Species diversity and nestedness of ant assemblages in an urban environment

Abstract

Abstract. Ant assemblages were studied in Warsaw in the context of the effects of urban pressure. Four types of urban greenery were selected: (1) green areas bordering streets, (2) in housing estates, and (3) in parks, and (4) patches of urban woodland. In total, there were 27 species of ants. In terms of the total ant activity density, Lasius niger predominated in all the the lawn biotopes (1-3) and Myrmica rubra in the wooded areas. Ant species diversity was highest in parks and wooded areas and lowest in green areas bordering streets. In contrast, activity density was highest in green areas bordering streets and lowest in wooded areas. Some species are found only in a few habitats. Stenamma debile, Lasius brunneus, L. fuliginosus and Temnothorax crassispinus almost exclusively occurred in wooded areas, whereas L. niger was most often found in lawn biotopes. Myrmica rugulosa and Tetramorium caespitum were most abundant in green areas bordering streets, while in parks Lasius flavus, Formica cunicularia and Solenopsis fugax were most abundant. In general, the ant assemblages recorded showed a significantly nested pattern, with biotope type being a significant determinant of nestedness. The assemblages found in green areas in housing estates and bordering streets constituted a subsample of the assemblages in parks and wooded areas. Ant species were non-randomly distributed in this urbanized landscape and the species recorded in the most transformed biotopes constitute subsamples of those inhabiting less transformed biotopes. This finding emphasizes the importance of wooded areas for the maintenance of biodiversity in urban areas.

Initial conditions during Technosol implementation shape earthworms and ants diversity

“…Similar to earthworms, the few ant species captured are the most widespread species from the regional pool (Blatrix, Galkowski, Lebas, & Wegnez, 2013). The impoverishment of ants caused by urbanization has been observed in many geographic contexts (Antonova and Penev, 2006;Carpintero & Reyes-López, 2014;Slipinski, Zmihorski, & Czechowski, 2012;Vepsäläinen et al, 2008). As in many northern European cities (reviewed by Vepsäläinen et al, 2008), ant communities of urban parks were mainly composed of the topsoil omnivorous L. niger and to a lesser extent by the hypogeic and roots aphids breeding L. flavus (Seifert, 2007).…”

“…As in many northern European cities (reviewed by Vepsäläinen et al, 2008), ant communities of urban parks were mainly composed of the topsoil omnivorous L. niger and to a lesser extent by the hypogeic and roots aphids breeding L. flavus (Seifert, 2007). These two species are considered as anthropophilic species meaning that they benefit from the association with human activities (Antonov, 2008;Slipinski et al, 2012).…”

Structure of the ant assemblages (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) in the broad-leaved forests of Kiev

“…The most common species on lawns and in parks of Warsaw was L. niger, whereas M. rubra occurred most often in the preserved patches of forest vegetation (Slipinski et al, 2012); F. cunicularia, Solenopsis fugax, and L. flavus were also frequent in parks while Tetramorium caespitum and M. rugulosa were more typical of alleys. The invasive species L. neglectus prevailed in some districts of Warsaw (Czechowska and Czechowski, 2003).…”

Comparison of the exotic and native ant communities (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in urban green areas at inland, coastal and insular sites in Spain

“…Ants commonly feature in urban studies due to their abundance in these habitats (McIntyre et al, 2001;Whitmore et al, 2002) and their values as bioindicators (Brown 1997;Dekoninck et al, 2008;Ribas et al, 2012;Slipinski et al, 2012). In general, because of their ecological dominance they play crucial roles in ecosystems as predators, scavengers and indirect herbivores (Wilson & Hölldobler, 2005).…”