Biodiversity below ground: probing the subterranean ant fauna of Amazonia |
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Authors: | Kari T Ryder Wilkie Amy L Mertl James F A Traniello |
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Institution: | (1) Department of Biology, Boston University, 5 Cummington Street, Boston, MA 02215, USA |
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Abstract: | Ants are abundant, diverse, and ecologically dominant in tropical forests. Subterranean ants in particular are thought to
have a significant environmental impact, although difficulties associated with collecting ants underground and examining their
ecology and behavior have limited research. In this paper, we present the results of a study of subterranean ant diversity
in Amazonian Ecuador that employs a novel probe to facilitate the discovery of species inhabiting the soil horizon. Forty-seven
species of ants in 19 genera, including new and apparently rare species, were collected in probes. Approximately 19% of the
species collected at different depths in the soil were unique to probe samples. Analysis of similarity (ANOSIM) results showed
that the species composition of ants collected with the probe was significantly different from samples collected using other
techniques. Additionally, ANOSIM computations indicated the species assemblage of ants collected 12.5 cm below the surface
was significantly different from those found at 25, 37.5, and 50 cm. Ant diversity and species accumulation rates decreased
with increasing depth. There were no species unique to the lowest depths, suggesting that subterranean ants may not be distributed
deep in the soil in Amazonia due to the high water table. The technique we describe could be used to gain new insights into
the distribution and biology of subterranean ant species and other members of the species-rich soil invertebrate macrofauna. |
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Keywords: | Soil fauna Formicidae Species richness Conservation ALL protocol |
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