Influence of Cave Size and Presence of Bat Guano on Ant Visitation

Authors

  • Wesley Dáttilo Department of Neurosciences and Animal Behaviour- Universidad Veracruzana

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.13102/sociobiology.v59i2.617

Keywords:

Biospeleology, Cavernicolous, Competition, Invertebrates.

Abstract

This is the first study which evaluated the influence of cave size and presence of bat guano in ant visitation in Brazilian caves. We provide a list of the ants associated with 27 caves in northeastern Brazil, an area situated in the transition between Cerrado (Brazilian savanna) and Amazon Domain. The study was conducted between January and August 2010. We recorded 24 ant species inserted into 12 genera, 10 tribes, and six subfamilies. The size of the cave and the presence of guano did not influence the richness of ants, and most of the caves had single species. Camponotus atriceps was the species with the larger distribution, being collected in five caves. In addition, we discuss geographic distribution of records and possible ecological roles of ants in cave environments.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biography

Wesley Dáttilo, Department of Neurosciences and Animal Behaviour- Universidad Veracruzana

Instituto de Neuroetología, Universidad Veracruzana, Av. Dr. Luiz Castelazo s/n, CP 91190, Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico.

References

Bellés, X. 1987. Fauna cavernicola i intersticial de La península Ibérica i les illes Balears. Mallorca: Consell Superior d’Investigacions Científiques. 207 pp.

Brandão, C.R.F. 1991. Adendos ao catálogo abreviado das formigas da região neotropical (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Rev. Bras. Entomol. 35: 319-412.

Ceste, E. 2004. Estudo de Impacto Ambiental-Relatório de Impacto Ambiental do AHE Estreito. Rio de Janeiro: Ceste Consórcio Estreito de Energia. 235 pp.

Christiansen, K.A. 1965. Behavior and form in the evolution of cave Collembola. Evolution 19: 529-533.

Culver, D.C. 1982. Cave Life. Massachusets: Harvard University Press. 189 pp.

Dáttilo, W.F.C., R.E. Vicente, R.V. Nunes, & M.S.G. Carvalho. 2010. Primeiro registro da quenquém cisco-da-Amazônia Acromyrmex hystrix Latreille, 1802 (Formicidae: Myrmicinae) para o estado do Maranhão, Brasil. EntomoBrasilis 3(3): 92-93.

Decu, V., A. Casale, P.L. Scaramozzino, F. López, & A. Tinaut. 1998. Hymenoptera. In: C. Juberthie, & V. Decu eds., Encyclopaedia Biospeologica. Sociétè de Biospéologie, Moulis, French: 1015-1024.

Deharveng, L., & A. Bedos. 2000. The cave fauna of southeast Asia. Origin, evolution and ecology. In: H. Wilkens, D.C. Culver, & W.F. Humphreys eds., Ecosystems of the world: subterranean ecosystems. Elsevier Press., Amsterdam, Netherlands: 603-632.

Dessen, E.M.B., V.R. Eston, M.S. Silva, M.T.T. Beck, & E. Trajano. 1980. Levantamento preliminar da fauna de cavernas de algumas regiões do Brasil. Cienc. Cult. 32(6): 714- 725.

Eiten, G. 1972. The cerrado vegetation of Brazil. Bot. Rev. 38: 201-341.

Ferreira, R.L., & R.P. Martins. 1999a. Guano de morcegos: fonte de vida em cavernas. Cien. Hoje. 25(146): 34-40.

Ferreira, R.L., & R.P. Martins. 1999b. Trophic structure and natural hystory of bat guano invertebrate communities, whith special reference to brazilian caves. Trop. Zool. 12: 231-252.

Ferreira, R.L., R.P. Martins, & D. Yanega. 2000. Ecology of bat guano arthropod communities in a Brazilian dry cave. Ecotrop. 6: 105-115.

Ferreira, R.L., & L.C.S. Horta. 2001. Natural and human impacts on invertebrate communities in Brazilian caves. Rev. Bras. Biol. 61(1): 7-17.

Giraud, T., R. Blatrix, C. Poteaux, M. Solignac, & P. Jaisson. 2000. Population structure and mating biology of the polygynous ponerine ant Gnamptogenys striatula in Brazil. Mol. Ecol. 9: 1835-1841.

Gnaspini-Netto, P. 1989. Fauna associated with bat guano deposits from Brazilian caves (a comparison). In: I Congress of Speleology of Budapest. Budapest, Hungary: 52-54.

Holsinger, R. & D.C. Culver. 1988. The invertebrate cave fauna of Virgínia and a part of eastern Tenessee: zoogeography and ecology. Brimieyana 14: 1-162.

Howarth, F.G. 1983. Ecology of cave arthropods. Annu. Rev. Entomol. 28: 365-389.

Jordão, F.S. 2003 Levantamento da fauna de invertebrados da Gruta dos Ecos (GO) durante a estação chuvosa. In: XXVII Congresso Brasileiro de Espeleologia. Januária, Brazil: CD-ROOM.

Lapola, D.M., W.F. Antonialli-Júnior, & E. Gianotti. 2003. Arquitetura da formiga neotropical Ectatomma brunneum F. Smith, 1858 (Formicidae, Ponerinae) em ambientes alterados. Rev. Bras. Bioc. 5(2): 177-188.

