Journal ArticleDOI
Abandonment of grazing in a mediterranean grassland area: consequences for ant assemblages
TLDR
The impact of grazing abandonment on fauna is examined, which in the case of ants is of considerable interest, given their usefulness as an indicator for monitoring environmental change.Abstract:
. 1. Abandonment of traditional activities in the rural areas is widespread in the developed world, and in the case of grazing, it is known to have negative consequences on the diversity of plant communities. Few studies have examined the impact of grazing abandonment on fauna, which in the case of ants is of considerable interest, given their usefulness as an indicator for monitoring environmental change.
2. Here, we present the results of a study conducted in Mediterranean grasslands of central Spain. Using pitfall traps, ants were sampled from 10 40 m× 20 m plots; five of them located in grazed systems and five in abandoned grazing systems. Descriptors used for the ant assemblage were ant species composition, ant species richness, ant functional groups, and subguilds of granivores. We used a seed bait test to discriminate between granivorous and non-granivorous ant species.
3. Our results show that abandoned grazing systems have more ant species and more heterogeneous ant assemblages. Changes in ant species composition and ant functional groups are more pronounced in habitats where woody encroachment progresses more rapidly (i.e. dry sectors and tree islands). Specialised granivores have reduced importance in the same habitat types. Conversely, facultative granivores increase their presence in abandoned grazing systems.
4. The increased functional and species ant diversity observed with grazing abandonment can be explained by the generation of a more heterogeneous environment at the smaller scales, in spite of being more homogenous at the larger scales, because the latter are less significant for the organisms studied.read more
Citations
More filters
Journal ArticleDOI
Effects of large herbivores on grassland arthropod diversity
R. van Klink,F. van der Plas,C. G. E. van Noordwijk,C. G. E. van Noordwijk,Michiel F. WallisDeVries,Michiel F. WallisDeVries,Han Olff +6 more
TL;DR: It is concluded that large herbivores can only increase arthropod diversity if they cause an increase in (a)biotic heterogeneity, and then only if this increase is large enough to compensate for the loss of total resource abundance and the increased mortality rate.
Journal ArticleDOI
Bird communities in traditional wood-pastures with changing management in Eastern Europe
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors investigated the ecological value of wood-pastures for passerine birds by comparing bird assemblages of woodpastures with those of closed forests and open pastures.
Journal ArticleDOI
Effects of land use on taxonomic and functional diversity: a cross-taxon analysis in a Mediterranean landscape.
Violeta Hevia,Carlos P. Carmona,Carlos P. Carmona,Francisco M. Azcárate,Mario Torralba,Paloma Alcorlo,Rubén Ariño,Jorge Lozano,Sara Castro-Cobo,José Antonio Torres González +9 more
TL;DR: The relationship of land use with taxonomic diversity and functional diversity is highly complex and context-dependent and it is found that TD and FD did not vary consistently, but rather followed different trajectories that largely depended on the biotic group and the intensity of land-use transformation.
Journal ArticleDOI
Shrub encroachment alters composition and diversity of ant communities in abandoned grasslands of western Carpathians
TL;DR: Although the epigaeic activity and composition of ant communities varied with region, abandoned grasslands supported a greater species richness of ants than managed grasslands regardless of the region, and especially so in more advanced shrub encroachment stages.
Journal ArticleDOI
Land use changes and ground dwelling beetle conservation in extensive grazing dehesa systems of north-west Spain
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors investigated the effects of land use changes on ground dwelling beetles (carabids and staphylinids) as model organisms by comparing traditionally grazed, long-time abandoned and newly cleared dehesas.
References
More filters
Journal ArticleDOI
Modulation of Diversity by Grazing and Mowing in Native Tallgrass Prairie
Scott L. Collins,Scott L. Collins,Scott L. Collins,Alan K. Knapp,Alan K. Knapp,Alan K. Knapp,John M. Briggs,John M. Briggs,John M. Briggs,John M. Blair,John M. Blair,John M. Blair,Ernest M. Steinauer,Ernest M. Steinauer,Ernest M. Steinauer +14 more
TL;DR: Mowing or the reestablishment of grazing in anthropogenically stressed grasslands enhanced biodiversity, particularly on burned and fertilized treatments.
Journal ArticleDOI
Ant biodiversity and its relationship to ecosystem functioning: a review
TL;DR: The role of ants in ecosystems is discussed in this article, mainly from the perspective of the effects of ground-dwelling ants on soil processes and function, emphasizing their role as ecosystem engineers.
Journal ArticleDOI
Human population growth and global land-use/cover change
William B. Meyer,Billie Turner +1 more
TL;DR: Land use change contributes to both kinds of global change: to such systemic changes as trace-gas accumulation and to such cumulative or patchwork impacts as biodiversity loss, soil degradation, and hydrological change.
Journal ArticleDOI
A classification of Australian ant communities, based on functional groups which parallel plant life-forms in relation to stress and disturbance.
TL;DR: In this article, the distribution of ant functional groups is considered in relation to stress and disturbance by adopting Grime's (1979) triangular ordination concepts and nomenclature, with ant community structural types being analysed in terms of the relative importance of competition, stress, and disturbance as factors regulating community structure.
Journal ArticleDOI
Functional groups and patterns of organization in North American ant communities: a comparison with Australia
TL;DR: Ant distribution and behavioural dominance is examined at nine sites along an elevational gradient in south eastern Arizona in order to classify North American species according to a functional group scheme used extensively in Australia, and for comparing community structure between Australia and North America.