Are Leaf-Litter Ants (Formicidae) Distributed Differentiated between Inner Zones of Natural Treefall Gaps?

2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (7) ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Leaf Litter ◽  
Treefall Gaps ◽  
Leaf Litter Ants

scholarly journals Comparative evaluation of taxonomic and functional diversities of leaf-litter ants of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest

2019 ◽  
Vol 43 (5) ◽  
pp. 437-456 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elmo Borges Azevedo KOCH ◽  
José Raimundo Maia dos SANTOS ◽  
Ivan Cardoso NASCIMENTO ◽  
Jacques Hubert Charles DELABIE
Keyword(s):  
Leaf Litter ◽  
Atlantic Forest ◽  
Comparative Evaluation ◽  
Brazilian Atlantic Forest ◽  
Leaf Litter Ants

A taxonomic revision of the Strumigenys nitens and simulans groups (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), two Caribbean radiations of leaf litter ants

Zootaxa ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 4656 (2) ◽  
pp. 335-358 ◽  
Author(s):  
DOUGLAS B. BOOHER ◽  
MATTHEW PREBUS ◽  
DAVID LUBERTAZZI
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
Leaf Litter ◽  
Endemic Species ◽  
Taxonomic Revision ◽  
Greater Antilles ◽  
The Bahamas ◽  
Neotropical Species ◽  
Leaf Litter Ants ◽  
Species Groups

In this study, we revise two groups of cryptic leaf litter ants, the Strumigenys nitens and Strumigenys simulans species groups. These two groups are restricted to the Greater Antilles and the Bahamas. We redefine the species groups, provide a key for the five species in the S. nitens group, and differentiate the two species in the S. simulans group. Four new species are described: Strumigenys caiman sp. nov., S. economoi sp. nov., S. hubbewatyorum sp. nov., and S. zemi sp. nov. We review and provide a key for the Strumigenys fauna of Hispaniola, which comprises the two endemic species S. economoi and S. zemi, six more broadly distributed Neotropical species, and three pan-tropical “tramp” species. 

An assessment of leaf-litter and epigaeic ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) living in different landscapes of the Atlantic Forest Biome in the State of Bahia, Brazil

2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (19) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roberta De Jesus Santos ◽  
Elmo Borges Azevedo Koch ◽  
Clarissa Machado Pinto Leite ◽  
Tiago Jordão Porto ◽  
Jacques Hubert Charles Delabie
Keyword(s):  
Leaf Litter ◽  
Atlantic Forest ◽  
The State ◽  
Brazilian Atlantic Forest ◽  
The North ◽  
Forest Remnants ◽  
Axis Parallel ◽  
Leaf Litter Ants ◽  
South Axis ◽  
East West

The Brazilian Atlantic Forest has a rich biodiversity increasingly threatened by human activities. Since the colonial period, the coast of the state of Bahia is among the most affected regions of Brazil by anthropic pressure. Bahia encloses Atlantic Forest remnants distributed in an area reaching 100-200 km along the east-west axis, by 1,000 km along the north-south axis, parallel to the coast of the Atlantic Ocean. We report hereafter the results of an intensive field survey of leaf litter and epigaeic ants realized in forest remnants of the Atlantic Forest landscapes within the original extension of the biome in 11 localities distributed along four degrees of latitude in the state of Bahia. In each site, 16 plots were collected using pitfall and eight using Winkler traps. We identified 391 ant species belonging to 71 genera and nine subfamilies. Among all species recorded, 21 were common to the whole 11 localities, while 98 species were recorded in a single locality. This study highlights the richness and diversity of epigaeic and leaf-litter ants living in the northern part of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, and is one of the most representative soil ants’ inventories ever done in this biome for a single state of Brazil.

Occurrence of Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in both Leaf Litter and Twigs in Atlantic Forest

Sociobiology ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 67 (2) ◽  
pp. 163
Author(s):  
Tae Tanaami Fernandes ◽  
Débora Rodrigues Souza-Campana ◽  
Nathalia Sampaio Silva ◽  
Otávio Morais Silva ◽  
Maria Santina de Castro Morini
Keyword(s):  
Social Structure ◽  
Leaf Litter ◽  
Atlantic Forest ◽  
Brazilian Atlantic Forest ◽  
Trophic Guild ◽  
The Social ◽  
Leaf Litter Ants ◽  
Total Species ◽  
Gnamptogenys Striatula ◽  
Nest Type

Twigs in the litter derived from the fragmentation of tree branches form one microhabitat, where entire colonies of ants, both leaf litter and arboreal species, can be found. The objective was to survey ant species that are presente in both the leaf litter and twigs simultaneously. We describe the nest type, the social structure of the colonies and the trophic guild membership of these species. Samples were collected from 10 preserved fragments of Brazilian Atlantic forest. We used Berlese funnels to collect leaf litter ants and manual collection for twig ants. We recorded 80 ant species; 60 species were in leaf litter samples and 35 species were in twigs. Of the total species, only 15 (20%) occurred simultaneously in the leaf litter and in twigs. Of these species, Gnamptogenys striatula, Pheidole sarcina, P. sospes and Solenopsis sp. 2 were the most frequent among leaf litter dwellers, and Myrmelachista catharinae was the most common arboreal species. Most of these belonged to generalista and predator guilds, with “polydomous nests” and colonies monogynous.

scholarly journals The surrounding landscape influences the diversity of leaf-litter ants in riparian cloud forest remnants

