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The Influence Of Microclimate And Habitat Area On The Ecology Of The Army Ant Eciton Burchelli In Tropical Forest Fragments
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Book Synopsis The Influence of Microclimate and Habitat Area on the Ecology of the Army Ant Eciton Burchelli in Tropical Forest Fragments by : Joe E. Meisel
Download or read book The Influence of Microclimate and Habitat Area on the Ecology of the Army Ant Eciton Burchelli in Tropical Forest Fragments written by Joe E. Meisel and published by . This book was released on 2004 with total page 166 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Book Synopsis Army Ants by : Daniel J. C. Kronauer
Download or read book Army Ants written by Daniel J. C. Kronauer and published by Harvard University Press. This book was released on 2020-10-06 with total page 385 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A richly illustrated, captivating study of army ants, nature’s preeminent social hunters. A swarm raid is one of nature’s great spectacles. In tropical rainforests around the world, army ants march in groups by the thousands to overwhelm large solitary invertebrates, along with nests of termites, wasps, and other ants. They kill and dismember their prey and carry it back to their nest, where their hungry brood devours it. They are the ultimate social hunters, demonstrating the most fascinating collective behavior. In Army Ants we see how these insects play a crucial role in promoting and sustaining the biodiversity of tropical ecosystems. The ants help keep prey communities in check while also providing nutrition for other animals. Many species depend on army ants for survival, including a multitude of social parasites, swarm-following birds, and flies. And while their hunting behavior, and the rules that govern it, are clearly impressive, army ants display collective behavior in other ways that are no less dazzling. They build living nests, called bivouacs, using their bodies to protect the queen and larvae. The ants can even construct bridges over open space or obstacles by linking to one another using their feet. These incredible feats happen without central coordination. They are the result of local interactions—self-organization that benefits the society at large. Through observations, stories, and stunning images, Daniel Kronauer brings these fascinating creatures to life. Army ants may be small, but their collective intelligence and impact on their environment are anything but.
Book Synopsis Nesting Behavior, Migration, and Dispersal of Neotropical Army Ants (Hymenoptera, Formicidae by : Thomas Warren Soare
Download or read book Nesting Behavior, Migration, and Dispersal of Neotropical Army Ants (Hymenoptera, Formicidae written by Thomas Warren Soare and published by . This book was released on 2013 with total page 117 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Army ants, keystone predators in tropical forests, collectively hunt prey and are obligately nomadic. Despite a wide geographic and elevational range, the army ant Eciton burchellii is sensitive to environmental extremes and avoids entering deforested areas. Bivouac (nest) sites at high elevation were found to be more frequently located in sheltered locations than at low elevations (Chapter 1). High elevation bivouac sites provide abiotic buffering to E. burchellii colonies, though the effect declines at the highest elevations. The combination of forest clearing and high elevations may restrict army ant dispersal in Monteverde, Costa Rica. Restricted dispersal may lead to reduced gene flow, which threatens populations with inbreeding depression and local extinction. We compared individual-based pairwise relatedness estimates of reconstructed queen and male genotypes to resistance distances based on land cover and elevation (Chapter 2). Land cover (deforestation), but not high elevation, was found to inhibit dispersal in army ants in Monteverde. Though significant spatial genetic structure was found in males but not queens, dispersal may be weakly male-biased. A temporal replication revealed no spatial pattern of relatedness over time (Chapter 3). This suggests that cumulative colony emigrations over the lifetime of the queen (before reproduction) may contribute to gene flow in this species. Thus forested habitat corridors should be maintained among fragments to allow for E. burchellii colony movements and subsequent gene dispersal. Army ants exhibit top-down effects on prey species and support a wide range of associates from mites to birds. Promoting army ant population persistence will maintain this biodiversity in tropical ecosystems.
Book Synopsis Dissertation Abstracts International by :
Download or read book Dissertation Abstracts International written by and published by . This book was released on 2005 with total page 884 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Book Synopsis Ant-Plant Interactions by : Paulo S. Oliveira
Download or read book Ant-Plant Interactions written by Paulo S. Oliveira and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2017-08-17 with total page 461 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The first volume devoted to anthropogenic effects on interactions between ants and flowering plants, considered major parts of terrestrial ecosystems.
