Forest Tent Caterpillar Outbreaks Drive Change in Ant Communities in Boreal Forests
Insect outbreaks are major drivers of natural disturbances in forest ecosystems. Outbreaks can have both direct and indirect effects on the composition of soil arthropod communities through canopy opening, nutrient addition and predator-prey interactions. In this study, we aimed to understand the ef...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-06-01
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| Series: | Forests |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/14/6/1147 |
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| author | Anne-Sophie Caron Essivi Gagnon Koudji Ira Tanya Handa Miguel Montoro Girona Emma Despland |
| author_facet | Anne-Sophie Caron Essivi Gagnon Koudji Ira Tanya Handa Miguel Montoro Girona Emma Despland |
| author_sort | Anne-Sophie Caron |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Insect outbreaks are major drivers of natural disturbances in forest ecosystems. Outbreaks can have both direct and indirect effects on the composition of soil arthropod communities through canopy opening, nutrient addition and predator-prey interactions. In this study, we aimed to understand the effects of forest tent caterpillar (<i>Malacosoma disstria</i>; FTC) outbreaks through cascading effects on ant communities in both temperate and boreal forests in Canada. Pitfall traps and Berlese funnels were used to compare the ant communities, as well as the surrounding arthropod communities, between control and outbreak sites in boreal and temperate forests (in Quebec, Canada). Using the Sørensen dissimilarity index, we determined the alpha and beta diversity of the ant community. Other arthropods collected in the traps were counted to evaluate the richness and abundance of potential prey for the ants and other potential predators of the FTC. We used an indicator species analysis to examine the species associated with sites defoliated by the outbreak. In the boreal forest, we found that FTC outbreaks caused decreases in species richness and increases in the evenness of ant communities in defoliated sites. In the boreal forest sites, species composition varied significantly between control and outbreak sites. This pattern was driven in part by the presence of other predators. A similar, but weaker pattern was observed in the temperate forest. We saw no changes in the beta diversity in the boreal forest, but did see a significant decrease in the temperate forest between the outbreak sites and the control sites. Ant species in the boreal forest tended to exhibit a more marked preference for either control or previously defoliated sites than species in the temperate forest. Our study showed that disturbances such as insect outbreaks can drive changes in the ant community. While we saw small effects of outbreaks, manipulation experiments using resource addition could help us validate the mechanisms behind these relationships. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T02:27:37Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-69cd17b44c424a98b05fa48871dde7c8 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1999-4907 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T02:27:37Z |
| publishDate | 2023-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Forests |
| spelling | doaj.art-69cd17b44c424a98b05fa48871dde7c82023-11-18T10:27:00ZengMDPI AGForests1999-49072023-06-01146114710.3390/f14061147Forest Tent Caterpillar Outbreaks Drive Change in Ant Communities in Boreal ForestsAnne-Sophie Caron0Essivi Gagnon Koudji1Ira Tanya Handa2Miguel Montoro Girona3Emma Despland4Department of Biology, Concordia University, Montreal, QC H3G 1M8, CanadaDépartement des Sciences Biologiques, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montreal, QC H3C 3J7, CanadaDépartement des Sciences Biologiques, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montreal, QC H3C 3J7, CanadaGroupe de Recherche en Écologie de la MRC Abitibi (GREMA), Forest Research Institute, Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Rouyn Noranda, QC J9X 5E4, CanadaDepartment of Biology, Concordia University, Montreal, QC H3G 1M8, CanadaInsect outbreaks are major drivers of natural disturbances in forest ecosystems. Outbreaks can have both direct and indirect effects on the composition of soil arthropod communities through canopy opening, nutrient addition and predator-prey interactions. In this study, we aimed to understand the effects of forest tent caterpillar (<i>Malacosoma disstria</i>; FTC) outbreaks through cascading effects on ant communities in both temperate and boreal forests in Canada. Pitfall traps and Berlese funnels were used to compare the ant communities, as well as the surrounding arthropod communities, between control and outbreak sites in boreal and temperate forests (in Quebec, Canada). Using the Sørensen dissimilarity index, we determined the alpha and beta diversity of the ant community. Other arthropods collected in the traps were counted to evaluate the richness and abundance of potential prey for the ants and other potential predators of the FTC. We used an indicator species analysis to examine the species associated with sites defoliated by the outbreak. In the boreal forest, we found that FTC outbreaks caused decreases in species richness and increases in the evenness of ant communities in defoliated sites. In the boreal forest sites, species composition varied significantly between control and outbreak sites. This pattern was driven in part by the presence of other predators. A similar, but weaker pattern was observed in the temperate forest. We saw no changes in the beta diversity in the boreal forest, but did see a significant decrease in the temperate forest between the outbreak sites and the control sites. Ant species in the boreal forest tended to exhibit a more marked preference for either control or previously defoliated sites than species in the temperate forest. Our study showed that disturbances such as insect outbreaks can drive changes in the ant community. While we saw small effects of outbreaks, manipulation experiments using resource addition could help us validate the mechanisms behind these relationships.https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/14/6/1147ant communitydisturbance ecologyforest ecologyinsect outbreaksnatural disturbances |
| spellingShingle | Anne-Sophie Caron Essivi Gagnon Koudji Ira Tanya Handa Miguel Montoro Girona Emma Despland Forest Tent Caterpillar Outbreaks Drive Change in Ant Communities in Boreal Forests Forests ant community disturbance ecology forest ecology insect outbreaks natural disturbances |
| title | Forest Tent Caterpillar Outbreaks Drive Change in Ant Communities in Boreal Forests |
| title_full | Forest Tent Caterpillar Outbreaks Drive Change in Ant Communities in Boreal Forests |
| title_fullStr | Forest Tent Caterpillar Outbreaks Drive Change in Ant Communities in Boreal Forests |
| title_full_unstemmed | Forest Tent Caterpillar Outbreaks Drive Change in Ant Communities in Boreal Forests |
| title_short | Forest Tent Caterpillar Outbreaks Drive Change in Ant Communities in Boreal Forests |
| title_sort | forest tent caterpillar outbreaks drive change in ant communities in boreal forests |
| topic | ant community disturbance ecology forest ecology insect outbreaks natural disturbances |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/14/6/1147 |
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