Effect of disturbance on the ant community in a semiarid region of Central Mexico

Abstract

Abstract. Ants have been used as indicators of disturbííííance, because of their fast response to environmental changes. However, it is not well defined which disturbance factors are associated with specific changes on the ant community. We evaluated the effect of disturbance on the ant community in a xeric community from central Mexico. Two sites with contrasting levels of disturbance were chosen based on a quantitative index. We compared ant abundance, ant diversity and the main disturbance factors affecting the ant community. Also, we identified the bioindicator species of ants and the feeding guilds. Soil compaction and cattle paths were the most important factors of disturbance within the study sites. These factors probably affect the community of ants by preventing them from colonizing the surrounding vegetation as well as from nesting in the soil. Ant diversity was lower in the disturbed site than in the conserved one. Four ant species were identified as bioindicators of disturbance. Although functional diversity did not differ between sites, the guild of granivore ants was the most affected by soil compaction. This is of great importance because the foraging patterns of granivore ants determining the structure and other aspects of the plant community.

Response of Hypothenemus hampei (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) to semiochemicals and blends using baited traps in coffee fields

“…In this sense, ETL plays an important role in induction of volatiles in plants (War et al, 2011) when plants are attacked, and parasitoids or other members of the third trophic level use induced volatiles as cues to find the feeding herbivore (Kahl et al, 2000). Interestingly, ETL traps in the present work captured a high number of potential natural enemies of H. hampei (data not published), such as the ants Camponotus blandus (McClure et al, 2008); Crematogaster evallans (Boscardin et al, 2012), Pseudomyrmex gracilis (Rivas-Arancibia et al, 2014) and Brachymyrmex sp. (Cividanes 2002).…”

The influence of distance from crushed stone mining on surface-active arthropods and soil properties

“…For example, when compared to conserved sites Rivas-Arancibia et al ( 2014) reported a decrease in abundance of Pheidole skwarrae, P. tepicana, Pogonomyrmex barbatus and Dorymyrmex pyramicus in sites disturbed by livestock grazing, human activities and land degradation. However, abundance of Brachymymex musculus increased in disturbed sites compared to undisturbed sites (Rivas-Arancibia et al 2014). Similarities in species richness, abundance, and composition of surface-active arthropods among the different distances from the mining sites may be because the mining sites that we sampled are like 'islands' that occur within a matrix of other anthropogenic activities.…”

Effects of solar energy development on ants in the Mojave Desert

“…(Grodsky & Hernandez, 2020), leaving potentially unsuitable conditions for the many desert ants that nest and forage in soil (Ikeda & des Lauriers, 2011; Nash et al, 2004). Indeed, soil texture is known to affect the distribution of desert ant species (Johnson, 1992), and soil compaction has been shown to negatively affect granivorous ants in an arid ecosystem of central Mexico (Rivas‐Arancibia et al, 2014). Although cacti and Mojave yucca ( Yucca schidigera ) remained absent from mowed areas in the facility seven years post‐construction, creosote ( Larrea tridentata ) and white bursage ( Amrbosia dumosa ) recovered to reach covers similar to those in controls (Grodsky & Hernandez, 2020).…”