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Chronic anthropogenic disturbance as a secondary driver of ant community structure: interactions with soil type in Brazilian Caatinga

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 August 2016

FERNANDA M. P. OLIVEIRA
Affiliation:
Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biologia Animal, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Av. Prof. Moraes Rêgo s/n, Cidade Universitária, 50690–901, Recife, PE, Brazil Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biologia Vegetal, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Av. Prof. Moraes Rêgo s/n, Cidade Universitária, 50690–901, Recife, PE, Brazil
JOSÉ DOMINGOS RIBEIRO-NETO
Affiliation:
Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biologia Vegetal, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Av. Prof. Moraes Rêgo s/n, Cidade Universitária, 50690–901, Recife, PE, Brazil
ALAN N. ANDERSEN
Affiliation:
CSIRO Land &Water, Tropical Ecosystems Research Centre, PMB 44 Winnellie, NT 0822, Australia
INARA R. LEAL*
Affiliation:
Departamento de Botânica, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Av. Prof. Moraes Rêgo s/n, Cidade Universitária, 50690–901, Recife, PE, Brazil
*
*Correspondence: Inara R. Leal Tel: 55-81-21267814 Fax: 55-81-21268348 e-mail: irleal@ufpe.br
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Summary

Habitat loss is widely recognized as the major cause of global biodiversity decline, but remaining habitat is increasingly threatened by chronic human disturbances. Using a multi-model averaging approach we examined the association between five chronic disturbance surrogates and the richness and taxonomic and functional composition of ants in Brazilian Caatinga. Using pitfall traps in 47 plots near Parnamirim city (Pernambuco) across two soil types (sand and clay), we recorded 53 species from 27 genera. Ant species richness on sand was slightly higher than on clay, and was negatively related to most surrogates of anthropogenic disturbance. Soil type and human population size were the main predictors of ant species richness. Soil type was the most important predictor of functional group abundance. Taxonomic and functional composition were influenced by soil type and disturbance, but this relationship varied between clay and sandy soils. Ant functional composition showed a weak relationship with disturbance on sandy soils, but on clay soils it showed predictable winner–loser replacement. We attribute the greater effect of disturbance on clay soils to higher intensity of land use, and our study highlights the importance of considering context dependence when evaluating biodiversity responses to disturbance.

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Copyright © Foundation for Environmental Conservation 2016 
Figure 0

Table 1 Model-averaged effect size (β), unconditional standard error (SE) and the sum of Akaike weights (∑W) for the effects of soil type and five chronic anthropogenic disturbance metrics on ant total species richness and ant functional group abundance in Caatinga ecosystems. Par = Averaged parameter of the model.

Figure 1

Figure 1 Relative importance of soil type and five chronic anthropogenic disturbances as predictors of total ant species richness and ant functional group abundance in Caatinga ecosystems from northeast Brazil. Signal (+/−) depicts the direction of model-averaged effect size (β) for each variable and percentage alongside each graph depicts the proportion of variation on data explained by the full model. Total species richness was higher on sand than clay. The letter (C = clay soil; Sa = sandy soil) next to the column for soil effect depicts the soil type with higher functional group abundance. DC = Distance to Parnamirim city; DF = Distance to the nearest farm; DR = Distance to the nearest road; NP = Number of people; S = Soil type; St – Stock (goats and cattle summed).

Figure 2

Table 2 Influence of soil type and the five chronic disturbance metrics on species and functional composition (based on 10 000 randomizations in a Canonical Correspondence Analysis). Only significant results are shown.

Figure 3

Figure 2 Associations between soil type and five anthropogenic disturbance metrics and species composition considering both sand and clay soil types combined (a; centroids for soil types are depicted as sandy soil and clay soil) and separately for sand (b) and clay (c) according to CCA. Only variables significantly related to ant species composition according to a randomization test based on 10 000 randomizations are shown. 1 = Nylanderia sp. 1; 2 = Pheidole sp. 7; 3 = Cyphomyrmex transversus; 4 = Pheidole sp. 9; 5 = Pheidole radoskowiskii; 6 = Camponotus atriceps; 7 = Gnamptogenys moellery; 8 = Crematogaster sp. 1; 9 = Gnamptogenys sulcata; 10 = Acromyrmex rugosus; 11 = Pheidole sp. 8; 12 = Pheidole sp. 4; 13 = Camponotus cingulatus; 14 = Pseudomyrmex termitarius; 15 = Pheidole sp. 3 grupo flavens; 16 = Cyphomyrmex sp. 1; 17 = Dorymyrmex spurius; 18 = Pheidole obscurithorax; 19 = Dorymyrmex thoracicus; 20 = Solenopsis geminata; 21 = Camponotus (Myrmaphaenus) sp. 2; 22 = Crematogaster sp. 2; 23 = Solenopsis tridens; 24 = Pheidole sp. 5; 25 = Brachymyrmex patagonicus; 26 = Forelius pusillus; 27 = Pheidole diligens; 28 = Camponotus crassus; 29 = Pheidole prox jelskii; 30 = Camponotus blandus; 31 = Camponotus (Tanaemyrmex) sp. 1; 32 = Ectatomma muticum; 33 = Solenopsis globularia; 34 = Dinoponera quadriceps.

Figure 4

Figure 3 Associations between soil type and five anthropogenic disturbance metrics on functional group composition considering both sand and clay soil types combined (a; centroids for soil types are depicted as sandy soil and clay soil) and each separately (b and c), according to CCA. Only variables that were significantly related to functional group composition according to a randomization test based on 10000 randomizations are shown. AA = Army Ants; DD = Dominant Dolichoderinae; FA = Fire Ants; GM = Generalized Myrmicinae; LA = Lower Attini; Op = Opportunist; SP = Specialist Predator; SC = Subordinate Camponotini; TS = Tree Specialists.

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