Abandonment of grazing in a mediterranean grassland area: consequences for ant assemblages

Abstract

Abstract. 1. Abandonment of traditional activities in the rural areas is widespread in the developed world, and in the case of grazing, it is known to have negative consequences on the diversity of plant communities. Few studies have examined the impact of grazing abandonment on fauna, which in the case of ants is of considerable interest, given their usefulness as an indicator for monitoring environmental change. 2. Here, we present the results of a study conducted in Mediterranean grasslands of central Spain. Using pitfall traps, ants were sampled from 10 40 m× 20 m plots; five of them located in grazed systems and five in abandoned grazing systems. Descriptors used for the ant assemblage were ant species composition, ant species richness, ant functional groups, and subguilds of granivores. We used a seed bait test to discriminate between granivorous and non‐granivorous ant species. 3. Our results show that abandoned grazing systems have more ant species and more heterogeneous ant assemblages. Changes in ant species composition and ant functional groups are more pronounced in habitats where woody encroachment progresses more rapidly (i.e. dry sectors and tree islands). Specialised granivores have reduced importance in the same habitat types. Conversely, facultative granivores increase their presence in abandoned grazing systems. 4. The increased functional and species ant diversity observed with grazing abandonment can be explained by the generation of a more heterogeneous environment at the smaller scales, in spite of being more homogenous at the larger scales, because the latter are less significant for the organisms studied.

Succession in ant communities (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in deciduous forest clear-cuts - an Eastern European case study

“…In deciduous forests, dominant ant species often belong to the subfamily Myrmicinae, with Myrmica ruginodis being one of the most common species (Dekoninck et al, 2008). Whereas successional pathways in plant communities resulting from clear-cutting of deciduous forests are rather well studied and understood (Elliott & Swank, 1994;Decocq et al, 2004), ground-dwelling ant species may show different patterns of recovery after disturbance (Osborn et al, 1999;Bestelmeyer & Wiens, 2001;Dahms et al, 2005;Dauber & Simmering, 2006;Englisch et al, 2005;Azcarate & Peco, 2012;Német et al, 2016). Table 1.…”

Variability of ant community composition in cork oak woodlands across the Mediterranean region: implications for forest management

“…The relative contribution of Hot Climate Specialists in Maâmora might be related to the dry conditions of the habitat (Azcarate & Peco 2012). In contrast, when the presence of these groups was reduced (e.g., by decreased insolation at ground level in the woodlands of Gallura, where a higher canopy cover was measured), Cryptic Species increased their relative frequency.…”

“…Ants were sorted into morphospecies and all specimens were assigned to different functional groups: Subordinate Camponotini (SC), Hot-climate Specialists (HC), Coldclimate Specialists (CC), Cryptic Species (Cr), Opportunists (Op), and Generalized Myrmicinae (GM -Andersen 1995). Although this classification still suffers from problems of interpretation, it has also gained acceptance in the Mediterranean region (Gómez et al 2003, Ottonetti et al 2006, Azcarate & Peco 2012.…”

“…Ants are well represented in almost all terrestrial habitats because of a wide range of thermal niches and their ability to cope in varying environmental conditions. Most studies focusing on the use of ants as bioindicators have been conducted in Australia, and North and South America, whereas less attention has been devoted to understanding the anthropogenic impact on European ant communities (Castracani & Mori 2006, Ottonetti et al 2006, Castracani et al 2010, Azcarate & Peco 2012, Satta et al 2012. The analysis of ant community structures in relation to habitat stress or disturbance could be a valuable tool to detect early environmental changes in diterranean habitats (Cammell et al 1996, Gómez et al 2003, Castracani et al 2010.…”

Bird communities in traditional wood-pastures with changing management in Eastern Europe

“…Schmucki, Reimark, Lindborg, & Cousins 2012;Chételat, Kalbermatten, Lannas, Spiegelberger, Wettstein 2013;Hevia, Azcárate, OterosRozas, González 2013;Sebek, Altman, Platek, & Cizek 2013;Ramírez-Hernández, Micó, de los Ángeles MarcosGarcía, Brustel, & Galante 2014). Taxonomic groups considered included lichens (Paltto, Nordberg, Nordén, & Snäll 2011), insects (Silva, Aguiar, Niemelä, Sousa, & Serrano 2008;Taboada, Kotze, Salgado, & Tárrega 2010;García-Tejero et al 2011;Azcárate & Peco 2012;Streitberger, Hermann, Kraus, & Fartmann 2012), reptiles (Martı n & Lopez, 2002;Godinho, Santos, & Sá-Sousa 2010), birds (Fonderflick, Caplat, Lovaty, Thévenot, & Prodon 2010;Robles, Ciudad, & Matthysen 2011), small mammals (Gonçalves, Alcobia, Simões, & Santos-Reis 2011) and bears (Roellig, Dorresteijn, von Wehrden, Harel, & Fischer 2014).…”