Community structure and the habitat templet: ants in the tropical forest canopy and litter

Yanoviak, Stephen P.; Kaspari, Michael

doi:10.1034/j.1600-0706.2000.890206.x

Cited by 200 publications

(222 citation statements)

References 44 publications

(42 reference statements)

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“…This disparity points to key differences between the competitive environments of epigeic ants in subtropical woodlands and arboreal ants in tropical rainforests (see also ref. 27). The extensive overlap in ␦ 15 N values between L. humile and other ants suggests that competition for animal-based protein is fierce, a contention supported by LeBrun et al (28).…”

Section: Solenopsis Molesta (2)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Trophic ecology of invasive Argentine ants in their native and introduced ranges

Tillberg

Holway

LeBrun

et al. 2007

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

171

202

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Although the ecological effects of invasions often become obvious soon after introduced species become established, more gradual effects may take years to manifest and can thus require long-term data for quantification. We analyzed an 8-year record of stable isotope data on Argentine ants ( biological invasions ͉ stable isotopes ͉ food webs B iological invasions threaten biodiversity and drain economic resources. Despite the importance of species introductions, the short-term and small-scale nature of most invasive species research is a recognized limitation of this field (1). Additionally, confounding environmental factors can obscure links between the spread of invasive species and decline of natives (2). Spatiotemporal fluctuations in the population sizes of introduced species (3) that result from changes in resource use or availability (4) can greatly alter the extent to which invaders disrupt ecosystems. Because a better understanding of such variation will inform both ecological theory and management strategies, there is an urgent need for long-term studies as well as for research that investigates ecological interactions in the native ranges of introduced species.One underappreciated source of variation regarding introduced species concerns dietary flexibility and shifts in trophic position between native and introduced populations. This form of ecological plasticity may enhance invasion success in a number of ways. Species capable of extracting required nutrients from multiple trophic levels might establish in a broader range of environments compared with more specialized consumers. Furthermore, theory predicts diminishing biomass at higher trophic levels, suggesting that species feeding at lower trophic levels might attain greater abundance (5).In this study we examine the direct effects of Argentine ant (Linepithema humile) invasions on native ant diversity and then quantify how dietary flexibility in this widespread invader affects spatiotemporal variation in its trophic position. Invasive ants provide an ideal system to test how trophic flexibility contributes to invasion success. With many species introductions, it can be difficult to separate the effects of the invader from covarying factors, such as habitat disturbance, that might also negatively affect natives (2, 6). Because Argentine ants aggressively displace above-ground foraging native ants (7), changes in the diet of L. humile that occur during and just after invasion can be linked to native ant displacement. Second, invasive ants, such as L. humile, are highly omnivorous and frequently form nonspecialized associations with honeydew-producing Hemiptera (7-10). Greater use of honeydew and other plant-based resources in introduced populations might result in a decrease in trophic position (relative to that of native populations), such that invasive ants would persist at higher densities than if they were acting as carnivores (7,11,12). Similar arguments have been proposed to explain the great abundance of ants in tropical rainforest canopies ...

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Section: Solenopsis Molesta (2)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Trophic ecology of invasive Argentine ants in their native and introduced ranges

Tillberg

Holway

LeBrun

et al. 2007

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

171

202

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“…Variation in plant defences and herbivore development may occur between the understorey and the canopy, since canopy leaves are more vulnerable to desiccation and exposure to ultraviolet light (Loiselle & Farji-Brener 2002, Lowman & Moffett 1993, Yanoviak & Kaspari 2000. Canopy leaves are thicker and tougher than understorey leaves and possess greater concentrations of defensive compounds (Dominy et al 2003) and thus may prolong herbivore development, increasing their exposure to natural enemies.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Caterpillar abundance and parasitism in a seasonally dry versus wet tropical forest of Panama

et al. 2010

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Abstract:Rainfall seasonality can strongly influence biotic interactions by affecting host plant quality, and thus potentially regulating herbivore exposure to natural enemies. Plant defences are predicted to increase from dry to wet forests, rendering wet-forest caterpillars more vulnerable to parasitoids due to the slow-growth-high-mortality hypothesis. We collected and reared caterpillars from the understorey and trail edges of a wet forest and a seasonally dry forest to determine whether wet-forest caterpillars suffered a higher prevalence of parasitism and were less abundant than dry-forest caterpillars. In the two forests, caterpillar abundances (on average 8 h −1 ) and prevalence of parasitism (18%) were very similar regardless of feeding niche for both parasitism (27% versus 29% in shelter builders, and 16% versus 11% in external feeders) and caterpillar abundances (shelter builders: 1.42 versus 2.39, and external feeders: 8.27 versus 5.49 caterpillars h −1 ) in the dry and wet forests, respectively. A similar comparative analysis conducted in the canopy and understorey of the dry forest revealed a higher prevalence of parasitism in the canopy (43%) despite caterpillar densities similar to those in the understorey. Overall, shelter builders suffered higher parasitism than external feeders (32% versus 14.9%), and were attacked primarily by flies, whereas external feeders were more vulnerable to attack by parasitoid wasps.

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“…Being a good discoverer may also be a means by which subordinates access preferred resources. Omnivorous ant species often prefer different sizes and types of food both in the absence of competitors (Sanders & Gordon, 2000 and during recruitment (Savolainen, 1991;Yanoviak & Kaspari, 2000), yet dominant species often monopolise these preferred items in nature (Sanders & Gordon, 2003).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Resource discovery in ant communities: do food type and quantity matter?

Pearce-Duvet

Feener

2010

Ecological Entomology

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Abstract. 1. Omnivorous woodland ant species trade off between the ability to find and behaviourally control food resources. Dominant species can limit the ability of subordinates to harvest certain food items. However, subordinate species, by being faster discoverers, could gain access to such food items by arriving at them first.2.In this study, we tested the hypothesis that resource-directed discovery occurs in ant communities and that good discoverers preferentially discover high value resources. We did this by measuring time to discovery and the number of discoveries of high and low levels of two resource types, crickets and honey, for species occurring in Texas and Arizona woodland ant communities.3. Ants discovered resources roughly 10 times faster in Texas than in Arizona. They discovered crickets more rapidly than honey in both communities, but there was no difference in the discovery of different resource levels. We also found that species were not biased in their discovery of different resource types or levels.4. These results provide indirect evidence that discovery is directed by resource stimuli but that such directedness does not impact interspecific exploitative competition.

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Community structure and the habitat templet: ants in the tropical forest canopy and litter

Cited by 200 publications

References 44 publications

Trophic ecology of invasive Argentine ants in their native and introduced ranges

Trophic ecology of invasive Argentine ants in their native and introduced ranges

Caterpillar abundance and parasitism in a seasonally dry versus wet tropical forest of Panama

Resource discovery in ant communities: do food type and quantity matter?

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