Environmental drivers of taxonomic and functional diversity of ant communities in a tropical mountain

We investigated the patterns of taxonomic (TD) and functional (FD) α and β‐diversities of ants in a mountainous landscape along three dimensions, namely one temporal (seasonal) and two spatial dimensions: between habitats – grassland and forest habitats (horizontal), and among elevation bands (verti...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Insect conservation and diversity 2020-07, Vol.13 (4), p.393-403
Main Authors: Castro, Flávio Siqueira de, Da Silva, Pedro Giovâni, Solar, Ricardo, Fernandes, Geraldo Wilson, Neves, Frederico de Siqueira
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Campo rupestre
Espinhaço Mountain Range
Grasslands
ground‐dwelling ants
Habitats
nestedness
rupestrian grassland
Seasonal variations
Species composition
Species richness
Taxonomy
turnover
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:We investigated the patterns of taxonomic (TD) and functional (FD) α and β‐diversities of ants in a mountainous landscape along three dimensions, namely one temporal (seasonal) and two spatial dimensions: between habitats – grassland and forest habitats (horizontal), and among elevation bands (vertical). In addition, we tested the effects of environmental variables (mean elevation and temperature, and normalised difference vegetation index – NDVI) on taxonomic and functional α‐ and β‐diversities. β diversities among the two spatial dimensions are the main components of TD. Conversely, FD is almost entirely composed by the α‐diversity component, with a very low contribution of β‐diversity. Regarding environmental drivers, the decrease in temperature caused by increased elevations and seasonal variations had a negative effect on taxonomic α‐diversity. There were no effects of environmental variables on ant functional α‐diversity. Despite the high turnover of ant species occurring along spatial dimensions, the communities were functionally redundant. The changes in species richness and composition patterns in this mountain were strongly influenced by variables correlated with elevation and habitat structure. Species composition changed across all dimensions, but the core traits and functions remained unchanged. Differences observed in the composition of ant communities over relatively short geographic distances highlight the importance to conserve the entire mountain, ensuring the maintenance of the ant diversity and associated ecosystem functions. The β‐diversities of vertical (between elevations) and horizontal (between habitats) dimensions are the main components of taxonomic diversity of ants in a mountainous landscape. Functional diversity is almost entirely represented by the α‐diversity, with very low contribution of β‐diversity, and despite the high turnover occurring along spatial dimensions, the communities were functionally redundant. Ants' species composition changed across all dimensions, but the core traits and functions remained unchanged, which highlights the importance to conserve the entire mountain.
ISSN:1752-458X
1752-4598
DOI:10.1111/icad.12415