Diversity, Richness and Composition of Ant Communities (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in the Pre-Saharan Steppe of Algeria

Abstract

This paper describes the structure and composition of ant communities in the pre-Saharan steppe of Algeria. The study focused on three stations located in two regions with different climates: semi-arid (Aflou) and arid (Laghouat). Ants were collected between March 2013 and February 2014, using pitfall trap sampling over a four-season period and quadrat counting techniques. A total of 20 ant species have been identified, which belong to 8 genera in three subfamilies: Dolichoderinae, Myrmicinae and Formicinae. Moreover, it was noticed that the study areas, which can be characterized by their floristic nature, physiognomic and even edaphic aspects, directly influence the ant community ecology and distribution. We classified them in both eurytopic and stenotopic species. It was also observed, using a Correspondence Factorial Analysis (CFA), that the ants’ activity is seasonal and often correlated with temperature fluctuation and trophic availability.

Keywords

• steppe
• myrmecofauna
• diversity
• trophic availability
• seasonal variation
• Algeria