Effect of harvester ants of the genus <i>Pogonomyrmex</i> on the soil seed bank around their nests in the central Monte desert, Argentina

Pirk, Gabriela Inés; Casenave, Javier Nestor Lopez de

doi:10.1111/een.12140

Cited by 7 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 46 publications

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“…The diversity and density of seed banks in sites near ant nests were higher than those of control sites, which is consistent with other studies (Leal et al, 2007;Inés et al, 2014). Some studies indicated that the negative impacts of ants on seed bank in desert areas are related to foraging behavior and seed consumption of ants (Costa et al, 2008;Pirk and de Casenave, 2014).…”

Section: Ants Seedling Establishment and Seed Banksupporting

confidence: 90%

Plant community dynamics in arid lands: the role of desert ants

Sharafatmandrad

Mashizi

2021

J. Arid Land

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Ants (Formicidae, Hymenoptera) play an important role in seed bank, seedling establishment and plant composition of arid ecosystems. Thus, knowing plant-ant interaction provides useful information for managers to design restoration and conservation plans. In this study, the roles of desert harvester ants (Messor intermedius and Messor melancholicus) and scavenger ants (Cataglyphis nodus and Lepisiota semenovi) on plant communities were investigated in arid ecosystems of southeastern Iran. Two vegetation types were distinguished in the study area and the nest density of ant species was determined. Furthermore, plant composition and soil seed bank were estimated at different distances from the ant nests. Results showed that the density of M. intermedius and M. melancholicus nests was higher in dwarf shrub-shrub vegetation type and the density of C. nodus and L. semenovi nests was higher in dwarf shrub vegetation type. The harvester and scavenger ants had enhanced the seed bank to 55% and 70%, respectively. Therefore, the role of scavenger ants on the plant communities' seed bank was greater than that of harvester ants. Although the scavenger ants were more influential on the annuals and the invasive plant species, the radius impact of the harvester ants on the perennials was greater, i.e., a positive interaction existed between the perennial plants and the harvester ants. C. nodus and L. semenovi played an important role in enhancing the ecosystem's potential for restoration through establishment of pioneer species in early stage of succession. The activity of M. intermedius is crucial for the development and maintenance of climax plant communities in arid ecosystems through assisting the plant species' establishment in late stage of succession. It is essential to preserve the diversity of these key ant species for the maintenance and sustainability of shrubs in arid ecosystems.

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Section: Ants Seedling Establishment and Seed Banksupporting

confidence: 90%

Plant community dynamics in arid lands: the role of desert ants

Sharafatmandrad

Mashizi

2021

J. Arid Land

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“…Several works highlight the negative impacts of ants on plants in desert areas (Brown, Reichman & Davidson ; Costa et al . ; Pirk & Lopez De Casenave ). We complement these findings highlighting the positive influence of ants that inhabit desert lands on soil fertility and vegetation performance.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

The effects of ant nests on soil fertility and plant performance: a meta‐analysis

Farji‐Brener

Werenkraut

2017

Journal of Animal Ecology

108

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Ants are recognized as one of the major sources of soil disturbance world-wide. However, this view is largely based on isolated studies and qualitative reviews. Here, for the first time, we quantitatively determined whether ant nests affect soil fertility and plant performance, and identified the possible sources of variation of these effects. Using Bayesian mixed-models meta-analysis, we tested the hypotheses that ant effects on soil fertility and plant performance depend on the substrate sampled, ant feeding type, latitude, habitat and the plant response variable measured. Ant nests showed higher nutrient and cation content than adjacent non-nest soil samples, but similar pH. Nutrient content was higher in ant refuse materials than in nest soils. The fertilizer effect of ant nests was also higher in dry habitats than in grasslands or savannas. Cation content was higher in nests of plant-feeding ants than in nests of omnivorous species, and lower in nests from agro-ecosystems than in nests from any other habitat. Plants showed higher green/root biomass and fitness on ant nests soils than in adjacent, non-nest sites; but plant density and diversity were unaffected by the presence of ant nests. Root growth was particularly higher in refuse materials than in ant nest soils, in leaf-cutting ant nests and in deserts habitats. Our results confirm the major role of ant nests in influencing soil fertility and vegetation patterns and provide information about the factors that mediate these effects. First, ant nests improve soil fertility mainly through the accumulation of refuse materials. Thus, different refuse dump locations (external or in underground nest chambers) could benefit different vegetation life-forms. Second, ant nests could increase plant diversity at larger spatial scales only if the identity of favoured plants changes along environmental gradients (i.e. enhancing β-diversity). Third, ant species that feed on plants play a relevant role fertilizing soils, which may balance their known influence as primary consumers. Fourth, the effects of ant nests as fertility islands are larger in arid lands, possibly because fertility is intrinsically lower in these habitats. Overall, this study provide novel and quantitative evidence confirming that ant nests are key soil modifiers, emphasizing their role as ecological engineers.

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“…However, the case for ants is unclear. Ants of the genus Pogonomyrmex modify the seed bank (Taber, 1998; MacMahon et al., 2000; Pirk & Lopez De Casenave, 2014; Luna et al., 2018), which eventually could change the plant community. In fact, these ants increase the diversity of small‐seeded plants in the Sonoran Desert, but the underlying mechanisms behind these changes are unclear (Samson et al., 1992).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seed‐predation and dispersal by ants determine plant‐species dominance and diversity in a semi‐arid grassland

García‐Meza,

Ríos‐Casanova,

Zavala‐Hurtado

et al. 2024

J Vegetation Science

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QuestionGranivorous ants may affect plants negatively by diminishing their numbers, or positively by dispersing seeds, reducing aggregation and thus competition. We assessed whether, and how, ants affect plant populations and community diversity.LocationSemi‐arid grassland in southern Mexico.MethodsOver 5 years, using ant exclosures, we compared plant diversity in plots where ants were present or not using Hill numbers. Furthermore, we determined whether the effects of ants on plant species depend on the relative dominance or rarity of plants. We tested whether ants cause greater reductions in the abundance of the plant species they prefer most. We also determined whether plant species whose aggregation was reduced by ants increased in numbers.ResultsSix plant species increased their numbers when ants were present, and four experienced reductions. Ants reduced richness, although evidence was inconclusive; however, they clearly increased dominant species diversity (2D). Although the overall effect that ants exerted on plant species did not depend on their dominance or rarity, four of the five most abundant species were favored by ants. Ants’ preferences did not determine their effect on species’ abundance. The species that benefited from ants were those whose spatial aggregation increased when exposed to ants.ConclusionsAnts do not maintain richness, but instead may reduce it by favoring a few dominant species. The lack of a relationship between ants’ preferences and their effect on plant populations may arise from a mixture of positive and negative effects on the preferred seeds. Ants may increase aggregation by enhancing seedling performance near their nests, where conditions may be improved, and by dispersing seeds into these areas. This is in line with our finding that common species are favored by ants, because, at our study site, they are more likely to be dispersed.

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Effect of harvester ants of the genus Pogonomyrmex on the soil seed bank around their nests in the central Monte desert, Argentina

Cited by 7 publications

References 46 publications

Plant community dynamics in arid lands: the role of desert ants

Plant community dynamics in arid lands: the role of desert ants

The effects of ant nests on soil fertility and plant performance: a meta‐analysis

Seed‐predation and dispersal by ants determine plant‐species dominance and diversity in a semi‐arid grassland

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