INVESTIGADORES
FARJI-BRENER Alejandro Gustavo
artículos
Título:
Act locally, think globally. Ant studies in Argentina in the context of ecological theory
Autor/es:
ALEJANDRO GUSTAVO FARJI BRENER; PIRK, GABRIELA; ELIZALDE, LUCIANA; WERENKRAUT, VICTORIA; BUTELER; ALMA, ANDREA MARINA
Revista:
Ecología Austral
Editorial:
ASAE
Referencias:
Lugar: Buenos Aires; Año: 2022
ISSN:
1667-7838
Resumen:
Building and testing general principles is key to accelerate scientific progress. Here, we reviewthe studies performed in Argentina in which ants were used as model organisms, in the context of ecologicaltheories, hypotheses and concepts. Specifically, we focus on ant studies performed under the conceptualframeworks of ecological engineering, indirect interactions, seed dispersal, community assembly rules,biological invasions and integrated pest management. Those studies contributed to 1) supporting the conceptof ecological engineers through the study of the physical changes in the environment caused by ants throughthe building and maintenance of their nests, and their consequences on other organisms such as soil biota, plantsand herbivores; 2) questioning the convergence hypothesis, which proposes that independently assembledcommunities in similar, but geographically distant habitats converge in composition and functioning undersimilar environmental pressures; 3) showing that directed seed dispersal is an important process to increaseplant performance in desert ecosystems; 4) understanding the type of control which prevails in communities(top-down or bo􀄴om-up); 5) emphasizing the relevance of indirect interactions in the structure and functioning ofecosystems with examples of trophic cascades, indirect facilitation, exploitative competition and trait-mediatedeffects; 6) a be􀄴er understanding of the causes of success or failure of biological invasions, via the study ofthe behavioral and demographic characteristics of invasive ant species in their native area, and the role ofbiotic resistance and mutualism facilitation; and 7) exploring the concept of integrated pest managementvia the study of the use of natural enemies, repellents and a􀄴ractants, and the knowledge about the feedingand foraging behavior of pests. This body of work reinforces the key role of ants as model organisms to testecological hypotheses and highlights the importance of using conceptual frameworks as guidance to be􀄴erunderstand the complexity of natural systems.