Microhabitat Characteristics That Regulate Ant Richness Patterns: The Importance of Leaf Litter for Epigaeic Ants

Authors

  • Antonio Cesar Medeiros de Queiroz Universidade Federal de Lavras
  • Carla Rodrigues Ribas Universidade Federal de Lavras
  • Filipe Machado França Universidade Federal de Lavras

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.13102/sociobiology.v60i4.367-373

Keywords:

Environmental heterogeneity, leaf litter, model selection, AICc, cloud forest

Abstract

We assessed the effect of conditions and resources on the species richness of epigaeic ants in a cloud forest of the Ibitipoca State Park, Brazil. We hypothesized that the characteristics that are best related with the epigaeic microhabitat affects ant richness more closely than other characteristics. At each sampling site (36 in total) we set up an epigaeic pitfall to capture ants and measured the following environmental variables (conditions and resources): tree density, tree height, circumference at breast height, density of the herbaceous and shrubby vegetation, weight and heterogeneity of the leaf litter, and canopy cover. We built general linear models and used a function that classifies alternative models according to the second-order Akaike information criterion (AICc), in order to assess which environmental variables affect ant species richness. We collected 37 ant species and the models that better explained the variations in ant richness were: (1) null model; (2) heterogeneity of the leaf litter; and (3) weight of the leaf litter. These two environmental variables are positively related to ant richness. It is possible that epigaeic ants are influenced by the high quantity and quality of food and nesting sites provided by a heterogeneous and abundant leaf litter. Relationships between species richness and environmental characteristics should consider different predictor variables related to the microhabitat, since each microhabitat may have a specific pattern and predictor variable. Thus, the understanding of the effects of the microhabitat variables on species richness could help predicting the consequences of anthropogenic impacts

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Author Biographies

Antonio Cesar Medeiros de Queiroz, Universidade Federal de Lavras

Departamento de Biologia, Setor de Ecologia e Conservação, Laboratório de Ecologia de Formigas.

Carla Rodrigues Ribas, Universidade Federal de Lavras

Departamento de Biologia, Setor de Ecologia e Conservação, Laboratório de Ecologia de Formigas.

Filipe Machado França, Universidade Federal de Lavras

Departamento de Biologia, Setor de Ecologia e Conservação, Laboratório de Ecologia e Conservação de Invertebrados.

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Published

2013-12-30

How to Cite

Queiroz, A. C. M. de, Ribas, C. R., & França, F. M. (2013). Microhabitat Characteristics That Regulate Ant Richness Patterns: The Importance of Leaf Litter for Epigaeic Ants. Sociobiology, 60(4), 367–373. https://doi.org/10.13102/sociobiology.v60i4.367-373

Issue

Vol. 60 No. 4 (2013)

Section

Research Article - Ants

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