PLoS ONE ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. e0172464 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miguel Á. García-Martínez ◽  
Jorge E. Valenzuela-González ◽  
Federico Escobar-Sarria ◽  
Fabiola López-Barrera ◽  
Gabriela Castaño-Meneses
Keyword(s):  
Leaf Litter ◽  
Cloud Forest ◽  
Forest Remnants ◽  
Leaf Litter Ants ◽  
Surrounding Landscape ◽  
Landscape Influences

Value of Riparian Vegetation Remnants for Leaf-Litter Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in a Human-Dominated Landscape in Central Veracruz, Mexico

2015 ◽  
Vol 44 (6) ◽  
pp. 1488-1497 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miguel Á. García-Martínez ◽  
Federico Escobar-Sarria ◽  
Fabiola López-Barrera ◽  
Gabriela Castaño-Meneses ◽  
Jorge E. Valenzuela-González
Keyword(s):  
Leaf Litter ◽  
Riparian Vegetation ◽  
Leaf Litter Ants

Is nest temperature an important factor for niche partitioning by leaf-litter ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Bornean rain forests?

2010 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 445-455 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dirk Mezger ◽  
Martin Pfeiffer
Keyword(s):  
Leaf Litter ◽  
Niche Partitioning ◽  
Canopy Cover ◽  
Niche Overlap ◽  
Niche Separation ◽  
Nest Temperature ◽  
Vegetation Density ◽  
Rain Forests ◽  
Leaf Litter Ants ◽  
Temperature Preferences

Abstract:We tested the hypothesis that species of a diverse leaf-litter ant community are separated by the temperature preferences of their broods along a thermal gradient. Therefore, temperature preferences of brood-tending workers from 41 ant species co-occurring in four types (alluvial, limestone, kerangas and dipterocarp forest) of primary rain forest in Sarawak, Malaysia were measured in an experimental set-up. Preferred temperatures of species ranged from 16.0 °C to 31.7 °C, with the median at 25.8 °C. The ten commonest species (n ≥ 4) showed significantly different temperature preferences. In particular, species of the genus Pheidole differed clearly in their preferences over a broad range of temperatures. Temperature preferences varied significantly among ant assemblages from different forest types and nest sites. Experimentally obtained temperature preferences of species correlated significantly with vegetation density in the plots inhabited by the respective species, but not with plot canopy cover. When we tested the temperature preferences of all ant species with null models for niche overlap, we found a significant niche separation only among the tested species from the kerangas. Our results suggest that nest temperature is an important ecological factor for leaf-litter ants in rain forests on Borneo, but other factors may override its influence during community assembly.

scholarly journals Altitudinal distribution of leaf litter ants along a transect in primary forests on Mount Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia

1999 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 265-277 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carsten A. Brühl ◽  
Maryati Mohamed ◽  
K. Eduard Linsenmair
Keyword(s):  
Leaf Litter ◽  
Hot Spots ◽  
Elevational Gradient ◽  
Conservation Strategies ◽  
Altitudinal Distribution ◽  
High Turnover ◽  
Ant Communities ◽  
Mount Kinabalu ◽  
Leaf Litter Ants ◽  
Primary Forests

The ant communities of the leaf litter were studied along an elevational gradient on Mount Kinabalu in primary rain forest systems ranging from dipterocarp hill forest to dwarf forest of the highest altitudes (560, 800, 1130, 1360, 1530, 1740, 1930, 2025, 2300, 2600 m a.s.l.). The litter ant fauna along the gradient included 283 species of 55 genera. The number of ant species in the leaf litter decreased exponentially without evidence of a peak in species richness at mid-elevations. This result is in contrast to many findings on altitudinal gradients in ants and other animal groups. Most ant species have a very limited altitudinal range leading to high turnover values when comparing communities of different altitudes. Of the ant species, 74% were even restricted to one site. As evident from this study, altitudinal ranges of species are very narrow. Elevational gradients are therefore extremely species-rich and might serve as a prime example of hot spots of biodiversity. This fact is of great concern when implementing conservation strategies.

scholarly journals Comparison between Winkler's extractor and pitfall traps to estimate leaf litter ants richness (Formicidae) at a rainforest site in southest Brazil

2011 ◽  
Vol 71 (4) ◽  
pp. 873-880 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Orsolon-Souza ◽  
CEL. Esbérard ◽  
AJ. Mayhé-Nunes ◽  
AB. Vargas ◽  
S. Veiga-Ferreira ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Leaf Litter ◽  
Atlantic Forest ◽  
Sampling Design ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Species Accumulation Curves ◽  
Species Accumulation ◽  
Leaf Litter Ants ◽  
Accumulation Curves ◽  
Ant Diversity ◽  
Advance Knowledge

The aim of this study was to compare in the same site the efficiency of the two most used techniques for sampling ant diversity, Winkler's extractors and pitfalls. We studied communities of leaf litter ants from the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, compared richness estimates for genera and species, and built species accumulation curves. These two methods resulted in a satisfactory sampling of richness; 21.3% of the genera and 47.6% of the species were collected exclusively with Winkler's extractors, whereas 6.4% of the genera and 9.5% of the species were collected exclusively with pitfalls. Winkler's extractor had proven to be the most efficient single sampling technique to estimate richness. However, pitfalls also recorded a significant portion of the total richness. Despite differences in efficiency, species accumulation curves for both techniques were similar, as well as the curve obtained with both methods combined. We noticed that Winkler's extractors were c. 74.0% more efficient than pitfalls in the Atlantic Forest. Therefore, sampling techniques must be used with a well-structured sampling design in order to advance knowledge on the ant fauna of Brazilian biomes, especially in the leaf litter, allowing more complete environmental analyses.

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