Composition and diversity of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in some protected areas of the Aburrá Valley

https://doi.org/10.25100/socolen.v32i2.9391
Biodiversity Richness estimators Exclusive species Sampling Functional organization

Article Sidebar

PDF (Español)

Published: Dec 31, 2006
Issue: Vol. 32 No. 2 (2006)
Section Agriculture / Research paper

Publcation metrics

18




 


Main Article Content

Authors

ELMER TORO-A. Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Sede Medellín
OSCAR EFRAÍN ORTEGA Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Sede Medellín
Abstract

Ant communities were studied in three protected areas of the Aburrá Valley (Department of Antioquia-Colombia). In each site, 50 sampling stations were installed over two time periods (March 2000 and May 2001). Ants were collected using pitfall traps, mini-Winkler bags and manual capture. Additionally, ten stations were installed in the botanical garden Joaquín Antonio Uribe of Medellín, which contributed eight unique species. 96 morphospecies belonging to 33 genera, 18 tribes and six subfamilies were identified. Myrmicinae was the dominant subfamily in the landscape. The non-parametric estimators of richness ICE (Incidence Coverage Estimator) and Jackknife1 produced estimates of 105 and 107 species, respectively, for the three areas together, and one of these had a significantly different value of estimated richness. The cumulative species curves showed that the sampling methodology was effective for collecting most of the species from the substrate. The frequency distribution fit a logarithmic model, and relatively high values of evenness were found due to the presence of a great number of species with just one individual. The sites share most of the ant fauna and consequently have a similar functional organization. For the local scale, a decrease in diversity was observed with increase in altitude. Each area contributed unique species to the total diversity of Formicidae, which suggests that they should be conserved to maintain the local biodiversity.

How to Cite
TORO-A., E., & ORTEGA, O. E. (2006). Composition and diversity of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in some protected areas of the Aburrá Valley. Revista Colombiana De Entomología, 32(2), 214–220. https://doi.org/10.25100/socolen.v32i2.9391
References

ANDERSEN, A. N. 1997. Using ants as bioindicators: Multiscale issues in ant community ecology. Conservation Ecology. 18 (3): 1-18.

ARMBRECHT, I. 1995. Comparación de la mirmecofauna en fragmentos boscosos del valle geográfico del Río Cauca, Colombia. Boletín de Entomología de la Universidad del Valle 3 (2): 1-14.

ARMBRECHT, I.; CHACÓN-ULLOA, P. 1999. Rareza y diversidad de hormigas en fragmentos de bosque seco colombianos y sus matrices. Biotropica 31 (4): 646-653.

BEGON, M.; HARPER, J.; TOWSEND, C. 1999. Ecología. Individuos, poblaciones y comunidades. Editorial omega, Barcelona, España. 1042 p.

BOLTON, B. 1994. Identification Guide to the Ants Genera of the World. Harvard University Press. Cambridge, Massachusetts, London. 222 p.

BOLTON, B. 2003. Synopsis and classification of Formicidae. Memoirs of the American Entomological Institute. 71: 1370.

BUSTOS, H. J.; ULLOA-CHACÓN, P. 19961997. Mirmecofauna y perturbación en un bosque de niebla neotropical (Reserva natural Hato Viejo, Valle del Cauca, Colombia). Revista de Biología Tropical. 44 (3) y 45 (1): 259-266.

CHAZDON, R. L.; COLWEL, R. K.; DENSLOW, J. S.; GUARIGUATA, M. R. 1998. Statistical methods for estimating species richness of woody regeneration in primary and secondary rain forest of NE Costa Rica, p. 285-309. En: Dallmeier, F.; Comiskey, J. A. (eds.). Forest biodiversity research, monitoring and modeling: conceptual background and old world case studies. Parthenon Publishing. Paris.

COLWELL, R. K. 1998. EstimateS: statistical estimation of species richness and shared species from samples. Version 5. User’s Guide and application. Web site: http:// viceroy. eeb.uconn.edu/estimates Fecha última revisión: 5 agosto 2005. Fecha último acceso: 10 noviembre 2005.

CONTRALORÍA GENERAL DE MEDELLÍN. 1998. Informe del estado de los recursos naturales y del medio ambiente. Impacto de la gestión pública municipal. 281 p.

DINERSTEIN, E.; OLSON, D. M.; GRAHAM, D. J. 1995. A conservation assessment of the terrestrial ecoregions of Latin America and the Caribbean. The world wildlife fund and the world bank. Washington, D.C. 129 p.

