pseudomyrmex were most diverse in the canopy, while Pheidole was most diverse on the ground. The three most abundant ground-dwelling ant genera were Pheidole, Solenopsis and Pyramica. Crematogaster carinata was the most abundant ant species in the canopy; Wasmannia auropunctata was most abundant on the ground, and the army ant Labidus coecus was the most abundant subterranean species. Ant species composition among strata was significantly different: 80% of species were found in only one stratum, 17% in two strata, and 3% in all three strata. Elevation and the number of logs and twigs available as nest sites were significant predictors of ground-dwelling ant species richness. Canopy species richness was not correlated with any ecological variable measured. Subterranean species richness was negatively correlated with depth in the soil. When ant species were categorized using a functional group matrix based on diet, nest-site preference and foraging ecology, the greatest diversity was found in Omnivorous Canopy Nesters. Our study indicates ant species richness is exceptionally high at Tiputini. We project 647-736 ant species in this global hotspot of biodiversity. Considering the relatively small area surveyed, this region of western Amazonia appears to support the most diverse ant fauna yet recorded.
This study evaluates the richness and composition of the epigeic ant fauna in two Caatinga areas (site 1: Brejo Novo and 2: Frizuba) within a transitional region (between the Caatinga and the Decidual Atlantic Forest) in the Municipality of Jequié, state of Bahia, Brazil. Ants were sampled using pitfall traps and Winkler extractor method in 50 randomly chosen points, totalizing a sampling area of 12.5 ha per site. Overall, we identified 60 species belongingto 27 genera. The most speciose genera were Pheidole, Camponotus, and Solenopsis (with five species each) followed by Wasmannia and Cephalotes (four species each). Pheidole sp1. was the most frequent species (occurring in approximately 60% of the samples). Since site 1 did not possess a litter layer (and therefore could not be sampled by the Winkler extractor) comparisons between the two areas were made using only the data provided by the pitfalltrap method. The Simpson diversity indexes calculated for sites 1 and 2 were 0.87 and 0.89, respectively, and showed no statistically significant differences (p ≤ 0.417). The Jaccard coefficient revealed only 35.5% similarity in species composition between the two areas. The results suggest that the presence of litter contributed to increased species richness (the Winkler method added 28 species in the sum total of species collected) and "shaped" a distinct faunal composition of the area. The present study is the first ant fauna inventory in the region and reveals an unexplored conservation potential for the Decidual Forest and the Caatinga of northeastern Brazil.
Efficiency in inventories of ants in a forest reservein Central Amazonia
Pesquisa Agropecuária Brasileira, 2009
The objective of this work was to evaluate an inventory method effi ciency for ants. We used subsamples collected in 24 transects of 100 m, distributed in 6 plots of 600 ha each in primary forest, as part of a long-term project. Ten litter subsamples were extracted per transect using Winkler extractors. Ants were identifi ed to genus level, and Crematogaster, Gnamptogenys and Pachycondyla genera to species/morphospecies level. To evaluate the consequences of reduced sampling on the retention of ecological information, we estimated the lowest number of subsamples needed to detect the effects of environmental variables. Multidimensional scaling (MDS) was used to generate dissimilarity matrices, and Mantel correlations between each reduced-sampling effort and maximum effort were used as an index of how much information was maintained and could still be used in multivariate analyses. Lower p-values was observed on the effect of soil pH in the community of genera, and on the effect of the litter volume for the community of Crematogaster. The trend was still detectable in the analysis based on reduced-sampling. The number of subsamples can be reduced, and the cost-effi ciency of the protocol can be improved with little loss of information.
Diversity
Soil fauna is generally understudied compared to above-ground arthropods, and ants are no exception. Here, we compared a primary and a secondary forest each on two continents using four different sampling methods. Winkler sampling, pitfalls, and four types of above- and below-ground baits (dead, crushed insects; melezitose; living termites; living mealworms/grasshoppers) were applied on four plots (4 × 4 grid points) on each site. Although less diverse than Winkler samples and pitfalls, subterranean baits provided a remarkable ant community. Our baiting system provided a large dataset to systematically quantify strata and dietary specialisation in tropical rainforest ants. Compared to above-ground baits, 10–28% of the species at subterranean baits were overall more common (or unique to) below ground, indicating a fauna that was truly specialised to this stratum. Species turnover was particularly high in the primary forests, both concerning above-ground and subterranean baits and bet...