Act locally, think globally. Ant studies in Argentina in the context of ecological theory.

FARJI-BRENER, ALEJANDRO G.; PIRK, GABRIELA I.; LESCANO, MARÍA NATALIA; ELIZALDE, LUCIANA; WERENKRAUT, VICTORIA; BUTELER MICAELA; ALMA ANDREA MARINA; ORTIZ, DANIELA; DEVEGILI ANDRES

ECOLOGÍA AUSTRAL

ASOCIACIÓN ARGENTINA DE ECOLOGÍA

Lugar: Buenos Aires; Año: 2022

0327-5477

Buildingand testing general principles is key to accelerate scientificprogress. To this end, scientists observe and experiment with varioustypes of organisms. Here we review the studies performed in Argentinawhere ants were used as model organisms in the context of ecologicaltheories, hypotheses, and concepts. Specifically, we focus on antstudies performed under the conceptual frameworks of ecologicalengineering, indirect interactions, seed dispersal, communityassembly rules, biological invasions and integrated pest management.Those studies have contributed to: (1) supporting the concept ofecological engineers through the study of the physical changes on theenvironment caused by ants through the building and maintenance oftheir nests, and their consequences on other organisms such as soilbiota, plants and herbivores; (2) questioning the convergencehypothesis, which proposes that independently assembled communitiesin similar but geographically distant habitats converge incomposition and functioning under similar environmental pressures;(3) showing that directed seed dispersal is an important process toincrease plant performance in desert ecosystems; (4) understandingthe type of control which prevails in communities (top-down andbottom-up); (5) emphasizing the relevance of indirect interactions inthe structure and functioning of ecosystems with examples of trophiccascades, indirect facilitation, exploitative competition, andtrait-mediated effects; (6) a better understanding of the causes ofsuccess or failure of biological invasions, via the study of thebehavioral and demographic characteristics of invasive ant species intheir native area, and the role of biotic resistance and mutualismfacilitation; and (7) exploring the concept of Integrated PestManagement via the study of the use of natural enemies, repellentsand attractants, and the knowledge about the feeding and foragingbehavior of pests. This body of work reinforces the key role of antsas model organisms to test ecological hypotheses, and highlights theimportance of using conceptual frameworks as guidance to betterunderstand the complexity of natural systems.