Ant Diversity Studies 2011

The number of contemporary publications that focus on ant communities and ant biodiversity shows that these topics continue to be strong areas of interest. This page is a place to begin to gather a list of publications, however incomplete, published about these topics.


 * Ant Diversity Studies 2012

Publications

 * Harada, Y. 2011. Arboreal ant fauna of Joyama Park, Kagoshima Prefecture, southern Japan. Asian Myrmecology. 4:79-87.

Abstract Five tree species (Prunus x yedoensis, Prunus jamasakura, Prunus lannesiana, Quercus acutissima and Acer palmatum) and the associated ant fauna were surveyed in Joyama Park, Hioki City, Kagoshima Prefecture, southern Kyushu, Japan. Ants were found on 206 (92%) of 224 trees surveyed. Fifteen ant species were collected from trees; the three most frequent ant species were Pristomyrmex punctatus (on 92 trees), Crematogaster matsumurai (65 trees) and Formica hayashi (49 trees). The number of ant species found per tree ranged from 0 to 6, with a mean of 1.83±1.11 species. Seven species, ''Tetramorium nipponense, P. punctatus, Cr. matsumurai, Cr. vagula, Ochetellus glaber, Lasius japonicus and Camponotus vitiosus'', nested in trees: in decayed parts. A total of 87 nests were found, on 84 trees (37.5% of all trees surveyed). The nests of ''Cr. matsumurai'' were found on 47 (21%) trees. Only three trees had two species nesting together: the respective combinations were'' Cr. matsumurai and C. vitiosus, T. nipponense and P. punctatus, and C. vitiosus and Cr. vagula''. Among the 15 ant species found on the trees, only four (26.7%) were principally arboreal nesters, and two of the most frequent species (P. punctatus and F. hayashi) were principally ground nesters.


 * Macedo, L. P. M., E. B. Filho, and J. H. C. Delabie. 2011. Epigean ant communities in Atlantic Forest remnants of São Paulo: a comparative study using the guild concept. Revista Brasileira de Entomologia. 55(1):75-78.

Abstract The guilds constitute a valuable ecological tool, because they allow conducting comparisons among environments under different conditions. The ants can be used as ecological indicators, mainly for the monitoring of degraded forest areas. The aim of this research was to study guild organization among the epigeous Formicidae living in Atlantic forest remnants of the State of São Paulo, Brazil. Ant collections were performed in three distinct Atlantic forest biome areas: arboreal littoral vegetation ("restinga") (Cananéia), semideciduous seasonal forest (Piracicaba) and dense ombrophylousforest (Pariquera-Açu). After identification, the ants were grouped into guilds, based on the ecological attributes of behavior and habit, according to the literature. Nine guilds were found; the semideciduous seasonal forest ecosystem presented eight of them, followed by the arboreal sandbank (7) and dense ombrophylous forest (6). The guilds found were: litter omnivorous and scavengers, granivorous species, specialist predators living in litter and soil, litter generalist predators, subterranean mealybug-dependent species, army ants, dominant or subdominants arboreal, that occasionally forage on the ground, soil or litter dominant and fungus-growers, using feces and insect body fragments. The guilds found can be used in the monitoring of the mirmecofauna in the Atlantic Forest biome, supplying insights for further ecological studies.

Resumo As guildas constituem-se em uma valiosa ferramenta ecológica, pois permitem realizar comparações entre ambientes em diferentes condições. As formigas podem ser utilizadas como indicadores ecológicos, principalmente para o monitoramento de áreas florestais degradadas. O objetivo deste estudo foi agrupar em guildas os Formicidae epígeas, coletados em remanescentes da Mata Atlântica do Estado de São Paulo. As coletas ocorreram em três áreas distintas do bioma Mata Atlântica: restinga arbórea (Cananéia), floresta estacional semidecídua (Piracicaba) e floresta ombrófila densa (Pariquera-Açu). As formigas foram identificadas e agrupadas em guildas, com base nos atributos ecológicos de comportamento e hábito, de acordo com a literatura. As formigas foram agrupadas em nove guildas, sendo que o ecossistema floresta estacional semidecídua apresentou oito destas, seguido da restinga arbórea (7) e da floresta ombrófila densa (6). As guildas encontradas foram: espécies onívoras, espécies granívoras, espécies predadoras especialistas de serapilheira e do solo, espécies predadoras generalistas de serapilheira, formigas subterrâneas dependentes de honeydew, formigas que fazem correições, formigas arborícolas dominantes ou subdominantes, que ocasionalmente forrageiam no chão, formigas dominantes de solo ou serapilheira e formigas cultivadoras de fungo, utilizando fezes e cadáveres de insetos. As guildas encontradas poderão ser utilizadas em monitoramento da mirmecofauna no bioma Mata Atlântica, fornecendo subsídios para futuros estudos ecológicos. -