The Changes in Ant Species Distribution During Ten Years Post-Fire Regeneration of a Heath

Brian, M. V.; Mountford, M. D.; Abbott, A.; Vincent, Salom Gnana Thanga

doi:10.2307/3771

Cited by 34 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…The submissive Myrmicinae Brian et al (1976) have suggested that the two subfamilies Myrmicinae and Formicinae form two morphologically differentiated guilds; the idea has gained support by later studies (Fellers 1987, Savolainen andVepsalainen 1988, Vepsalainen andSavolainen, unpubl.). The genus Myrmica (Myrmicinae) in comparison with the species of Formicinae are shorter-legged and more compactly built, with antennae folding tightly to special grooves on the sides of the head.…”

Section: The Submissive Formicinaementioning

confidence: 96%

“…The coexistence of the subfamily pairs is evidently facilitated by differences in colony size (Brian et al 1976). The coexistence of the subfamily pairs is evidently facilitated by differences in colony size (Brian et al 1976).…”

Section: The Submissive Formicinaementioning

confidence: 99%

“…The coexistence of the subfamily pairs is evidently facilitated by differences in colony size (Brian et al 1976). Furthermore, the Myrmica construct rather small nests and move more readily if disturbed or the site deteriorates (Brian et al 1976). Furthermore, the Myrmica construct rather small nests and move more readily if disturbed or the site deteriorates (Brian et al 1976).…”

Section: The Submissive Formicinaementioning

confidence: 99%

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Niche Differentiation of Ant Species within Territories of the Wood Ant Formica polyctena

Savolainen¹,

Vepsäläinen²

1989

Oikos

112

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JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org. . Wiley-Blackwell and Nordic Society Oikos are collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Oikos. Savolainen, R. and Vepsalainen, K. 1989. Niche differentiation of ant species within territories of the wood ant Formica polyctena. -Oikos 56: 3-16.The question if dominant ant species affect habitat use of other ant species was studied around two mounds of the territorial Formica polyctena. We sampled foraging ants at 10, 30 and 60 m from the mounds in four vertical layers on rocky outcrop interspersed with small vegetation patches and in neighbouring forest. We tested expected interactions among ant species on the basis of a linear competition hierarchy concept consisting of three levels: territorial (top competitors), encounter (aggressive but nonterritorial) and submissive (nonaggressive) species. We focussed on resource partitioning by space (not by food) and shifts in use of vertical layers of the habitat in presence of the territorial species. F polyctena was present everywhere except in the litter. Its numbers decreased with distance from its mound, although its activity was substantially patchy within each distance zone. The encounter species occurred occasionally in places where F. polyctena was scarce. The submissive F. fusca, morphologically similar to the top dominant, did not respond by layer shifts; but its numbers decreased toward the mound of F polyctena. The submissive Myrmica shifted from surface of ground to litter and shrub layers at high densities of the dominant. Small colonies and short foraging distances of the submissive species allow coexistence within the territory in lowdensity patches of F polyctena. Our ant community consists of three functional guilds corresponding to taxonomic and morphological guilds: the larger above-ground Formicinae, the smaller and compacter Formicinae, and the small litter-inhabiting Myrmicinae. Interference competition is stronger and more effective among the Formicinae than among the Myrmicinae or between the subfamilies, but the top dominant affects all ant species of the community. Coexistence between the submissives and the top dominant is facilitated by niche differentiation and behavioural responses in the presence of the top dominant.

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Section: The Submissive Formicinaementioning

confidence: 96%

Section: The Submissive Formicinaementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: The Submissive Formicinaementioning

confidence: 99%

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Niche Differentiation of Ant Species within Territories of the Wood Ant Formica polyctena

Savolainen¹,

Vepsäläinen²

1989

Oikos

112

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“…Czechowski and Vepsäläinen, 2001;this study), and can be expected for several reasons. Myrmica, Serviformica and Leptothorax species have small nests with small worker forces, small feeding areas, small overlap with wood ants with respect to nesting places and size of food items, and they can change their activity pattern, feeding niche and food choice in the presence of wood ants (Pickles, 1936;Brian, 1952Brian, , 1956Marikovskiy, 1962;Brian et al, 1965;Dobrzanski, 1966;Stebaev and Reznikova, 1972;Brian et al, 1976;Vepsäläinen and Pisarski, 1982;Mabelis, 1984;Pisarski and Vepsäläinen, 1989;Vepsä-läinen, 1988, 1989;Savolainen, 1990;Vepsäläinen and Savolainen, 1990;Pantaleeva, 2001, 2005). Such coexistence, is however expected to have a fitness cost for submissives (i.e.…”

