How Habitat Simplification Shapes the Morphological Characteristics of Ant Assemblages (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Different Biogeographical Contexts
Human-driven changes in land cover and use can significantly impact species ants community structures, often leading to a decline in taxonomic diversity or species homogenization. Ant morphology, used as a proxy for ecological function, offers a valuable framework for understanding the effects of an...
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2024-12-01
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| author | Ana Cristina da Silva Utta Gianpasquale Chiatante Enrico Schifani Alberto Meriggi Itanna Oliveira Fernandes Paulo A. V. Borges Ricardo R. C. Solar Fabricio Beggiato Baccaro Donato Antonio Grasso |
| author_facet | Ana Cristina da Silva Utta Gianpasquale Chiatante Enrico Schifani Alberto Meriggi Itanna Oliveira Fernandes Paulo A. V. Borges Ricardo R. C. Solar Fabricio Beggiato Baccaro Donato Antonio Grasso |
| author_sort | Ana Cristina da Silva Utta |
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| description | Human-driven changes in land cover and use can significantly impact species ants community structures, often leading to a decline in taxonomic diversity or species homogenization. Ant morphology, used as a proxy for ecological function, offers a valuable framework for understanding the effects of anthropogenic disturbances on ant diversity. This study explored the morphological diversity of ant assemblages in agricultural ecosystems and secondary forests in Italy and the Brazilian Amazon, analyzing how these communities are structured and adapted to different environments. The research aims to understand the ecological interactions and the role of ants in maintaining biodiversity in these contexts. The study was conducted in the Ticino River Natural Park, Italy, and the Paragominas mosaic in Pará, Brazil. The ants were sampled using epigean pitfall traps at 15 agricultural and 13 forest sites. In the secondary forests, the species richness was significantly higher in both countries compared to agricultural areas. In general, the Community Weighted Mean (CWM) of the selected traits (head length, head width, interocular distance, mandible length, eye width, Weber’s length, and tibia length) of Brazilian ants was higher than those of Italian. However, the CWM of agricultural areas of the two countries was more similar. We noticed the convex hull (i.e., the volume of an assemblage in the morphological space) of Brazilian secondary forests was still larger than Italian secondary forests when both assemblages have the same number of species. Morphological homogenization was more pronounced in agricultural settings, whereas secondary forests showed more variability, highlighting the role of environmental filtering in shaping ant communities across land use types. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-37deff2e55a6498695b0f36fee57490f |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2075-4450 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-12-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Insects |
| spelling | doaj-art-37deff2e55a6498695b0f36fee57490f2025-08-20T02:53:19ZengMDPI AGInsects2075-44502024-12-01151296110.3390/insects15120961How Habitat Simplification Shapes the Morphological Characteristics of Ant Assemblages (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Different Biogeographical ContextsAna Cristina da Silva Utta0Gianpasquale Chiatante1Enrico Schifani2Alberto Meriggi3Itanna Oliveira Fernandes4Paulo A. V. Borges5Ricardo R. C. Solar6Fabricio Beggiato Baccaro7Donato Antonio Grasso8Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia (INPA), Manaus CEP 69067-375, Amazonas, BrazilDepartment of Ecological and Biological Sciences, University of Tuscia, Largo dell’Università s/n, 01100 Viterbo, ItalyDepartment of Chemistry, Life Sciences and Environmental Sustainability, University of Parma, Parco Area delle Scienze 11/a, 43124 Parma, ItalyDipartimento di Scienze della Terra e dell’Ambiente, Università di Pavia, via Ferrata 1, 27100 Pavia, ItalyPrograma de Pós-Graduação em Entomologia, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia (INPA), Manaus CEP 69060-001, Amazonas, BrazilAzorean Biodiversity Group, cE3c-Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes, CHANGE–Global Change and Sustainability Institute, School of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, University of the Azores, Rua Capitão João d’Ávila, Pico da Urze, 9700-042 Angra do Heroísmo, Azores, PortugalDepartamento de Genética, Ecologia e Evolução, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte CEP 31270-901, Minas Gerais, BrazilPrograma de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia (INPA), Manaus CEP 69067-375, Amazonas, BrazilDepartment of Chemistry, Life Sciences and Environmental Sustainability, University of Parma, Parco Area delle Scienze 11/a, 43124 Parma, ItalyHuman-driven changes in land cover and use can significantly impact species ants community structures, often leading to a decline in taxonomic diversity or species homogenization. Ant morphology, used as a proxy for ecological function, offers a valuable framework for understanding the effects of anthropogenic disturbances on ant diversity. This study explored the morphological diversity of ant assemblages in agricultural ecosystems and secondary forests in Italy and the Brazilian Amazon, analyzing how these communities are structured and adapted to different environments. The research aims to understand the ecological interactions and the role of ants in maintaining biodiversity in these contexts. The study was conducted in the Ticino River Natural Park, Italy, and the Paragominas mosaic in Pará, Brazil. The ants were sampled using epigean pitfall traps at 15 agricultural and 13 forest sites. In the secondary forests, the species richness was significantly higher in both countries compared to agricultural areas. In general, the Community Weighted Mean (CWM) of the selected traits (head length, head width, interocular distance, mandible length, eye width, Weber’s length, and tibia length) of Brazilian ants was higher than those of Italian. However, the CWM of agricultural areas of the two countries was more similar. We noticed the convex hull (i.e., the volume of an assemblage in the morphological space) of Brazilian secondary forests was still larger than Italian secondary forests when both assemblages have the same number of species. Morphological homogenization was more pronounced in agricultural settings, whereas secondary forests showed more variability, highlighting the role of environmental filtering in shaping ant communities across land use types.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/15/12/961antsbiotic homogenizationfunctional traitsBrazilItaly |
| spellingShingle | Ana Cristina da Silva Utta Gianpasquale Chiatante Enrico Schifani Alberto Meriggi Itanna Oliveira Fernandes Paulo A. V. Borges Ricardo R. C. Solar Fabricio Beggiato Baccaro Donato Antonio Grasso How Habitat Simplification Shapes the Morphological Characteristics of Ant Assemblages (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Different Biogeographical Contexts Insects ants biotic homogenization functional traits Brazil Italy |
| title | How Habitat Simplification Shapes the Morphological Characteristics of Ant Assemblages (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Different Biogeographical Contexts |
| title_full | How Habitat Simplification Shapes the Morphological Characteristics of Ant Assemblages (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Different Biogeographical Contexts |
| title_fullStr | How Habitat Simplification Shapes the Morphological Characteristics of Ant Assemblages (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Different Biogeographical Contexts |
| title_full_unstemmed | How Habitat Simplification Shapes the Morphological Characteristics of Ant Assemblages (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Different Biogeographical Contexts |
| title_short | How Habitat Simplification Shapes the Morphological Characteristics of Ant Assemblages (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Different Biogeographical Contexts |
| title_sort | how habitat simplification shapes the morphological characteristics of ant assemblages hymenoptera formicidae in different biogeographical contexts |
| topic | ants biotic homogenization functional traits Brazil Italy |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/15/12/961 |
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