Influence of the vegetation mosaic on ant (Formicidae: Hymenoptera) distributions in the Northern Brazilian Pantanal

Abstract

We examined how vegetation mosaic influences distribution of the edaphic ant (Formicidae) community in the northern part of the Pantanal in Cáceres, State of Mato Grosso, Brazil. Plant formations (hereafter habitats) that characterize this area include several savanna types, such as: Cerrado sensu stricto, Cerradão, Semi-deciduous forest, Termite savanna, Open fields and Cerrado field/carandazal. Pitfall traps were placed in ten 250 m transects each one separated by 1 km, within an area of 2 x 5 km (following RAPELD methodology). Five traps at intervals of 50 m were placed along each transect, in September and December 2008. Forty-four ant species were collected. leaf litter predicted ant presence and influenced species occurrence in the different habitats. Pantanal habitats are very different structurally from one to another, which has have resulted in areas with very specific ant assemblages. The understanding of the antcommunity structure in these areas is fundamental to floodplain management.

Canopy Ant Assemblage (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Two Vegetation Formations in the Northern Brazilian Pantanal

“…Besides this the phenology of V. divergens depends on the Pantanal's hydrological regime, with flowering during the dry period, fruiting during the rising water and high water periods, and foliage renewal during the receding water and dry periods (Nunes-da- Cunha & Junk, 2001;Uriu et al, 2017). The occurrence of the flowering, fruiting and foliage exchange stages may directly or indirectly impact assemblages in canopies, as well as that observed for other arthropod groups in the Pantanal (Battirola et al, 2009;Marques et al, 2006Marques et al, , 2014Meurer et al, 2015;Yamazaki et al, 2016).…”

“…In cambarazal areas, it is possible to suppose that the V. divergens phenology influences the distribution of associated arthropod assemblages, as well as the seasonal flooding causing the soil in these areas to remain waterlogged for up to four months, preventing its use by edaphic fauna (Battirola et al, 2009(Battirola et al, , 2010, requiring the organisms to develop survival strategies for these conditions (Adis et al, 2001;Soares et al, 2013;Marques et al, 2014;Battirola et al, 2017a,b). It is common to observe the migration of soil-dwelling ant species to tree trunks and canopies in these floodplain formations (Adis et al, 2001;Battirola et al, 2005;Meurer et al, 2015). This displacement, even if temporary, alters the structure of canopy assemblages (Battirola et al, 2009), either by greater competition for resources or for niches available to ants (Ribas et al, 2003;Ribas & Shoereder, 2007).…”

“…The structural complexity of the canopy resulting from the variety of tree species, as well as their architecture, tends to maintain high species richness associated in this forest stratum due to a greater diversity and distribution of microhabitats, food resources and niches available to fauna (Farrel & Erwin, 1988;Pianka, 1994;Erwin, 2013;Yamazaki et al, 2016;Yusah et al, 2018), which are important factors in the structure and composition of animal assemblages, including those of ants (e.g. Battirola et al, 2005;Ribeiro et al, 2013;Meurer et al, 2015;Yusah & Foster, 2016).…”

“…The structure of vegetation in monodominant and mixed-species habitats associated with seasonal flooding makes both, fauna and flora, present specific adaptations which allow for their survival in this type of habitat (Adis et al, 2001;Arieira & Nunes-da-Cunha, 2006;Battirola et al, 2007Battirola et al, , 2009Battirola et al, , 2017aRebellato et al, 2013;Tissiani et al, 2015). In the northern Pantanal region of Mato Grosso, specific strategies were recorded for different species of arthropods, including ants, involving vertical displacement to higher habitats such as tree trunks and canopies, horizontal displacement along the flood line (Adis et al, 2001;Wantzen et al 2016), and temporary displacement between terrestrial habitats (Meurer et al, 2015;Yamazaki et al, 2015Yamazaki et al, , 2016Yamazaki et al, , 2017.…”

New Records and Potential Distribution of the ant Gracilidris pombero Wild & Cuezzo (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

“…In addition, we examined material deposited in the collection of the Laboratório de Mirmecologia in the Centro de Pesquisa do Cacau -CEPEC/ CEPLAC (CPDC) (Ilhéus, Bahia, Brazil), and which include specimens collected in the Cerrado and Pampas biomes, cocoa plantations, or urban areas. Finally, we compiled all published records of occurrence of G. pombero through a detailed survey of the literature (Wild & Cuezzo, 2006;Guerro & Sanabria, 2011;Brandão et al, 2011;Neves et al, 2013;Costa-Milanez et al, 2014;Camacho & Vasconcelos, 2015;Feitosa et al, 2015;Meurer et al, 2015;Solar et al, 2016).…”