INVESTIGADORES
RUGGIERO Adriana
artículos
Título:
The spatial variation in ant species composition and functional groups across the Subantarctic-Patagonian transition zone
Autor/es:
FERGNANI, PAULA N.; SACKMANN, PAULA; RUGGIERO, ADRIANA
Revista:
JOURNAL OF INSECT CONSERVATION
Editorial:
SPRINGER
Referencias:
Lugar: Berlin; Año: 2013 vol. 17 p. 295 - 305
ISSN:
1366-638X
Resumen:
Abstract The role of ecotones in the maintenance of
species diversity is rather controversial; they may represent
either biodiversity hotspots with unique and rare forms, or
be transitional areas that hold marginal populations of
species. We analyse the taxonomic and functional composition
of ant species assemblages across the Subantarctic-
Patagonian transition to evaluate the role that transitional
shrublands may play in the maintenance of the taxonomic
and functional differentiation. We collected ants using 450
pitfall traps within a *150 9 150 km area. Species were
classified into functional groups in relation to stress and
disturbance, and in foraging groups according to their
foraging behavior. An indicator value for each species in
each habitat was calculated. The steppes and the forests
strongly differed in ant species and functional composition.
Climatic effects combined with structural components of
plant environment explained about 2327 % of the variation
in ant composition. The shrublands did not show a
distinctive fauna, and show greater similarity in ant species
composition and in the proportional occupancy of functional
groups to the steppes than to the forests. They harbor
neither rare nor indicator species, except for Lasiophanes
valdiviensis, and thus this reinforces the idea that they are
not a habitat source of species, but an area of encounter
between two distinct forest- and steppe- ant faunas, where a