The Aging of Urban Gardens Can Enhance Their Role as Refuges for Local Ant Species
Urban gardens can be crucial for preserving the biodiversity in cities, but their construction often leads to shifts in local ant communities due to drastic habitat changes. Over time, ant communities can recover as species arrive from surrounding habitats. In this study, we explored ant community d...
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MDPI AG
2025-01-01
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| author | Gema Trigos-Peral Joaquín L. Reyes-López |
| author_facet | Gema Trigos-Peral Joaquín L. Reyes-López |
| author_sort | Gema Trigos-Peral |
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| description | Urban gardens can be crucial for preserving the biodiversity in cities, but their construction often leads to shifts in local ant communities due to drastic habitat changes. Over time, ant communities can recover as species arrive from surrounding habitats. In this study, we explored ant community dynamics over ten years in four gardens of varying maturity on a university campus in South Spain. We examined: (1) ant community composition in the gardens and surrounding natural/seminatural areas; (2) changes in biodiversity over time; (3) indicator values of species in the campus; and (4) population dynamics of the most representative species. We found distinct ant community compositions in gardens and natural/seminatural habitats. The ant community in older gardens showed greater similarity to surrounding natural areas than in young gardens. In the youngest garden, biodiversity initially declined post-construction but later increased to levels comparable to older gardens. Exotic species were more abundant in the young garden, and the population of native species like the garden ant <i>Lasius niger</i> increased over the years. We found that disturbances promote the establishment of exotic species, regardless of habitat maturity. We emphasize the importance of a context-dependent interpretation of species bioindicator information to assess habitat ecological status accurately. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-57568ae13b2b492188a738299257607d |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1424-2818 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Diversity |
| spelling | doaj-art-57568ae13b2b492188a738299257607d2025-01-24T13:29:32ZengMDPI AGDiversity1424-28182025-01-011716410.3390/d17010064The Aging of Urban Gardens Can Enhance Their Role as Refuges for Local Ant SpeciesGema Trigos-Peral0Joaquín L. Reyes-López1Museum and Institute of Zoology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Wilcza St 64, 00-679 Warszaw, PolandDepartamento de Botánica, Ecología y Fisiología Vegetal, Universidad de Córdoba, Edificio Celestino Mutis C4, 14014 Cordoba, SpainUrban gardens can be crucial for preserving the biodiversity in cities, but their construction often leads to shifts in local ant communities due to drastic habitat changes. Over time, ant communities can recover as species arrive from surrounding habitats. In this study, we explored ant community dynamics over ten years in four gardens of varying maturity on a university campus in South Spain. We examined: (1) ant community composition in the gardens and surrounding natural/seminatural areas; (2) changes in biodiversity over time; (3) indicator values of species in the campus; and (4) population dynamics of the most representative species. We found distinct ant community compositions in gardens and natural/seminatural habitats. The ant community in older gardens showed greater similarity to surrounding natural areas than in young gardens. In the youngest garden, biodiversity initially declined post-construction but later increased to levels comparable to older gardens. Exotic species were more abundant in the young garden, and the population of native species like the garden ant <i>Lasius niger</i> increased over the years. We found that disturbances promote the establishment of exotic species, regardless of habitat maturity. We emphasize the importance of a context-dependent interpretation of species bioindicator information to assess habitat ecological status accurately.https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/17/1/64antsurbanizationgardens’ maturitybioindicatorsdisturbanceexotic species |
| spellingShingle | Gema Trigos-Peral Joaquín L. Reyes-López The Aging of Urban Gardens Can Enhance Their Role as Refuges for Local Ant Species Diversity ants urbanization gardens’ maturity bioindicators disturbance exotic species |
| title | The Aging of Urban Gardens Can Enhance Their Role as Refuges for Local Ant Species |
| title_full | The Aging of Urban Gardens Can Enhance Their Role as Refuges for Local Ant Species |
| title_fullStr | The Aging of Urban Gardens Can Enhance Their Role as Refuges for Local Ant Species |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Aging of Urban Gardens Can Enhance Their Role as Refuges for Local Ant Species |
| title_short | The Aging of Urban Gardens Can Enhance Their Role as Refuges for Local Ant Species |
| title_sort | aging of urban gardens can enhance their role as refuges for local ant species |
| topic | ants urbanization gardens’ maturity bioindicators disturbance exotic species |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/17/1/64 |
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