The Influence of Extrafloral Nectaries on Arboreal Ant Species Richness in Tree Communities

Abstract

Studies investigating the role of resource availability in the species richness patterns can elucidate ecological processes and contribute to conservation strategies. In this study, we test two hypotheses: i) arboreal ant species richness increases with abundance of extrafloral nectaries-bearing trees; and ii) arboreal ant species richness increases with the diversity of extrafloral nectaries-bearing trees. We used data of ant sampling and tree inventories from 30 plots of Brazilian Cerrado. Arboreal ant species richness was positively influenced by the proportional abundance of extrafloral nectaries-bearing trees, total tree density and total tree diversity. There was no effect of species richness of extrafloral nectaries-bearing trees. Coefficient of determination of proportional abundance of extrafloral nectaries-bearing trees was larger when compared to coefficient obtained using tree density as explanatory variable. These results suggest that variation in arboreal ant species richness is better explained by extrafloral nectaries-bearing tree abundance than total tree density. Generalist foraging behavior of sampled ant species may explain their association with proportional abundance of extrafloral nectariesbearing trees and their non-significant relation with proportional richness of extrafloral nectaries-bearing tree species. Extrafloral nectaries-bearing trees abundance may be a specific estimate of the amount of food resource available in plots. Thus, this is a more specific way to quantify which resources may explain variation of the arboreal ant species richness in tree communities. We hope these results will be helpful to understanding the local variation in ant species richness and as criteria to biodiversity conservation.

Keywords

• Resource availability
• generalist foraging
• Cerrado