Evidence of sodium limitation in ants and termites in a Neotropical savanna

Abstract

Nutritional ecology of ropical ecosystems like Neotropical savannas, which are of high conservation concern, is understudied. Sodium is essential for heterotrophs but availability often falls short relative to plant consumer requirements. Savanna plant consumers like ants and termites should be sodium-limited due to high temperatures, nutrient-poor soils, and lack of oceanic sodium deposition. We tested the hypothesis that Neotropical savanna ants and termites are sodium-limited. Termites were tested by supplementing 0.25 m2 plots with H2O (control), 0.1%, 0.5%, or 1.0% NaCl and measuring termite presence and artificial substrate mass loss after 1 week. Ants were tested by collecting ants that recruited to H2O (control), 0.1%, 0.5%, and 1.0% NaCl and 1.0%, 10%, and 20% sugar baits on paired diurnal–nocturnal transects. Termites were 16 times more likely to occur on 1% NaCl than H2O plots and wood-feeding termites were most frequent. However, the decomposition rate did not differ among treatments. Ant bait use increased with increasing NaCl concentration and 1% NaCl usage was similar to sugar bait usage. Ants were 3.7 times more active nocturnally than diurnally, but contrary to predictions bait type (water, sugar or NaCl) usage did not differ between day and night. Together, these results provide strong evidence of sodium limitation in Neotropical savannas.

Contrasts among cationic phytochemical landscapes in the southern United States

“…Dry or xeric habitats, certain geological formations (e.g., salt deposits, salt domes, sodium feldspar rocks), and coastal habitats often have the highest concentrations of environmentally available Na ions (Kapustina, 2001 ; Kaspari, 2020 ; Martin et al, 2010 ; National Atmospheric Deposition Program [NRSP‐3], 2020 ; Smith, 2013 ; Stallard & Edmond, 1981 ). High variation and shortfalls in environmental Na have important consequences for organismal behavior, physiological performance, species interactions, and community assembly (e.g., Borer et al, 2019 ; Bradshaw & Bradshaw, 1999 ; Bravo et al, 2012 ; Brewer & Grace, 1990 ; Clay et al, 2014 ; Clay et al, 2022 ; Prather et al, 2018 ; Snell‐Rood et al, 2014 ). Therefore, determining the extent to which plant Na concentrations are coupled with those of soils is essential for deepening our understanding of how community‐ and ecosystem‐level processes vary across space.…”