Book Synopsis Behavioral and population ecology of the army ant Eciton burchelli and ant-following birds by : Monica Beth Swartz
Download or read book Behavioral and population ecology of the army ant Eciton burchelli and ant-following birds written by Monica Beth Swartz and published by . This book was released on 1997 with total page 184 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Book Synopsis The Evolutionary Ecology of the Army Ant Eciton Burchelli on Barro Colorado Island, Panama by : Nigel Rigby Franks
Download or read book The Evolutionary Ecology of the Army Ant Eciton Burchelli on Barro Colorado Island, Panama written by Nigel Rigby Franks and published by . This book was released on 1980 with total page 242 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Book Synopsis Ants Diversity between Organic and Conventional Farm by : Erick Swai
Download or read book Ants Diversity between Organic and Conventional Farm written by Erick Swai and published by GRIN Verlag. This book was released on 2021-10-13 with total page 23 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Academic Paper from the year 2021 in the subject Environmental Sciences, grade: 100%, , language: English, abstract: The diversity of ants in conventional and organic farms has not been investigated in Tanzania, therefore, the study aims at investigating that and provides knowledge for ants conservation. Machare Coffee Estate is among unique plantations in which both conventional and organic farming of coffee are performed. The study contributes to the existing body of knowledge on the influence of these farming practices on ants’ diversity. Knowledge about ants diversity is useful for the conservation of other species which associate with ants in the ecological chain. Therefore from such a gap in knowledge, this study intends to compare the diversity of ants in organic and conventional farms. Moreover, the findings from this study will aid in biodiversity management and conservation in the area in particular. Ants play a vital-ecological role as they influence soil movement, nutrient cycling and water availability in their habitat. Habitat destruction and the use of Agrochemicals are regarded as among the factors that affect the diversity of ants. Machare Coffee Estate is one of the farms which practice both organic and conventional farming. To reveal whether there is a difference in diversity between these two practices this study was conducted at Machare Coffee Estate for three weeks. The study used four transects of 80 m with four quadrants of 10x10 m within it, where 6 pitfall traps with an inter pitfall distance of 3 m were laid down per quadrant on both sites. A total number of 96 pitfall traps were used per site. A total of 2381 ants from five subfamilies were collected. Ant’s diversity was analyzed by the Shannon Wiener index and a t-test was used to test the hypothesis. Keywords; Ants, diversity, conventional farming, organic farming
Book Synopsis Seed Dispersal by Ants in a Deciduous Forest Ecosystem by : Elena Gorb
Download or read book Seed Dispersal by Ants in a Deciduous Forest Ecosystem written by Elena Gorb and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2013-06-29 with total page 246 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Countless ants transport and deposit seeds and thereby influence the survival, death, and evolution of many plant species. In higher plants, seed dispersal by ants (myrmecochory) has appeared many times independently in different lineages. More than 3000 plant species are known to utilize ant assistance to be planted. Myrmecochory is a very interesting and rather enigmatic form of mutualistic ant-plant associations. This phenomenon is extremely complex, because there are hundreds of ant species connected with hundreds of plant species. This book effectively combines a thorough approach to investigating morphological and physiological adaptations of plants with elegant field experiments on the behaviour of ants. This monograph is a first attempt at collecting information about morphology, ecology and phenology of ants and plants from one ecosystem. The book gives readers a panoramic view of the hidden, poorly-known interrelations not only between pairs of ants and plant species, but also between species communities in the ecosystem. The authors have considered not just one aspect of animal-plant relationships, but have tried to show them in all their complexity. Some aspects of the ant-plant interactions described in the book may be of interest to botanists, others to zoologists or ecologists, but the entire work is an excellent example of the marriage of these biological disciplines.
Book Synopsis Herbivory of Leaf-Cutting Ants by : Rainer Wirth
Download or read book Herbivory of Leaf-Cutting Ants written by Rainer Wirth and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2013-04-18 with total page 235 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Plant-animal interactions have become a focus of ecological research, with the processes of herbivory being of special interest. This volume examines the interactions of leaf-cutting ants with the rainforest vegetation on Barro Colorado Islands in Central America. It is the synthesis of field research on multiple scales extending over a period of several years. This work can serve as a model study summarizing and extending knowledge about herbivorous insect-plant relationships, and the resulting consequences on structural and functional features of tropical ecosystems. The text is an invaluable reference for researchers and land managers working in the fields of plant-animal interactions, herbivory, community ecology and biodiversity.
