Three energy variables predict ant abundance at a geographical scale

Kaspari, Michael; Alonso, Leeanne E.; O’Donnell, Sean

doi:10.1098/rspb.2000.1026

Cited by 158 publications

(236 citation statements)

References 26 publications

(45 reference statements)

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“…As variações entre as épocas de coleta observadas na comunidade da Marambaia podem se relacionar com os diferentes graus de termofi lia das espécies (Bestelmeyer 2000) e também com a infl uência da produtividade primária do ecossistema (Kaspari et al 2000). As diferenças de temperatura entre os meses de março e agosto na Marambaia, apesar de pequenas, podem ser suficientes para alterar diferentemente os níveis de atividades das formigas (Bestelmeyer 2000).…”

Section: Discussionunclassified

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Efeitos de fatores ambientais sobre a mirmecofauna em comunidade de restinga no Rio de Janeiro, RJ

Vargas¹,

Mayhé-Nunes²,

Queiroz³

et al. 2007

Neotrop. Entomol.

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-The effects of environmental factors on the richness, diversity and abundance of ants were studied in the Restinga da Marambaia, south coast of Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil. The samples were taken using pitfall traps in August/2004 (winter) and March/2005 (summer) in three different vegetation types: (1) herbaceous ridge palmoid (homogeneous habitat); (2) shrub dune thicket and (3) ridge forest (heterogeneous habitats). At each habitat a range of environmental attributes was recorded: soil temperature and humidity, percentage of soil covering by litter and litter depth. Ninety-two ant species belonging to 36 genera and eight subfamilies were recorded. Density of ant species and abundance varied signifi cantly between habitats and seasons; ant diversity varied only between habitats. Homogeneous habitat had lower ant species density, abundance and diversity than heterogeneous habitats. The two fi rst variables were positively correlated with litter depth and both were higher in summer than in winter samples. There were more species of Ponerinae and Ectatomminae in heterogeneous than in the homogeneous habitat, whereas the Formicinae species were more abundant in the later.KEY WORDS: Formicidae, ground-dwelling ant, Neotropical fauna, plant physiognomy RESUMO -A infl uência de fatores ambientais sobre a diversidade, riqueza e abundância de formigas em comunidade de restinga foi avaliada na Marambaia, litoral sul do estado do Rio de Janeiro. As amostras foram tomadas em agosto de 2004 (inverno) e março de 2005 (verão) em três fi sionomias vegetais: (1) vegetação herbácea fechada de cordão arenoso (habitat homogeneo), (2) arbustiva fechada de cordão arenoso e (3) fl oresta de cordão arenoso (habitats heterogeneos). Em cada formação foram medidos os seguintes atributos ambientais: temperatura e umidade do solo, cobertura do solo por serapilheira e profundidade da serapilheira. Noventa e duas espécies distribuídas em 36 gêneros e oito subfamílias foram coletadas. A densidade de espécies e a abundância variaram signifi cativamente com a fi sionomia e época de coleta; a diversidade apenas com a fi sionomia. O habitat homogêneo teve menor densidade de espécies, abundância e diversidade do que os habitats heterogêneos. As duas primeiras variáveis foram positivamente correlacionadas com a profundidade da serapilheira e ambas foram maiores na amostragem de verão do que na de inverno. Houve mais espécies de Ponerinae e Ectatomminae nos ambientes mais heterogêneos, enquanto que Formicinae foi mais abundante no ambiente homogêneo.

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Section: Discussionunclassified

“…De outro lado, a evapotranspiração no local, uma medida indireta da produtividade (Kaspari et al 2000), é cerca de duas vezes maior nos meses de verão do que nos de inverno Tabela 1. Continuação.…”

Section: Discussionunclassified

Efeitos de fatores ambientais sobre a mirmecofauna em comunidade de restinga no Rio de Janeiro, RJ

Vargas¹,

Mayhé-Nunes²,

Queiroz³

et al. 2007

Neotrop. Entomol.

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“…Temperature and rainfall, two ''master regulators'' (25), vary geographically, with consequences for the structure and function of ecological communities (19,26,27). But despite the chemical diversity of living organisms (1) and spatial patterns of biogeochemistry (28), there have been few studies of the geography of nutrient limitation in consumers (17,29).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Ants are common players in terrestrial ecosystems (18,19). Moreover, ants are trophically diverse, with herbivores that feed on sugary exudates common in ''green'' food webs with abundant vegetation (e.g., forest canopies and grasslands) and predators that feed on the consumers of decomposer microbes, common in litter (or ''brown'') food webs (20)(21)(22)(23).…”

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confidence: 99%

On the biogeography of salt limitation: A study of ant communities

Kaspari

Yanoviak

Dudley

2008

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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Sodium is an essential nutrient whose deposition in rainfall decreases with distance inland. The herbivores and microbial decomposers that feed on sodium-poor vegetation should be particularly constrained along gradients of decreasing sodium. We studied the use of sucrose and NaCl baits in 17 New World ant communities located 4 -2757 km inland. Sodium use was higher in genera and subfamilies characterized as omnivores/herbivores compared with those classified as carnivores and was lower in communities embedded in forest litter than in those embedded in abundant vegetation. Sodium use was increased in ant communities further inland, as was preference for the baits with the highest sodium concentration. Sucrose use, a measure of ant activity, peaked in communities 10 -100 km inland. We suggest that the geography of ant activity is shaped by sodium toxicity near the shore and by sodium deficit farther inland. Given the importance of ants in terrestrial ecosystems, changing patterns of rainfall with global change may ramify through inland food webs.ants ͉ biogeochemistry ͉ geography ͉ limitation ͉ sodium

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“…Studies have shown not only that energy is strongly correlated with species richness (Currie 1991;O'Brien 1998) but also that there is a clear set of mechanisms that can account for the way in which changes in energy availability translate to alterations in numbers of individuals and the way these individuals, in turn, are partitioned between species (Kerr et al 1998;O'Brien 1998;Chown and Gaston 1999;Currie et al 1999;Kerr and Currie 1999;Kaspari et al 2000aKaspari et al , 2000b. However, several other factors are thought to be responsible for some, perhaps large, component of spatial variation in species richness (Rosenzweig 1995).…”

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confidence: 99%