How do patch burnings affect ant communities and seed removal in a subtropical grassland?

IF 4 2区环境科学与生态学 Q1 BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION

Perspectives in Ecology and Conservation Pub Date : 2022-10-01 DOI:10.1016/j.pecon.2022.07.002

Gabriel Gonçalves Barbosa, Claire Pauline Röpke Ferrando, Milton de Souza Mendonça Jr., Luciana Regina Podgaiski

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Abstract

Disturbances modify local abiotic properties, habitat structure and resource availability, shaping community assembly and ecological interactions. Open ecosystems have an evolutionary relationship with fire. We evaluated the effects of patch burnings on grassland ant communities and patterns of seed removal. We established 14 plots of 10 m² in pairs in a disturbance-suppressed grassland in South Brazil. A random plot of each pair was burned, and another plot was the control. We accessed ant communities with pitfall-traps and sweeping net, and seed removal with seed traps in all plots prior the experimental fires, and then on three occasions following fires. We recorded 57 ant species belonging to 29 genera. Ant species composition did not significantly vary between treatments neither did ant body size. We detected significantly positive fire effects on ant richness after 1 month and 12 months, mediated by the increase in plant species richness in burned plots. Mean seed removal rates were increased in burned plots after 1 month. We showed that prescribed patch burnings in fire-prone grasslands promoted ant richness, and their foraging activity. Our study may serve as a basis for conservation decisions, showing the importance of maintenance of disturbances in grasslands.

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在亚热带草原，斑块燃烧如何影响蚂蚁群落和种子的清除?

干扰改变了当地的非生物特性、栖息地结构和资源可用性，塑造了群落的聚集和生态的相互作用。开放生态系统与火有着进化关系。我们评估了斑块焚烧对草地蚂蚁群落的影响和种子清除模式。我们在巴西南部一个受干扰抑制的草地上建立了14个样地，每样地10 m2成对。每一对的随机地块被烧毁，另一个地块作为对照。我们利用陷阱和扫网对蚁群进行了调查，并在实验火灾发生前和火灾发生后三次使用种子陷阱进行了种子清除。共记录到蚂蚁29属57种。蚁种组成和蚁体大小在不同处理间无显著差异。在1个月和12个月后，我们发现火灾对蚂蚁丰富度有显著的正向影响，这是通过增加燃烧样地的植物物种丰富度来调节的。烧地1个月后平均去除率增加。结果表明，在易发生火灾的草原上，规定的斑块燃烧促进了蚂蚁的丰富度和觅食活动。我们的研究可以作为保护决策的基础，显示了维持草原干扰的重要性。

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来源期刊

Perspectives in Ecology and Conservation Environmental Science-Nature and Landscape Conservation

CiteScore

7.80

自引率

4.30%

发文量

审稿时长

59 days

期刊介绍： Perspectives in Ecology and Conservation (PECON) is a scientific journal devoted to improving theoretical and conceptual aspects of conservation science. It has the main purpose of communicating new research and advances to different actors of society, including researchers, conservationists, practitioners, and policymakers. Perspectives in Ecology and Conservation publishes original papers on biodiversity conservation and restoration, on the main drivers affecting native ecosystems, and on nature’s benefits to people and human wellbeing. This scope includes studies on biodiversity patterns, the effects of habitat loss, fragmentation, biological invasion and climate change on biodiversity, conservation genetics, spatial conservation planning, ecosystem management, ecosystem services, sustainability and resilience of socio-ecological systems, conservation policy, among others.