Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Macedo, LPM
• Filho, E B
• Delabie, JHC
• Pie, MR

Titel

Epigean ant communities in Atlantic Forest remnants of Sao Paulo: a comparative study using the guild concept

Ist Teil von

• Revista brasileira de entomologia, 2011-03, Vol.55 (1), p.75-78

Erscheinungsjahr

2011

Link zum Volltext

Quelle

EZB Electronic Journals Library

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• 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 Sao Paulo, Brazil. Ant collections were performed in three distinct Atlantic forest biome areas: arboreal littoral vegetation ("restinga") (Cananeia), semideciduous seasonal forest (Piracicaba) and dense ombrophylous forest (Pariquera-Acu). 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.Original Abstract: As guildas constituem-se em uma valiosa ferramenta ecologica, pois permitem realizar comparacoes entre ambientes em diferentes condicoes. As formigas podem ser utilizadas como indicadores ecologicos, principalmente para o monitoramento de areas florestais degradadas. O objetivo deste estudo foi agrupar em guildas os Formicidae epigeas, coletados em remanescentes da Mata Atlantica do Estado de Sao Paulo. As coletas ocorreram em tres areas distintas do bioma Mata Atlantica: restinga arborea (Cananeia), floresta estacional semidecidua (Piracicaba) e floresta ombrofila densa (Pariquera-Acu). As formigas foram identificadas e agrupadas em guildas, com base nos atributos ecologicos de comportamento e habito, de acordo com a literatura. As formigas foram agrupadas em nove guildas, sendo que o ecossistema floresta estacional semidecidua apresentou oito destas, seguido da restinga arborea (7) e da floresta ombrofila densa (6). As guildas encontradas foram: especies onivoras, especies granivoras, especies predadoras especialistas de serapilheira e do solo, especies predadoras generalistas de serapilheira, formigas subterraneas dependentes de honeydew, formigas que fazem correicoes, formigas arboricolas dominantes ou subdominantes, que ocasionalmente forrageiam no chao, formigas dominantes de solo ou serapilheira e formigas cultivadoras de fungo, utilizando fezes e cadaveres de insetos. As guildas encontradas poderao ser utilizadas em monitoramento da mirmecofauna no bioma Mata Atlantica, fornecendo subsidios para futuros estudos ecologicos.