ESPINAL, L. S. 1990. Zonas de vida de Colombia. Universidad Nacional de Colombia. Medellín 121 p.

FISHER, B. 1996. Ant diversity patterns along an elevational gradient in the réserve naturelle intégrale d’Andringitra, Madagascar. Fieldiana Zoology (n.s) 85: 93-108.

HÖLLDOBLER, B.; WILSON, E. O. 1990. The Ants. Harvard University press. Cambridge, Massachusetts. 732 p.

KATTAN, G. H.; ALVAREZ, H. 1996. Preservation and management of biodiversity in fragmented landscapes in the Colombian Andes. p. 3-18. En: Schelhas, J.; Greenberg, R. (eds.). Forest patches in tropical landscapes. Island Press. Washington D.C. U.S.A. 426 p.

LONGINO, J. T. 2004. Key to Nesomyrmex and Temnothorax of Costa Rica. Web site: http:// www.evergreen.edu/ants/genera/nesomyrmex/key.html Fecha última revisión: 5 septiembre 2004. Fecha último acceso: 10 noviembre 2005.

LUDWIG, J. A.; REYNOLDS, J. F. 1988. Statistical ecology: a primer of methods and computing. Wiley Press, New York. 337 p.

MACKAY, W. P.; MACKAY, E. E. 1989. Clave de los géneros de hormigas en México. Segundo Simposio Nacional de Insectos Sociales. México. p. 1-82.

MAGURRAN, A. E. 1988. Ecological diversity and its measurement. Princeton university press. Princeton, New Jersey. 178 p.

MAJER, J. D. 1983. Ants: Bio-indicators of minesite rehabilitation, land-use and land conservation. Environmental Management 7 (4): 375-383.

MAJER, J. D.; DELABIE, J. H. 1994. Comparison of the ant communities of annually inundated and terra firme forest at Trombetas in the Brazilian Amazon. Insectes Sociaux. 41: 343-359.

MORRISON, L. W. 1996. The ants. (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Polynesia revisited: species numbers and the importance of sampling intensity. Ecography19: 73-84.

PALACIO, G. E. E. 1998. Clave para los géneros de hormigas de Colombia. Santafé de Bogotá, Sin publicar. 25 p.

RICHARDSON, B.A. 1999. The bromeliad microcosm and the assessment of faunal diversity in a neotropical forest. Biotropica 31 (2): 321-336.

ROTH, D. S.; PERFECTO, I.; RATHCKE, B. 1994. The effects of management systems on ground-foraging ant diversity in Costa Rica. Ecological Applications 4 (3): 423-436.

SAMSON, D. A.; RICKART, E. A.; GONZALES, P. C. 1997. Ant diversity and abundance along an elevational gradient in the Philippines. Biotropica 29 (3): 349-363.

SARMIENTO, C. E. 2000. Comparación de tres clases de transectos para la captura de hormigas en dos formaciones vegetales. Caldasia 22 (2): 327-326.

SCHELHAS, J.; GREENBERG, R. 1996. Forest patches in tropical landscapes. Island Press, Washington D. C. 425 p.

SERNA. F.J. 1999. Hormigas de la zona de influencia del proyecto hidroeléctrico. Porce II. Trabajo de grado de Magíster en Entomología. Universidad Nacional de Colombia. Facultad de Ciencias. Medellín. 250 p.

SHAFER, C. L. 1995. Value and shortcomings of small reserves. Bioscience 45: 80-88.

SHATTUCK, S. O.; BAMETT, N. J. 2001. The guide to the australian ant fauna. Australian ants online. Web site: http:// www.ento.csiro.au Fecha última revisión: 6 febrero 2006. Fecha último acceso: 10 febrero 2006.

TORRES, J. A. 1984. Diversity and distribution of ant communities in Puerto Rico. Biotropica 16 (4): 296-303.

VAHOS, A. 2002. Muestreo de hormigas como indicadoras del grado de perturbación en fragmentos de bosque. Trabajo de grado de ingeniero Agrónomo. Universidad Nacional de Colombia. Facultad de Ciencias Agropecuarias. Medellín. 24 p.

Authors retain the copyright on their work and are responsible for the ideas expressed in them. Once a manuscript is approved for publication, authors are asked for a publication license for the term of legal protection, for all territories that allows the use, dissemination and disclosure of the same.