Book Synopsis Ecological Impacts of Tropical Forest Fragmentation on Nonflying Mammals and Their Habitats by : William Frederick Laurance
Download or read book Ecological Impacts of Tropical Forest Fragmentation on Nonflying Mammals and Their Habitats written by William Frederick Laurance and published by . This book was released on 1989 with total page 510 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Book Synopsis Microhabitat and Elevational Patterns in Thermal Tolerance and Thermoregulation of Neotropical Army Ants (Formicidae: Dorylinae) by : Kaitlin Mari Baudier
Download or read book Microhabitat and Elevational Patterns in Thermal Tolerance and Thermoregulation of Neotropical Army Ants (Formicidae: Dorylinae) written by Kaitlin Mari Baudier and published by . This book was released on 2017 with total page 268 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Temperature is a major abiotic factor governing organismal performance and biotic distribution patterns worldwide. How different spatial resolutions of temperature variation relate to the thermal adaptiveness of organisms living within these environments informs predictions of physiological range limitations and response to climate change. Here I use Neotropical army ants as a model system to test broadly developed macrophysiological predictions on the scale of tropical microclimates and elevation clines. Social insect colonies make particularly interesting models for this purpose, as they enable the testing of predictions on both the level of the individual and the social group (colony). Here I form a new set of predictions for how insect societies are constrained and benefited by their thermal environments. I demonstrate novel patterns in tropical thermal tolerance due to soil microhabitat, elevation, and seasonality and discuss how these patterns interplay with the adaptiveness of castes in ant colonies. I also report novel differences in social thermoregulation across an elevational thermal cline and across brood ages in an above-ground nesting army ant species with a detailed study of thermal tolerance and thermoregulation in a below-ground army nest. The findings of this work suggest benefits in the incorporation of detailed microclimate use and social parameters in models predicting the ecological effects of climate change. These projects also form new testable hypotheses for future work relating to the thermal ecology of social insects.
Book Synopsis Army Ants and Obligaate Ant-following Birds by : Susan K. Willson
Download or read book Army Ants and Obligaate Ant-following Birds written by Susan K. Willson and published by . This book was released on 2003 with total page 400 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Five species of obligate ant-following birds (Phlegopsis nigromaculata, Myrmeciza fortis, Rhegmatorhina melanosticta, Gymnopithys salvini, Thamnophilidae; Dendrocincla merula, Dendrocolaptidae) and two species of army ants (Eciton burchelli and Labidus praedator) were studied in Amazonian Peru over five years. The question of species coexistence in these five ecologically similar bird species was explored through analysis of population ecology, behavior and spatial movement patterns of the birds. Two of the five bird species (D. merula and M. fortis) utilized one or the other of the two army ant species as a preferred foraging resource. The three obligate ant-following antbirds that did not prefer one army ant species over the other (P. nigromaculata, R. melanosticta, and G. salvini) are segregated by body mass, which may allow differential utilization of space along an antswarm front's width. This would permit a smaller, more subordinate species to "fit" along the front of an antswarm that was already "full" to a different bird species. Behaviorally, species implemented different strategies when choosing where to forage among available E. burchelli antswarms. Nest site selection contributed to niche breadth among the obligate ant-followers, and may act to constrain populations of the dominant species P. nigromaculata from expanding to utilize more of the available army ant resource. Constraints on the dominant species may provide the socially subordinate R. melanosticta and G. salvini with the niche space they need to coexist with P. nigromaculata . Population dynamics of the birds were not stable over five years of data collection, and the total population of obligate ant-followers dropped by almost half over the course of the study. I suggest that periodic population declines are a normal occurrence in obligate ant-following guilds. Population fluctuations decreased interference competition among individuals and may increase the ability of the subordinate species R. melanosticta to coexist with the larger, dominant P. nigromaculata at Cocha Cashu. Home range size of each antbird species was minimized in some years through reliance on the unpredictable but abundant foraging opportunities at L. praedator antswarms. This poorly studied ant species played a pivotal role in expanding the available foraging resource for obligate ant-following birds, which allowed an increase in population densities well above what would be supported solely by E. burchelli army ants. The army ant E. burchelli has been well studied on a micro-habitat scale, but measures of behavioral ecology and population density are largely unknown for the Amazon basin and are estimated for the first time in this study. Nests and reproductive biology of four of the five bird species were undescribed at the start of this study, and nests, eggs and nestlings are described for P. nigromaculata, R. melanosticta and G. salvini . The dissertation concludes with a comparative examination of obligate ant-following guilds at three additional Neotropical sites.
