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10.25100/socolen.v51i2.12822
Submitted: 23-02-2023
Published: 31-07-2025

Ant community structure and response to disturbances in seasonal semideciduous forest and agricultural matrices in the Brazilian Cerrado

Universidade Estadual de Goiás
Universidade Estadual de Goiás
Universidade Estadual de Goiás
Instituto Federal Goiano
Universidade Federal de Viçosa
Universidade Estadual de Goiás
Keywords: arboreal ants, epigeic ants, biological indicator, stratification, richness, similarity

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1.
Oliveira Santiago V, Bernardes Júnior EJ, Cândido Rocha E, Gonçalves De Jesus F, Oliveira MA, Araújo M da SA. Ant community structure and response to disturbances in seasonal semideciduous forest and agricultural matrices in the Brazilian Cerrado. Rev. Colomb. Entomol. [Internet]. 2025 Jul. 31 [cited 2026 Nov. 6];51(2). Available from: https://revistacolombianaentomologia.univalle.edu.co/index.php/SOCOLEN/article/view/12822
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Abstract

This study examines the structure of epigeic and arboreal ant communities in fragments of Seasonal Semideciduous Forest (SSF) and surrounding matrices (soybean and corn crops and fallow fields) in the Brazilian Cerrado. Ants were collected using baited traps placed along transects perpendicular to the forest fragments. Species specificity and habitat fidelity were evaluated using the indicator species index (IndVal). Environmental variables such as fragment size, litter quantity, and edge proximity did not significantly affect ant richness in SSF. However, non-parametric multidimensional scaling revealed clear differences in community structure between habitats (soil and canopy in SSF, and soil in matrices), and among the three land use states in the matrix (soybean, corn, or uncultivated). Rarefaction curves showed higher ant richness in SSF fragments, in soil and trees. Species composition differed across land uses, in the agricultural matrices, although overall richness did not vary significantly. Based on IndVal, five ant species were identified as indicators of SSF soil, and four as indicators of matrix soil. These patterns demonstrate how land use influences ant communities. Since ants perform vital ecological functions, such as nutrient cycling, seed dispersal and soil structuring, changes in their composition can reflect underlying shifts in ecosystem processes. The presence or absence of specific ant species thus serves as a reliable signal of environmental quality. This reinforces the value of ants as effective bioindicators and highlights the importance of conserving native forest fragments amid expanding agricultural landscapes.

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1.
Oliveira Santiago V, Bernardes Júnior EJ, Cândido Rocha E, Gonçalves De Jesus F, Oliveira MA, Araújo M da SA. Ant community structure and response to disturbances in seasonal semideciduous forest and agricultural matrices in the Brazilian Cerrado. Rev. Colomb. Entomol. [Internet]. 2025 Jul. 31 [cited 2026 Nov. 6];51(2). Available from: https://revistacolombianaentomologia.univalle.edu.co/index.php/SOCOLEN/article/view/12822
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Copyright (c) 2025 Vitor Oliveira Santiago, Enilton José Bernardes Júnior, Ednaldo Cândido Rocha, Flávio Gonçalves De Jesus, Marco Antônio Oliveira, Márcio da Silva Araújo Araújo