Canopy cover negatively affects arboreal ant species richness in a tropical open habitat

Abstract We tested the hypothesis of a negative relationship between vegetation characteristics and ant species richness in a Brazilian open vegetation habitat, called candeial. We set up arboreal pitfalls to sample arboreal ants and measured the following environmental variables, which were used as...

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Main Authors: A. C. M. Queiroz, C. R. Ribas
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Instituto Internacional de Ecologia
Series:Brazilian Journal of Biology
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1519-69842016000400864&lng=en&tlng=en
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author A. C. M. Queiroz
C. R. Ribas
author_facet A. C. M. Queiroz
C. R. Ribas
author_sort A. C. M. Queiroz
collection DOAJ
description Abstract We tested the hypothesis of a negative relationship between vegetation characteristics and ant species richness in a Brazilian open vegetation habitat, called candeial. We set up arboreal pitfalls to sample arboreal ants and measured the following environmental variables, which were used as surrogate of environmental heterogeneity: tree richness, tree density, tree height, circumference at the base of the plants, and canopy cover. Only canopy cover had a negative effect on the arboreal ant species richness. Vegetation characteristics and plant species composition are probably homogeneous in candeial, which explains the lack of relationship between other environmental variables and ant richness. Open vegetation habitats harbor a large number of opportunistic and generalist species, besides specialist ants from habitats with high temperatures. An increase in canopy cover decreases sunlight incidence and may cause local microclimatic differences, which negatively affect the species richness of specialist ants from open areas. Canopy cover regulates the richness of arboreal ants in open areas, since only few ant species are able to colonize sites with dense vegetation; most species are present in sites with high temperature and luminosity. Within open vegetation habitats the relationship between vegetation characteristics and species richness seems to be the opposite from closed vegetation areas, like forests.
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spelling doaj.art-88f38930ba924536966117c63c42fbe62022-12-21T18:23:14ZengInstituto Internacional de EcologiaBrazilian Journal of Biology1678-437576486487010.1590/1519-6984.02015S1519-69842016000400864Canopy cover negatively affects arboreal ant species richness in a tropical open habitatA. C. M. QueirozC. R. RibasAbstract We tested the hypothesis of a negative relationship between vegetation characteristics and ant species richness in a Brazilian open vegetation habitat, called candeial. We set up arboreal pitfalls to sample arboreal ants and measured the following environmental variables, which were used as surrogate of environmental heterogeneity: tree richness, tree density, tree height, circumference at the base of the plants, and canopy cover. Only canopy cover had a negative effect on the arboreal ant species richness. Vegetation characteristics and plant species composition are probably homogeneous in candeial, which explains the lack of relationship between other environmental variables and ant richness. Open vegetation habitats harbor a large number of opportunistic and generalist species, besides specialist ants from habitats with high temperatures. An increase in canopy cover decreases sunlight incidence and may cause local microclimatic differences, which negatively affect the species richness of specialist ants from open areas. Canopy cover regulates the richness of arboreal ants in open areas, since only few ant species are able to colonize sites with dense vegetation; most species are present in sites with high temperature and luminosity. Within open vegetation habitats the relationship between vegetation characteristics and species richness seems to be the opposite from closed vegetation areas, like forests.http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1519-69842016000400864&lng=en&tlng=enenvironmental heterogeneitymicroclimatevegetation characteristicshierarchical partitioningcandeia
spellingShingle A. C. M. Queiroz
C. R. Ribas
Canopy cover negatively affects arboreal ant species richness in a tropical open habitat
Brazilian Journal of Biology
environmental heterogeneity
microclimate
vegetation characteristics
hierarchical partitioning
candeia
title Canopy cover negatively affects arboreal ant species richness in a tropical open habitat
title_full Canopy cover negatively affects arboreal ant species richness in a tropical open habitat
title_fullStr Canopy cover negatively affects arboreal ant species richness in a tropical open habitat
title_full_unstemmed Canopy cover negatively affects arboreal ant species richness in a tropical open habitat
title_short Canopy cover negatively affects arboreal ant species richness in a tropical open habitat
title_sort canopy cover negatively affects arboreal ant species richness in a tropical open habitat
topic environmental heterogeneity
microclimate
vegetation characteristics
hierarchical partitioning
candeia
url http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1519-69842016000400864&lng=en&tlng=en
work_keys_str_mv AT acmqueiroz canopycovernegativelyaffectsarborealantspeciesrichnessinatropicalopenhabitat
AT crribas canopycovernegativelyaffectsarborealantspeciesrichnessinatropicalopenhabitat