Diversity and abundance of understorey plants on active and abandoned nests of leaf-cutting ants (Atta cephalotes) in a Costa Rican rain forest

1998 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 17-26 ◽  
Author(s):  
MARIANA GARRETTSON ◽  
J. F. STETZEL ◽  
BEN S. HALPERN ◽  
DAVID J. HEARN ◽  
BRENDAN T. LUCEY ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Tropical Forests ◽  
Rain Forest ◽  
Forest Floor ◽  
Costa Rican ◽  
Atta Cephalotes ◽  
Rain Forests ◽  
Ant Nests ◽  
Small Height ◽  
Leaf Cutting ◽  
Understorey Plants

Nests of leaf-cutting ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Attini) are abundant disturbances in Neotropical rain forests, and could affect the plant community both while the nests are active and after they are abandoned. We measured the diversity and abundance of understorey plants (>1 m in height) in the area around active and abandoned nests of leaf-cutting ants (Atta cephalotes) at the La Selva Biological Station in Costa Rica. Sampel quadrats on active nests had reduced diversity (number of morphospecies) and abundance of both small (height >10 cm) and large (10 cm–1 m) understorey plants, when compared to the nearby forest floor (3 and 13 m from the nest edge). Abandoned nests had greater diversity and marginally greater abundance of small understorey plants relative to nearby forest; there was no difference in diversity or abundance of large understorey plants. Leaf-cutting ant nests create gaps in the plant understorey when active, but serve as centres of recruitment for small plants after they are abandoned. Thus, like canopy gaps, ant nests could play an important role in recruitment of new individuals and maintenance of plant species diversity in tropical forests.

Ants accelerate litter decomposition in a Costa Rican lowland tropical rain forest

2012 ◽  
Vol 28 (5) ◽  
pp. 437-443 ◽  
Author(s):  
Terrence P. McGlynn ◽  
Evan K. Poirson
Keyword(s):  
Mass Loss ◽  
Leaf Litter ◽  
Litter Decomposition ◽  
Rain Forest ◽  
Costa Rican ◽  
Tropical Rain Forests ◽  
Rain Forests ◽  
Food Web Structure ◽  
Litter Bags ◽  
Lowland Rain Forest

Abstract:The decomposition of leaf litter is governed, in part, by litter invertebrates. In tropical rain forests, ants are dominant predators in the leaf litter and may alter litter decomposition through the action of a top-down control of food web structure. The role of ants in litter decomposition was investigated in a Costa Rican lowland rain forest with two experiments. In a mesocosm experiment, we manipulated ant presence in 50 ambient leaf-litter mesocosms. In a litterbag gradient experiment, Cecropia obtusifolia litter was used to measure decomposition rate constants across gradients in nutrients, ant density and richness, with 27 separate litterbag treatments for total arthropod exclusion or partial arthropod exclusion. After 2 mo, mass loss in mesocosms containing ants was 30.9%, significantly greater than the 23.5% mass loss in mesocosms without ants. In the litter bags with all arthropods excluded, decomposition was best accounted by the carbon: phosphorus content of soil (r2 = 0.41). In litter bags permitting smaller arthropods but excluding ants, decomposition was best explained by the local biomass of ants in the vicinity of the litter bags (r2 = 0.50). Once the microarthropod prey of ants are permitted to enter litterbags, the biomass of ants near the litterbags overtakes soil chemistry as the regulator of decomposition. In concert, these results support a working hypothesis that litter-dwelling ants are responsible for accelerating litter decomposition in lowland tropical rain forests.