Book Synopsis Advances in Myrmecology by : James C. Trager
Download or read book Advances in Myrmecology written by James C. Trager and published by BRILL. This book was released on 1988 with total page 584 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Book Synopsis Effects of Forest Edges, Exotic Ants and Nonnative Plants on Local Ant (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) Diversity in Urban Forest Fragments of Northeastern Ohio by : Kaloyan Ivanov
Download or read book Effects of Forest Edges, Exotic Ants and Nonnative Plants on Local Ant (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) Diversity in Urban Forest Fragments of Northeastern Ohio written by Kaloyan Ivanov and published by . This book was released on 2010 with total page 214 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Urbanization has resulted in massive transformation of natural habitats with profound effects on biodiversity. Addressing the problems associated with anthropogenic deterioration of the environment requires solid understanding of the factors driving these changes. Habitat patch size, edge effects, and the presence of invasive species are among the key features of the urban landscape affecting local communities. My study focused on the effects of habitat edges, the exotic ant Nylanderia flavipes, and the invasive herb garlic mustard on local ant diversity in deciduous forest fragments of northeastern Ohio. In addition, I explored the value of common ant collecting techniques for estimating ant diversity. When compared to pitfall trapping, Winkler litter extraction showed greater species richness and higher abundance of ants and exhibited the advantage of a more complete inventory. Winkler extraction may completely replace pitfall trapping in temperate forests with well-developed litter layer, and inventorying programs may benefit from the inclusion of this technique as a rapid and effective ant-collecting tool. Our study documents predictable edge-associated changes in species richness, community composition and functional groups, occurring in local forest ant assemblages. Edge effects are most pronounced within the first 25m, which may have implications for the conservation of forest-dwelling fauna. At the sites where Nylanderia flavipes occurred, we found a 6-fold increase in ant abundance, with 87% of the ants being N. flavipes. The numerical dominance of this species did not lead to detectable changes in the species richness and abundance of the native ant community, but was responsible for decreased community evenness. This is likely indicative of a recent introduction with populations still being in their latency period. The high local abundance of N. flavipes may give it a competitive advantage and affect native ants through exploitative competition. Plots invaded by garlic mustard showed significant reduction in leaf-litter depth, correlated with increased abundance of nonnative earthworms, but no detectable effects on ant species richness or community composition. My results suggest that regional sylvan ant communities are unaffected by the generally presumed negative effects of garlic mustard, or that these effects are more subtle or confounded by other dominating factors.
Book Synopsis The Recovery of Ant Communities in Regenerating Tropical Forests by :
Download or read book The Recovery of Ant Communities in Regenerating Tropical Forests written by and published by . This book was released on 2008 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Tropical forests are the most diverse of all terrestrial ecosystems. Though occupying only 7% of the Earth's land surface, they probably sustain over two-thirds of all species. Tropical forests are disappearing at fast rates and this has been identified as a major threat to global biodiversity. Deforestation, however, is rarely permanent -- converted land is exhausted, abandoned and allowed to regrow. Critical for the future of biodiversity is the degree to which these secondary forests can replace old-growth forests as habitat for forest dwelling species and fulfill similar ecosystem functions. Yet, relatively little is known about the value of secondary forests for the conservation of biodiversity and ecosystem functions. The main objective of my dissertation was to evaluate to what degree tropical secondary forests contribute to the conservation of biodiversity and ecosystem functions. To do so, I used soil and leaf-litter ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) -- a dominant, species rich, and functionally important group of invertebrates -- as model organisms. My approach was twofold: On the one hand, I analyzed the effects of secondary forest succession on various facets of the diversity and community structure of ants. On the other hand, I investigated the successional changes in the ecosystem and how these influence the community assembly of ants. All studies were carried out in the Rio Cachoeira Nature Reserve in the Atlantic Forest of Brazil. I sampled the ant community in a total of 27 study sites that encompassed a gradient of naturally regenerating forests in three different successional age stages. Additionally, I also sampled the ant community in pastures and old-growth forests for comparison. Richness and composition of ant assemblages in secondary forests recovered slowly and did not approach conditions typical of old-growth forests. The distribution of ant taxa along the successional gradient was arranged in a nested pattern -- ant taxa of younger successional.
Book Synopsis Terror in the Tropics by : Tom Lisker
Download or read book Terror in the Tropics written by Tom Lisker and published by Steck-Vaughn. This book was released on 1977 with total page 54 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An introduction to army ants, their habits, homes, the social aspects of their lives, and how they affect human beings.
