Abstract
This study set out to elucidate the mechanisms structuring ant species composition in an Aleppo pine (Pinus halepensis) forest on Mount Carmel, Israel,
and to reveal the forces that maintain species diversity on the macro- and
micro-scale levels. Ants were sampled by pitfall traps during all four seasons at three forest stands that differed in time elapsed since the last forest
fire. The studied macro-environment factors were fire and season, while the
micro-environment factors were plant species, leaf litter, and microclimate
conditions. Fires had a short- and medium-term positive effect on ant species
richness by promoting ant biodiversity and maintaining habitat heterogeneity.
Cluster analysis revealed that the effects of fire were far less important predictors of ant community structure than seasonality when comparing 1- and
14-year post-fire stands, but that the time elapsed since the fire was much
more important than season when comparing unburned to burned stands.
Different ant functional groups responded to fire in strikingly opposite ways:
opportunistic species (e.g., Tetramorium spp., Aphenograster spp.) were
affected more severely than other functional groups and their proportion decreased with post-fire succession. Generalist Myrmicinae (e.g. Pheidole spp.,
Monomorium spp.), on the other hand, benefited from fire and their proportion increased with post-fire succession. A novel finding in this study was that
the microhabitat beneath the canopy of different plant species (P. halepensis,
Cistus sp., Quercus calliprinos, and Pistacia lentiscus) in the unburnt forest
provided different environmental conditions and was thus inhabited by unique
ant communities. We conclude that maintaining habitat heterogeneity on both
the micro- and macro-scale levels is essential for the restoration of ant biodiversity on Mount Carmel.
and to reveal the forces that maintain species diversity on the macro- and
micro-scale levels. Ants were sampled by pitfall traps during all four seasons at three forest stands that differed in time elapsed since the last forest
fire. The studied macro-environment factors were fire and season, while the
micro-environment factors were plant species, leaf litter, and microclimate
conditions. Fires had a short- and medium-term positive effect on ant species
richness by promoting ant biodiversity and maintaining habitat heterogeneity.
Cluster analysis revealed that the effects of fire were far less important predictors of ant community structure than seasonality when comparing 1- and
14-year post-fire stands, but that the time elapsed since the fire was much
more important than season when comparing unburned to burned stands.
Different ant functional groups responded to fire in strikingly opposite ways:
opportunistic species (e.g., Tetramorium spp., Aphenograster spp.) were
affected more severely than other functional groups and their proportion decreased with post-fire succession. Generalist Myrmicinae (e.g. Pheidole spp.,
Monomorium spp.), on the other hand, benefited from fire and their proportion increased with post-fire succession. A novel finding in this study was that
the microhabitat beneath the canopy of different plant species (P. halepensis,
Cistus sp., Quercus calliprinos, and Pistacia lentiscus) in the unburnt forest
provided different environmental conditions and was thus inhabited by unique
ant communities. We conclude that maintaining habitat heterogeneity on both
the micro- and macro-scale levels is essential for the restoration of ant biodiversity on Mount Carmel.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 129-146 |
| Journal | Israel Journal of Entomology |
| Volume | 39 |
| State | Published - 2009 |