The value of ants as early warning bioindicators: responses to pulsed cattle grazing at an Australian arid zone locality

Read, John; Andersen, Alan N.

doi:10.1006/jare.2000.0634

Cited by 94 publications

(77 citation statements)

References 56 publications

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“…The use of pitfall traps allows to statistically compare diversity treatments and studies on forage ants in open areas and grasslands (Read & Andersen, 2000;Retana & Cerdá, 2000;Herrera et al, 2005;Phipps, 2006), as well as in disturbed areas (Ward et al, 2001;Graham et al, 2009); however, it implies certain limitations (Bestelmeyer et al, 2000;Delabie et al, 2000;Longino, 2000) that have to be taken into consideration in the collection technical plan (e.g. distance between barrels and lids, and trap diameter).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The classifi cation of ants into functional groups in accordance with their response to stress and disturbance was based on Andersen (1995Andersen ( , 1997Andersen ( , 2000.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It has been observed that ants may function as bioindicators, due to their complex ecological interactions within their habitat, and to their sensitivity to disturbances (Read & Andersen, 2000). It is possible to analyze variations in the community of ants under the concept of functional groups, defi ned in accordance with their tolerance to disturbance and environmental stress, as well as with their ability for competitive interactions (Andersen, 1995).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Composition and functional groups of epiedaphic ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in irrigated agroecosystem and in nonagricultural areas

Hernández-Ruiz

Castaño-Meneses

Cano‐Santana

2009

Pesq. agropec. bras.

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-The objective of this work was to evaluate the species composition and functional groups of ants in nonagricultural (NA) and in irrigated areas (S, seasonal irrigation; P, irrigation with well water; W, irrigation with wastewater) in an arid agricultural region in central Mexico, throughout 2005 and2006. A total of 52,358 ants belonging to 6 subfamilies, 21 genera and 39 species was collected using pitfall traps. The species best represented in all plots were: Forelius pruinosus, Pheidole obtusospinosa, Monomorium minimum and Dorymyrmex spp. NA plots recorded the highest density of ants. The highest values for diversity (H') and equitativity (J') were recorded in NA and P plots, while the lowest were recorded in W plots. Cluster analysis showed two different groups regarding species composition: NA-S and W-P. Functional groups recorded were: dominant Dolichoderinae, three species; subordinate Camponotini, fi ve species; hot climate specialists, three species; tropical climate specialists, seven species; cold climate specialists, fi ve species; cryptic species, one species; opportunists, six species; generalized Myrmicinae, nine species. Agricultural activity affects the structure of the ant community with epiedaphic forage, and the constant use of irrigation wastewater in conjunction with intense agricultural practices has negative effect upon species richness of epiedaphic ants.Index terms: biodiversity, irrigated area, semiarid zone, wastewater. Composição e grupos funcionais de formigas epiedáfi cas (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) em agroecossistema irrigado e em áreas não agrícolasResumo -O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar a composição de espécies e os grupos funcionais de formigas em áreas não agrícolas (NA) e em áreas irrigadas (S, irrigação sazonal; P, irrigação com águas de poço; W, irrigação com água residuária) em uma região agrícola de clima árido da região Central do México durante 2005 e 2006. Um total de 52.358 formigas pertencentes a 6 subfamílias, 21 gêneros e 39 espécies foi coletado por meio de armadilhas Pitfall. As espécies mais bem representadas em todas as parcelas foram: Forelius pruinosus, Pheidole obtusospinosa, Monomorium minimum e Dorymyrmex spp. As parcelas NA registraram a maior densidade de formigas. Os maiores valores de diversidade (H') e equitatividade (J') foram observados nas parcelas NA e P, e os menores, nas parcelas W. A análise de cluster mostrou grupos diferentes quanto à composição de espécies: NA-S e W-P. Os grupos funcionais registrados foram: Dolichoderinae dominantes, três espécies; Camponotini subordinadas, cinco espécies; especialistas de clima quente, três espécies; especialistas de clima tropical, sete espécies; especialistas de clima frio, cinco espécies; espécies crípticas, uma espécie; oportunistas, seis espécies; Myrmicinae generalizados, nove espécies. A atividade de agricultura afeta a estrutura das comunidades das formigas epiedáfi cas e a utilização constante de irrigação com água residuária, em conjunto com práticas agrícolas intensas tem um efeito...

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The classifi cation of ants into functional groups in accordance with their response to stress and disturbance was based on Andersen (1995Andersen ( , 1997Andersen ( , 2000.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Composition and functional groups of epiedaphic ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in irrigated agroecosystem and in nonagricultural areas

Hernández-Ruiz

Castaño-Meneses

Cano‐Santana

2009

Pesq. agropec. bras.