Seed scatterhoarding by white-tailed rats: consequences for seedling recruitment by an Australian rain forest tree

2001 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 177-189 ◽  
Author(s):  
TAD C. THEIMER
Keyword(s):  
Rain Forest ◽  
Forest Floor ◽  
Seedling Recruitment ◽  
Forest Tree ◽  
Tropical Rain Forests ◽  
Rain Forests ◽  
Seedling Dynamics ◽  
Avian Frugivore ◽  
Casuarius Casuarius

The role of white-tailed rats (Uromys caudimaculatus) as dispersers of seeds of the Australian tropical rain forest tree Beilschmiedia bancroftii, (Lauraceae) was investigated by following the fates of seeds and seedlings over 2 y. Fruits of this tree are too large to be consumed by any avian frugivore except the southern cassowary (Casuarius casuarius), and the only other native mammal capable of dispersing the seeds is the musky rat kangaroo (Hypsiprimnodon moschatus). However, neither of these species has been documented to disperse the seeds of this tree. During a mast year, white-tailed rats cached seeds an average of 13 m from parent trees in a variety of microsites. Although none of the 61 cached seeds followed in this study survived to germination, comparison of seed, cache and seedling distributions suggested that most seedlings arose from rat-cached seeds. White-tailed rats cached seeds in both mast and non-mast years, but the time seeds remained on the forest floor and in caches was significantly shorter in non-mast years, suggesting that synchronous seed production increases the probability that some caches survive to germination. Because white-tailed rats are the most common and widespread native mammal capable of dispersing large-seeds, this study suggests that they may play an important role in the seed and seedling dynamics of large-seeded tree species in Australian tropical rain forests.

Habitat-dependent fruiting behaviour of an understorey tree,Miconia centrodesma, and tropical treefall gaps as keystone habitats for frugivores in Costa Rica

1990 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 409-420 ◽  
Author(s):  
Douglas J. Levey
Keyword(s):  
Costa Rica ◽  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Rain Forest ◽  
Fruit Production ◽  
Costa Rican ◽  
Forest Trees ◽  
Lowland Rain Forest ◽  
Treefall Gaps ◽  
Forest Sites ◽  
Understorey Plants

ABSTRACTFruit production by an understorey tree,Miconia centrodesma, was monitored in treefall gaps and under intact canopy in a Costa Rican lowland rain forest. Trees in gaps displayed much less seasonality in fruit production than trees of intact forest sites. For example, ripe fruits were common on gap trees for a six month period (January-June) when few or no trees under intact canopy were in fruit. The frequent and aseasonal fruiting of gap trees demonstrates that they are not constrained by phenological cueing mechanisms; the influence of such cues is overridden by habitat. Trees in gaps also produced larger crops, had more extended fruiting episodes, and fruited more frequently than shaded conspecifics. This level of intraspecific variation in fruiting behaviour suggests that treefall gaps play an important role in determining the reproductive success ofM. centrodesma. A substantial proportion of an individual's lifetime seed output may be produced during the brief period it occupies a gap. In addition, the large and continuous supply of fruits produced in gaps byM. centrodesmaand other understorey plants, may mean that gaps function as ‘keystone habitats’ by providing resident frugivores with fruit during periods of general fruit scarcity.

Lithodytes lineatus (SCHNEIDER, 1799) (Amphibia: Leptodactylidae) as a dweller in nests of the leaf cutting ant Atta cephalotes (LINNAEUS, 1758) (Hymenoptera: Attini)

1981 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 117-121 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andreas Schlüter ◽  
Janos Regös
Keyword(s):  
Atta Cephalotes ◽  
Ant Nests ◽  
Ant Nest ◽  
Leaf Cutting

AbstractThe leptodactylid frog Lithodytes lineatus is associated with the leaf cutting ant Atta cephalotes in Perú. All specimens found in the investigated area were observed sitting near the entrances of nests of leaf cutting ants. One, found sitting in a nest at a depth of 60 cm, was heard calling and was recorded by lowering a microphone into the ant nest. All investigated leaf cutting ant nests were occupied by ants involved in normal foraging activities.

