Composition and Diversity of Ant Species into Leaf Litter of Two Fragments of a Semi-Deciduous Seasonal Forest in the Atlantic Forest Biome in Barra do Choça, Bahia, Brazil

Abstract

We present here the preliminary results of a study of leaf litter ant diversity in remnant areas of semi-deciduous seasonal forests in the Atlantic Forest biome. Standardized collections were made in 2011, using pitfall and Winkler traps in two fragments of native forest belonging to the municipality of Barra do Choça in the micro-region of the Planalto da Conquista, in Southwestern Bahia State, Brazil; 107 species from 37 ant genera and 9 subfamilies were collected. The observed richness was high, and the diversity indices (Shannon-Wiener) of the two fragments suggest that in spite of being strongly impacted by anthropogenic actions, they maintained a high faunal diversity levels, similar to those observed in other original Atlantic Forest sites in Bahia State. Analyses of the accumulated species richness curves and estimated richnesses (Jackknife 2), however, demonstrated that the survey efforts expended were not sufficient to capture all of the species present. The high observed numbers of unique species, smooth curves of the accumulated richness graphs, and high values of estimated richness suggested that the survey areas were quite heterogeneous. These results furnished new information concerning regional biodiversity that will be useful as initial references for continuing studies of fragmentation processes in the region.

Keywords

• Formicidae, Planalto da Conquista (Brazil, Bahia), Atlantic Forest, semi-deciduous seasonal forest.