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“…We used three different sampling methods (pitfall trap, sweeping net, and shaking net) at different habitats to sample ant communities. A pitfall trap is an efficient technique for sampling ground-foraging ants (Read and Andersen, 2000;McIntyre et al, 2001). First, 20 pitfall traps using plastic cups (depth: 6.3 cm; mouth diameter: 8 cm; bottom diameter: 6 cm) were set out at 11 study sites for 10 d in late March 2000.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Ant communities have recently been recognized as useful biological indicators in monitoring ecosystem changes (Peck et al, 1998;Agosti et al, 2000;Read and Andersen, 2000;Hoffmann and Andersen, 2003;Matlock and de la Cruz, 2003). They play important roles in organizing the ecosystems of the various terrestrial habitats, including soil mixers, nutrient cyclers, decomposers, predators, seed transporters, and foliage feeders (Hölldobler and Wilson, 1990;Folgaratt, 1998;Read and Andersen, 2000).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of aerial insecticide sprays on ant communities to control pine wilt disease in Korean pine forests

Kwon

Song

Shin

et al. 2005

Appl. Entomol. Zool.

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Pine wilt disease is one of the most serious diseases in the pine forests of Korea. Since the first report of the disease in Busan, Korea, in 1988, the disease has been gradually spreading into neighboring regions and now occurs in many regions of the southern part of the Korean Peninsula. The control of the disease is focused on the killing of the sawyer, Monochamus alternatus, an insect vector, by aerial insecticide spraying for adult control and by fumigation or burning infected trees for larval control. This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of aerial insecticide application on pine forest fauna by comparing ant communities in insecticide-sprayed and unsprayed areas. Samples were collected from five regions using three different sampling methods (pitfall trap, sweeping net, and shaking net). The results showed that community indices such as abundance, species richness and species diversity were not significantly different between insecticide-sprayed sites and unsprayed sites. According to a cluster analysis and a correspondence analysis, ant communities were generally grouped based on the location of the sampling sites with a slight variation of insecticide application, but not grouped by insecticide application, showing that ant community structures were not significantly different between the insecticide-sprayed sites and the unsprayed sites. Our results, overall, support the theory that the impact of the aerial insecticide application on pine forest fauna may be less severe than expected.

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Effects of solar energy development on ants in the Mojave Desert

Grodsky,

Roeder,

Campbell

2023

Ecosphere

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Land‐use change from solar energy development may affect desert ecosystems and the soils, plants, and animals therein, yet our understanding of these interactions is nascent. With their ubiquity, criticality as ecosystem constituents, and sensitivity to environmental variation, ants may be useful study organisms for elucidating ecological effects of solar energy development in deserts. Our objectives were to disentangle the response of a desert ant community to solar energy development decisions and test the efficacy of ants as bioindicators at a solar power facility (392 MW) in the Mojave Desert, USA. We used pitfall traps to collect ants in treatments representing different solar energy development decisions, including variably intense site preparation practices: blading (i.e., bulldozing) and mowing, and establishment of undeveloped patches in solar fields, replicated across three power blocks comprising the facility and in undeveloped control sites surrounding the facility. We determined that ant abundance, species richness, Shannon Diversity Index, and functional richness were lower in bladed treatments than in all other treatments and controls. For most taxonomic and functional ant responses, we detected no difference between nonbladed treatments and controls; these results suggest that less intensive site preparation and increased spatial heterogeneity (i.e., undeveloped patches in solar fields) can reduce the negative effects of solar energy development on desert ants. However, our results indicate that ants may serve as useful bioindicators of the severity of anthropogenic disturbance from solar energy development in deserts, and indicator analysis signifies that solar energy infrastructure may negatively affect some species with high ecological value (e.g., harvester ants). Negative effects of solar energy development on ants can have significant implications for desert ecosystem function and integrity, but conservation‐minded solar facility design and construction may lead to avoidance of “bottom‐up” ecological ramifications of increased solar production during the renewable energy transition.

show abstract

The value of ants as early warning bioindicators: responses to pulsed cattle grazing at an Australian arid zone locality

Cited by 94 publications

References 56 publications

Composition and functional groups of epiedaphic ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in irrigated agroecosystem and in nonagricultural areas

Composition and functional groups of epiedaphic ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in irrigated agroecosystem and in nonagricultural areas

Effects of aerial insecticide sprays on ant communities to control pine wilt disease in Korean pine forests

Effects of solar energy development on ants in the Mojave Desert

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