Ant community in natural fragments of the Brazilian wetland: species–area relation and isolation

Cuissi, Rafael Gonçalves; Lasmar, Chaim J.; Moretti, Tamara S.; Schmidt, Fernando Augusto; Fernandes, Wedson Desidério; Falleiros, Andreia B.; Schoereder, José H.; Ribas, Carla R.

doi:10.1007/s10841-015-9774-5

Cited by 17 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…Specifically, competitive exclusion can result in mosaic‐like patterns of ant species distributions among tree crowns (Hölldobler and Lumsden , Blüthgen et al , Dejean et al , Sanders et al ). Habitat characteristics such as tree size, tree species identity, and crown connectivity are good predictors of arboreal ant community structure in some systems (Tschinkel and Hess , Ribas et al , Powell et al , Klimes et al , Cuissi et al ). Because arboreal ants rarely descend from the canopy (Camargo and Oliveira , but see Hahn and Wheeler ), and nearby tree crowns frequently do not touch (Ng ), trees likely function as islands for arboreal ant communities (Yanoviak ).…”

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confidence: 99%

Trees as islands: canopy ant species richness increases with the size of liana‐free trees in a Neotropical forest

2016

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The physical characteristics of habitats shape local community structure; a classic example is the positive relationship between the size of insular habitats and species richness. Despite the high density and proximity of tree crowns in forests, trees are insular habitats for some taxa. Specifically, crown isolation (i.e. crown shyness) prevents the movement of small cursorial animals among trees. Here, we tested the hypothesis that the species richness of ants (Sa) in individual, isolated trees embedded within tropical forest canopies increases with tree size. We predicted that this pattern disappears when trees are connected by lianas (woody vines) or when strong interactions among ant species determine tree occupancy. We surveyed the resident ants of 213 tree crowns in lowland tropical forest of Panama. On average, 9.2 (range = 2–20) ant species occupied a single tree crown. Average (± SE) Sa was ca 25% higher in trees with lianas (10.2 ± 0.26) than trees lacking lianas (8.0 ± 0.51). Sa increased with tree size in liana‐free trees (Sa = 10.99A0.256), but not in trees with lianas. Ant species composition also differed between trees with and without lianas. Specifically, ant species with solitary foragers occurred more frequently in trees with lianas. The mosaic‐like pattern of species co‐occurrence observed in other arboreal ant communities was not found in this forest. Collectively, the results of this study indicate that lianas play an important role in shaping the local community structure of arboreal ants by overcoming the insular nature of tree crowns.

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Trees as islands: canopy ant species richness increases with the size of liana‐free trees in a Neotropical forest

2016

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“…Bernard and Fenton () did not find that savannas had any isolating effect on bat movements. Our findings are more consistent with a study on ants (Cuissi et al ., ) that did have results in accordance with grasslands acting as barriers, but their trend was not necessarily straightforward. Our overall best model was the ‘forest’ model (Fig.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 91%

Evidence that dispersal barriers influence blaberoid cockroach assemblages in a neotropical savanna–forest matrix

Evangelista

Russell²,

Russell³

et al. 2017

Insect Conserv Diversity

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The forest refuge hypothesis to explain Amazonian diversity places an importance on dry savanna as a landscape feature isolating populations of humid forest‐dwelling animals. Leaf‐litter cockroaches are a useful group to study this as they are terrestrial and occupy a high‐humidity microclimate. We examine the role of savanna, forests and flood zones in affecting blaberoid cockroach assemblage composition in the north Rupununi of Guyana, an expansive savanna–forest matrix. We test whether stretches of dry savanna and flood zones are barriers to dispersal for leaf‐litter cockroaches. Our study area is the ˜10 000 hectares of Karanambu Eco‐Lodge. We collected 1061 individuals of 17 species from 28 sites. Using a landscape classification based on satellite imagery, we generated models of relative isolation of the 28 sites using a cost of travel algorithm. We also used non‐metric multi‐dimensional scaling and Mantel tests to determine whether the similarity of cockroach assemblages could be explained by different landscape categories (savanna, forests and flood zones) or by geographic distance. We identified a single model that best predict observed variation in cockroach abundance and species richness. Differences in assemblage similarity were largely due to differences in the savanna–forest habitat axis. Geographic distance was also found to effect assemblage similarity. Our data suggest that savannas are barriers to dispersal, whereas flood zones are not. Future investigation of savanna driving speciation in some species is warranted, and this is a key feature of the forest refuge hypothesis.

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“…Despite the fact that the Pantanal is a hotspot and ants are relatively easy to sample (Myers et al, 2000), there have been few studies on the ants of this biome when compared to other biomes (see Oliveira et al, 1987;Adis et al, 2001;Batirolla et al, 2005;Orr et al, 2003Uehara-Prado, 2005Corrêa et al, 2006;Ribas & Schoreder, 2007;Lange et al, 2008;Pereira et al, 2013;Soares et al, 2013;Neves et al, 2014;Cuissi et al, 2015;Meurer et al, 2015;Aranda et al, 2016;Yamazaki et al, 2016;Demétrio et al, 2017;Dambros et al, 2018), and most of them deal with the vertical flow of ants following the hydrological cycle. In addition, if we rank the Brazilian biomes according to the loss of natural cover between 2000 to 2016, the Caatinga is ranked first place followed by Pantanal (Divieso et al, 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Species list of ground-dwelling ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in the Nhecolândia, Pantanal, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil

et al. 2021

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This study provides a list of the ground-dwelling ant species in Nhecolândia, Pantanal, Mato Grosso Sul, Brazil. The Pantanal is the largest tropical wetland in the world and is currently under strong anthropic pressure. Ground-dwelling ants were collected in three sites: (1) a forest regeneration area; (2) a pasture area; and (3) an area of secondary native vegetation. In each site, 120 samples were collected using pitfall traps in the dry and rainy seasons of 2016. Additional samplings were performed with Winkler extractors (30 leaf-litter samples) and manually, also in dry and rainy seasons of 2016. In total, we collected 172 species, which, summed with the additional records from literature, raise the number of ant species recorded in Nhecolândia to 184 in 42 genera and nine subfamilies. Eleven species were recorded for the first time in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul. Also, the survey adds two new species records to Brazil. Besides contributing to the inventory of the ant species present in the Pantanal biome, the present study provides an important resource for future conservation plans for this threatened ecoregion.

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Ant community in natural fragments of the Brazilian wetland: species–area relation and isolation

Cited by 17 publications

References 22 publications

Trees as islands: canopy ant species richness increases with the size of liana‐free trees in a Neotropical forest

Trees as islands: canopy ant species richness increases with the size of liana‐free trees in a Neotropical forest

Evidence that dispersal barriers influence blaberoid cockroach assemblages in a neotropical savanna–forest matrix

Species list of ground-dwelling ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in the Nhecolândia, Pantanal, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil

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