Section: Submissive Speciesmentioning

confidence: 99%

RETRACTED ARTICLE: Interspecific competition among ants in the boreal forest: Testing predictions from a linear hierarchical competition model

2007

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Competitive interactions often play an important role in local community structure, and particularly so in ant communities. We test predictions derived from a competition model proposed for Scandinavian ant communities by comparing ant nest densities inside and outside fifty randomly-selected territories of competitively dominant wood ants within 30 km of Umeå, northern Sweden. As predicted by the model, competitively-intermediate encounter species, as well as other territorial species, showed complementary occurrences with both studied wood ants, Formica aquilonia Yarrow and F. lugubris Zett.. In contrast, complementary abundances, i.e. lower density of competitively-inferior submissive species in the presence of wood ants, as predicted by the model, was not supported for all submissive species. Of the two studied wood ant species, the nest density of submissive species was negatively correlated only with F. aquilonia. Submissives as a group, as well as Myrmica-species, showed complementary abundances with F. aquilonia, but one Leptothorax and two Serviformica species had higher nest densities in the presence of this competitively-dominant species. We propose that, for Leptothorax, these deviations from the model predictions may be because of limited niche overlap with dominant wood ants, a small worker force and a timid behaviour which does not elicit aggression in wood ants. For the two Serviformica species, we propose a combination of protection against social parasites, inter-specific social control performed by F. aquilonia, and dominance relationships between competitively-inferior submissive species as reasons for the higher nest density inside F. aquilonia territories. Monogyny, and thereby smaller nests, lower worker force, smaller territory (as shown by this study) in F. lugubris, as compared to the polygyny in F. aquilonia, may also help explain the differences in their effects on subordinate species. Our analyses indicate that the linear competition hierarchy model proposed for Scandinavian ants accurately predicts the outcome of interaction between and community composition for dominant territorial and encounter species, but that it needs refinement with respect to the relationship between territorial and submissive species and the resulting community composition. Further studies are needed, especially addressing the complex relationships between these latter groups, and the effects of different competitively-dominant wood ants, to determine the mechanisms determining the outcome of these relationships and to more accurately predict community composition.

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“…Gorssen (1999) found that sod cut and burned plots had a lower number of nests and species than unmanaged heathland plots. Brian et al (1976) and De Boer (1978) did not find any differences in ant species composition and even found higher nest numbers after burning of dry heathland. The very high values of nitrogen deposition however, suggest that burning is at present no longer recommended because fast growing grasses such as the Purple Moor-grass, Molinia caerulea, will become dominant and reduce nest densities.…”

Section: The Effect Of Molinia Caerulea Encroachment On Antsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ant communities (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Flemish (north Belgium) wet heathlands, a declining habitat in Europe

Maes¹,

Dyck²,

Vanreusel³

et al. 2003

Eur. J. Entomol.

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Abstract. During a survey of 23 wet heathland sites in Flanders (north Belgium) in 1999 and 2000, using both manual nest searching and pitfall traps as sampling techniques, we found 28 ant species. One species (Myrmica lonae) was new to the Belgian fauna and several rare species were encountered. Three ecological groups could be distinguished based on soil preference: the first group of species was characteristic of sandy soil, the second contained species that were more numerous on peat soil (with Sphagnum spp.), and the third group of species had no soil preference. Ant nest numbers increased strongly between 1999 and 2000, especially on the plots that were inundated during the winter of 1999-2000, but the number of ant species did not differ significantly between years. Ant nest density showed an optimum at a Purple Moor-grass (Molinia caerulea) cover of about 45%; the number of species did not show such an optimum. Pitfall traps yielded more species than manual nest searching; in particular temporary social parasites, spe cies with a large foraging range and winged females from the surrounding habitats were missed by the latter technique. Finally, we give some recommendations for the conservation of, and suitable management measures for, ants on wet heathland.

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The Changes in Ant Species Distribution During Ten Years Post-Fire Regeneration of a Heath

Cited by 34 publications

References 9 publications

Niche Differentiation of Ant Species within Territories of the Wood Ant Formica polyctena

Niche Differentiation of Ant Species within Territories of the Wood Ant Formica polyctena

RETRACTED ARTICLE: Interspecific competition among ants in the boreal forest: Testing predictions from a linear hierarchical competition model

Ant communities (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Flemish (north Belgium) wet heathlands, a declining habitat in Europe

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