Species diversity and distribution patterns of the ants of Amazonian Ecuador.

Ants are among the most diverse, abundant and ecologically significant organisms on earth. Although their species richness appears to be greatest in the New World tropics, global patterns of ant diversity and distribution are not well understood. We comprehensively surveyed ant diversity in a lowlan...

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Autores principales:	Kari T Ryder Wilkie, Amy L Mertl, James F A Traniello
Formato:	article
Lenguaje:	EN
Publicado:	Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2010
Materias:	Medicine R Science Q
Acceso en línea:	https://doaj.org/article/49fae2ec48754e1a8a27d6c3df810a68
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spelling	oai:doaj.org-article:49fae2ec48754e1a8a27d6c3df810a682021-11-18T07:03:43ZSpecies diversity and distribution patterns of the ants of Amazonian Ecuador.1932-620310.1371/journal.pone.0013146https://doaj.org/article/49fae2ec48754e1a8a27d6c3df810a682010-10-01T00:00:00Zhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/pmid/20957208/?tool=EBIhttps://doaj.org/toc/1932-6203Ants are among the most diverse, abundant and ecologically significant organisms on earth. Although their species richness appears to be greatest in the New World tropics, global patterns of ant diversity and distribution are not well understood. We comprehensively surveyed ant diversity in a lowland primary rainforest in Western Amazonia, Ecuador using canopy fogging, pitfall traps, baits, hand collecting, mini-Winkler devices and subterranean probes to sample ants. A total of 489 ant species comprising 64 genera in nine subfamilies were identified from samples collected in only 0.16 square kilometers. The most species-rich genera were Camponotus, Pheidole, Pseudomyrmex, Pachycondyla, Brachymyrmex, and Crematogaster. Camponotus and Pseudomyrmex were most diverse in the canopy, while Pheidole was most diverse on the ground. The three most abundant ground-dwelling ant genera were Pheidole, Solenopsis and Pyramica. Crematogaster carinata was the most abundant ant species in the canopy; Wasmannia auropunctata was most abundant on the ground, and the army ant Labidus coecus was the most abundant subterranean species. Ant species composition among strata was significantly different: 80% of species were found in only one stratum, 17% in two strata, and 3% in all three strata. Elevation and the number of logs and twigs available as nest sites were significant predictors of ground-dwelling ant species richness. Canopy species richness was not correlated with any ecological variable measured. Subterranean species richness was negatively correlated with depth in the soil. When ant species were categorized using a functional group matrix based on diet, nest-site preference and foraging ecology, the greatest diversity was found in Omnivorous Canopy Nesters. Our study indicates ant species richness is exceptionally high at Tiputini. We project 647-736 ant species in this global hotspot of biodiversity. Considering the relatively small area surveyed, this region of western Amazonia appears to support the most diverse ant fauna yet recorded.Kari T Ryder WilkieAmy L MertlJames F A TranielloPublic Library of Science (PLoS)articleMedicineRScienceQENPLoS ONE, Vol 5, Iss 10 (2010)
institution	DOAJ
collection	DOAJ
language	EN
topic	Medicine R Science Q
spellingShingle	Medicine R Science Q Kari T Ryder Wilkie Amy L Mertl James F A Traniello Species diversity and distribution patterns of the ants of Amazonian Ecuador.
description	Ants are among the most diverse, abundant and ecologically significant organisms on earth. Although their species richness appears to be greatest in the New World tropics, global patterns of ant diversity and distribution are not well understood. We comprehensively surveyed ant diversity in a lowland primary rainforest in Western Amazonia, Ecuador using canopy fogging, pitfall traps, baits, hand collecting, mini-Winkler devices and subterranean probes to sample ants. A total of 489 ant species comprising 64 genera in nine subfamilies were identified from samples collected in only 0.16 square kilometers. The most species-rich genera were Camponotus, Pheidole, Pseudomyrmex, Pachycondyla, Brachymyrmex, and Crematogaster. Camponotus and Pseudomyrmex were most diverse in the canopy, while Pheidole was most diverse on the ground. The three most abundant ground-dwelling ant genera were Pheidole, Solenopsis and Pyramica. Crematogaster carinata was the most abundant ant species in the canopy; Wasmannia auropunctata was most abundant on the ground, and the army ant Labidus coecus was the most abundant subterranean species. Ant species composition among strata was significantly different: 80% of species were found in only one stratum, 17% in two strata, and 3% in all three strata. Elevation and the number of logs and twigs available as nest sites were significant predictors of ground-dwelling ant species richness. Canopy species richness was not correlated with any ecological variable measured. Subterranean species richness was negatively correlated with depth in the soil. When ant species were categorized using a functional group matrix based on diet, nest-site preference and foraging ecology, the greatest diversity was found in Omnivorous Canopy Nesters. Our study indicates ant species richness is exceptionally high at Tiputini. We project 647-736 ant species in this global hotspot of biodiversity. Considering the relatively small area surveyed, this region of western Amazonia appears to support the most diverse ant fauna yet recorded.
format	article
author	Kari T Ryder Wilkie Amy L Mertl James F A Traniello
author_facet	Kari T Ryder Wilkie Amy L Mertl James F A Traniello
author_sort	Kari T Ryder Wilkie
title	Species diversity and distribution patterns of the ants of Amazonian Ecuador.
title_short	Species diversity and distribution patterns of the ants of Amazonian Ecuador.
title_full	Species diversity and distribution patterns of the ants of Amazonian Ecuador.
title_fullStr	Species diversity and distribution patterns of the ants of Amazonian Ecuador.
title_full_unstemmed	Species diversity and distribution patterns of the ants of Amazonian Ecuador.
title_sort	species diversity and distribution patterns of the ants of amazonian ecuador.
publisher	Public Library of Science (PLoS)
publishDate	2010
url	https://doaj.org/article/49fae2ec48754e1a8a27d6c3df810a68
work_keys_str_mv	AT karitryderwilkie speciesdiversityanddistributionpatternsoftheantsofamazonianecuador AT amylmertl speciesdiversityanddistributionpatternsoftheantsofamazonianecuador AT jamesfatraniello speciesdiversityanddistributionpatternsoftheantsofamazonianecuador
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Species diversity and distribution patterns of the ants of Amazonian Ecuador.

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