Maes, J.M., & W.P. Mackay. 1993. Catalogo de las hormigas (Hymeniptera: Formicidae) de Nicaragua. Rev. Nic. Entomol. 23: 1-46.

Moulds, T. 2006. The first Australian record of subterranean guano-collecting ants. Helictite 39(1): 3-4.

Naves, M. 1985. A monograph of the genus Pheidole in Florida (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Insecta Mundi 1(2): 53-90.

Pinto-Da-Rocha, R. 1995. Sinopse da fauna cavernícola do Brasil (1907-1994). Pap. Avul. Zool. 39: 61-173.

Poulson, T.L., & D.C. Culver. 1968. Diversity in terrestrial cave communities. Ecol. 50: 153-157.

Reatto, A., J.R. Correia, & S.T. Spera. 1998. Solos do bioma cerrado: aspectos pedológicos. In: S.M. Sano, & S.P. Almeida eds., Cerrado: ambiente e flora. Embrapa Cerrados, Brasília, Brazil: 289-556.

Roncin, E., L. Deharveng, & A. Bedos. 2001. Cave ants in Southeast Asia. In: XV International Symposium of Biospeleology. São Paulo, Brazil: 66–67.

Ribeiro, J.F., & B.M.T. Walter. 1998. Fitofisionomias do bioma cerrado. In: S.M. Sano, & S.P. Almeida eds., Cerrado: ambiente e flora. Embrapa Cerrados, Brasília, Brazil: 89-168.

Rodovalho, C.M., A.L. Santos, M.T. Marcolino, A.M. Bonetti, & M.A.M. Brandeburgo. 2007. Urban ants and transportation of nocosomial bacteria. Neot. Entomol. 36(3): 454-458.

Roncin, E., & L. Deharveng. 2003. Leptogenys khammouanensis sp. nov. (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). A possible troglobitic species of Laos, with a discussion on cave ants. Zool. Sci. 20: 919-924.

Santana, M.E.V., L.S. Souto, M.A.T. Dantas, C.R. Donato, & D.M. Oliveira. 2009. Levantamento da fauna de invertebrados cavernícolas na Toca da Raposa, Simão Dias, Sergipe, Brasil. In: XXX Congresso Brasileiro de Espeleologia. Montes Claros, Brazil: CD-ROOM.

Santos, D.B., D.A. Oliveira, & H.J.S. Menezes. 2002. Registros preliminares de cavidades naturais em Sergipe. In: II Workshop Arqueológico de Xingó. Canindé do São Francisco, Brazil: 117-122.

Silva, M.S., L.F.O. Bernard, & R.L. Ferreira. 2005. Caracterização sistêmica da Gruta da Lavoura (Matozinhos, MG): aspectos topoclimáticos e biológicos. In: X Congresso Brasileiro de Espeleologia. Campinas, Brazil: CD-ROOM.

Silva, M.S., & R.L. Ferreira. 2009a. Estrutura das comunidades de invertebrados em cinco cavernas insulares e intertidais na costa brasileira. Espeleo-Temas 20(2): 25-36.

Silva, M.S., & R.L. Ferreira. 2009b. Caracterização ecológica de algumas cavernas do Parque Nacional de Ubajara (Ceará) com considerações sobre o turismo nestas cavidades. Rev. Biol. Ciênc. Ter. 9: 59-71.

Solis, D.R., E.G.P. Fox, M.L. Rossi, T.C. Moretti, & O.C. Bueno. 2010. Description of the immature of workers of the ant Camponotus vittatus (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Flor. Entomol. 63(2): 265-276.

Tinaut, A., & F. López. 2001. Ants and caves: sociability and ecological constraints (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). Sociobiol. 37: 651- 659.

Trajano, E. 1987. Fauna cavernícola brasileira: composição e caracterização preliminar. Rev. Bras. Zool. 3(8): 533-561.

Trajano, E., & P. Gnaspini-Netto. 1991. Composição da fauna cavernícola brasileira com uma análise preliminar da distribuição dos táxons. Rev. Bras. Zool. 7(3): 383-407.

Wilkinson, L. 1998. Systat: the system for statistics. Illinois: SYSTAT Inc. Evaston. 822 pp.

Wilson, E.O. 1962. The trinidad cave ant Erebomyrma (Spelaeomyrmex) urichi (Wheeler), with a comment on cavernicolous ants in general. Psyche 69: 62-72.

Downloads

Published

2014-09-26

How to Cite

Dáttilo, W. (2014). Influence of Cave Size and Presence of Bat Guano on Ant Visitation. Sociobiology, 59(2), 549–559. https://doi.org/10.13102/sociobiology.v59i2.617

Issue

Vol. 59 No. 2 (2012)

Section

Articles

License

Sociobiology is a diamond open access journal which means that all content is freely available without charge to the user or his/her institution. Users are allowed to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of the articles in this journal without asking prior permission from the publisher or the author. This is in accordance with the BOAI definition of open access.

Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:

 

    1. Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.

 

    1. Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.

 

  1. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).

Most read articles by the same author(s)

1 2 > >>