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