Dry forest fragmentation in Brazilian Cerrado and its effects on communities of ground foraging ants
Abstract
Ants can represent a useful model for studies on the impact of forest fragmentation because these organisms are found abundantly in soil and plants sensitive to changes in environmental conditions. Our study characterized the structure of ground foraging ant communities present in 10 fragmented areas of dry forest surrounding areas under soybean and maize cultivation. Using baited pitfall traps, our study identified 60 ant morphospecies, distributed in 21 genera. Species richness of ground foraging ants was not influenced by size of dry forest fragment. Fragment edge traps captured fewer species when compared with traps located in the center of the fragment. Species richness and species composition differed significantly between dry forest fragments and both cultivated crops as well as inter-crop periods. Dry forest fragments had the greatest ant species richness. Integrated knowledge of the mechanisms through which fragmentation effects alter ant communities can be useful for the development of strategies to mitigate harmful effects on those species affected, and to improve methods that can be used to evaluate the conservation value of the remaining natural environment.
Resumo
As formigas podem representar um modelo para estudos sobre o impacto da fragmentação florestal, pois são abundantemente encontradas no solo e nas plantas e, também, sensíveis às mudanças das condições ambientais. Nosso estudo caracterizou a estrutura de comunidades de formigas epigéicas presentes em 10 áreas fragmentadas de floresta seca e suas respectivas matrizes circunvizinhas (áreas sob cultivo de soja e milho). Por meio de armadilhas iscadas no solo, identificamos 60 morfoespécies de formigas distribuídas em 21 gêneros. A riqueza de formigas forrageadoras de solo não foi influenciada pelo tamanho do fragmento de floresta seca. Armadilha de borda de fragmento capturou menos espécies quando comparado a armadilhas localizadas na região mais ao centro do fragmento. Diferença significativa foi observada na riqueza e na estrutura da comunidade de formigas epigéicas entre os fragmentos de floresta seca e as matrizes com as duas espécies agrícolas cultivadas e na entressafra. Fragmentos de floresta seca apresentaram maior riqueza de espécies de formigas. O conhecimento integrado dos mecanismos pelos quais os efeitos de fragmentação alteram as comunidades pode ser útil para o desenvolvimento de estratégias para mitigar esses efeitos nocivos e para melhorar os métodos que podem ser usados para avaliar o valor de conservação desse ambiente natural remanescente.
Key Words: bioindicators; epigeic ants; richness; similarity; habitat structure
View this article in BioOne
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright for any article published in Florida Entomologist is held by the author(s) of the article. Florida Entomologist is an open access journal. Florida Entomologist follows terms of the Creative Commons, Attribution Non-Commercial License (cc by-nc). By submitting and publishing articles in Florida Entomologist, authors grant the FOJ and Florida Entomologist's host institutions permission to make the article available through Internet posting and electronic dissemination, and to otherwise archive the information contained both electronically and in a hard printed version. When used, information and images obtained from articles must be referenced and cited appropriately. Articles may be reproduced for personal, educational, or archival purposes, or any non-commercial use. Permission should be sought from the author(s) for multiple, non-commercial reproduction. Written permission from the author(s) is required for any commercial reproduction.