Ecosystem dynamics at disturbed and undisturbed sites in North Queensland wet tropical rain forest. III. Nutrient returns to the forest floor through litterfall

1998 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 217-229 ◽  
Author(s):  
JOHN L. HERBOHN ◽  
ROBERT A. CONGDON
Keyword(s):  
Tropical Forests ◽  
Rain Forest ◽  
Tropical Rain Forest ◽  
Forest Floor ◽  
Dry Weight ◽  
Ecosystem Dynamics ◽  
Wet Season ◽  
Nutrient Return ◽  
Selective Harvesting ◽  
Short Period

The nutrient contents and accessions in litterfall over a period of 3 y are reported for undisturbed areas and at two sites disturbed by selective harvesting in tropical rain forest in North Queensland, Australia. Mean concentrations (mg g&supminus1; dry weight) of nutrients in litterfall ranged from 10 to 12 for nitrogen; 0.33 to 0.43 for phosphorus; 3.6 to 4.3 for potassium; 6.0 to 10.5 for calcium; and 1.7 to 2.6 for magnesium. These concentrations are in the middle to lower part of the spectrum of values recorded for tropical forests. Accessions of nutrients in litterfall (kg ha&supminus1; y&supminus1;) ranged from 59 to 64 N; 1.9 to 2.4 P; 20 to 24 K; 34 to 63 Ca; and 9 to 16 Mg. These rates, particularly for N and P, are among the lowest recorded for tropical forests. There were no consistent between-site differences in total nutrient accessions in small litterfall. In terms of the contribution of litterfall to the accessions of nutrients to the forest floor, this suggests that the logged sites have recovered from the effects of selective harvesting within 25 y. Nutrient accessions at each site were distinctly seasonal, with maximum accessions occurring in the late dry season to late in the wet season. Leaf-fall accounted for the largest proportion of nutrient accessions over the study period, although at certain times accessions in both reproductive material and wood were significant. A cyclone which crossed the coast near the study sites resulted in large nutrient accessions over a short period but had little effect on the total annual accession. A comparison with previous studies of litterfall in Australian tropical rainforests indicates that nutrient return in litterfall is directly related to soil fertility.

scholarly journals Plants use macronutrients accumulated in leaf-cutting ant nests

2006 ◽  
Vol 274 (1608) ◽  
pp. 315-321 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leonel da S.L Sternberg ◽  
Maria Camila Pinzon ◽  
Marcelo Z Moreira ◽  
Paulo Moutinho ◽  
Enith I Rojas ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Stable Isotope ◽  
Tropical Forests ◽  
Leaf Tissue ◽  
Forest Site ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Stable Isotope Label ◽  
Isotope Label ◽  
Ant Nests ◽  
Long Distance Transport ◽  
Leaf Cutting

Leaf-cutting ants ( Atta spp.) are known for their extensive defoliation in neo-tropical forests and savannahs. Debate about the costs and benefits of their activities has been largely dominated by their detrimental effects on agriculture and agroforestry. However, the large accumulation of nutrients and changes in soil properties near their nests might benefit plants growing near them. Here, we test whether trees use nutrients that accumulate in debris piles near, or refuse chambers within, leaf-cutting ant nests. At two tropical sites (a moist tropical forest site in Panama and a savannah site in Brazil), we fed leaves labelled with the stable isotope 15 N to two species of leaf-cutting ants ( Atta colombica and Atta laevigata ) and traced the stable isotope label in plants surrounding the two nests. Thus, we show that plants in both sites access resources associated with Atta nests. In addition, leaf tissue of trees near the nests labelled with 15 N had significantly higher calcium concentrations than those of distal, unlabelled conspecifics. It has been documented that calcium is a limiting macronutrient in tropical forests and savannahs. Atta may thus play an important ecological role through their long-distance transport, redistribution and concentration of critical macronutrients.

scholarly journals Leaf-cutting ant (Atta cephalotes) nests may be hotspots of methane and carbon dioxide emissions in tropical forests

Pedobiologia ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 150754
Author(s):  
Andrew S. Mehring ◽  
Rose M. Martin ◽  
Camille S. Delavaux ◽  
Edward B. James ◽  
Johnny J. Quispe ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Dioxide ◽  
Tropical Forests ◽  
Carbon Dioxide Emissions ◽  
Atta Cephalotes ◽  
Leaf Cutting
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