Seasonal and Spatial Patterns in Ground Foraging Ants in a Rain Forest in the Western Ghats, India¹

Abstract

Seasonal variation and spatial distribution in ground foraging rain forest ants were studied in South Kannada–Kodagu District in Karnataka (India) between 1990 and 1991 by pit‐fall trap sampling. All ant species showed marked seasonality. A total of 31 species were recorded from the primary forest over a period of two years. More species were recorded from the closed canopy forest than from tree fall gaps in primary forest. All ant species showed marked seasonality with fewer species and individuals sampled/plot during the wetter seasons. The numerically dominant species, Pheidole sp., was markedly lower in abundance during the wet seasons. Spatial patterns were also studied during a dry season both in the primary forest and an adjacent logged forest. More species were recorded from the logged forest than the primary forest. Community composition in primary forest was different from that in logged forest. Common species were more ubiquitous than rarer species. Species were distributed bimodally across sampling plots. Probable underlying processes behind these seasonal and spatial patterns have been discussed.

Temperature Influence on Species Co-Occurrence Patterns in Treefall Gap and Dense Forest Ant Communities in a Terra- Firme Forest of Central Amazon, Brazil

“…However, variations in environmental conditions, ecological, spatial, beyond random events can modulate the importance of competition and the ant community structure in one site (Hölldobler & Wilson 1990, Morrison 1996, Basu 1997. Our work corroborates with other work available in the literature that there is not substantial evidence that competition influences ant community structure at different spatial scales (Levings & Traniello 1981, Fellers 1987, Ryti & Case 1992, Punttila et al 1996Ribas & Schoereder 2002).…”

“…In this study, in a small spatial scale, even with the difference in the amplitude and the thermic variation between the treefall gaps and surrounding dense forests environments, we did not observe a modification of the ant community as a function of temperature, but just due to strong differences on habitat structure. Some studies have shown that the composition and foraging ants in treefall gaps environments are not only influenced by microclimatic factors, but also by the interaction of these factors with the structural complexity of vegetation in terms of availability of food and nesting sites (Greenslade & Halliday 1983, Andersen 1986, Aguiar & Monteza 1996, Basu 1997. Thus, many factors act together so that the composition of ant species differs between forest clearings and around tropical forests (Aguiar &Montez 1996), as observed in our results.…”

Seasonal activity of Dinoponera quadriceps Santschi (Formicidae, Ponerinae) in the semi-arid Caatinga of northeastern Brazil

“…Seasonal ant activity has been observed in high latitude regions (Cerdá & Retana 1989;Domisch et al 2009;Suwabe et al 2009;Vogt et al 2003), characterized by well-defined seasons, tropical rainforests (Basu 1997;Levings 1983), semiarid environments (Barrow & Parr 2008), areas modified by anthropic action, such as pastures (Gove & Majer 2006) and cultivated areas (Fotso Kuate et al 2008;Philpott et al 2006). However, temporal variations in activity patterns vary with species, ecosystem and environmental factors.…”

Ants of the Islas Murciélago: An Inventory of the Ants on Tropical Dry Forest Islands in Northwest Costa Rica

“…Thus, seasonality plays an important role in ant activity on the Islands and mainland, and potentially influences which species are able to survive on the Islands (though further experiments and regional comparisons are necessary to determine this). Researchers working in other dry forest sites have found that seasonality has a strong effect on animal activity and observed relative abundance of many taxa [38][39][40]. It is also possible that extreme conditions during the dry season prevent other invasive ants from establishing and persisting on the Islands and adjacent mainland.…”