Effect of harvester ants of the genus Pogonomyrmex on the soil seed bank around their nests in the central Monte desert, Argentina

1. The abundance and composition of soil seed banks is a key determinant of plant community structure. Harvester ants can remove huge quantities of preferred seeds close to the nest affecting composition and spatial distribution of plants. 2. In the central Monte desert (Argentina) ants of the genus...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Pirk, G.I., De Casenave, J.L.
Formato: JOUR
Materias:
Argentina
Community ecology
Granivory
Pogonomyrmex
Top-down effects
abundance
ant
community composition
foraging behavior
grass
heterogeneity
recruitment (population dynamics)
seed bank
spatiotemporal analysis
vegetation dynamics
Mendoza
Monte Desert
Formicidae
Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12110/paper_03076946_v39_n5_p610_Pirk
Aporte de:
Biblioteca Digital - Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales (UBA) de Universidad de Buenos Aires
id todo:paper_03076946_v39_n5_p610_Pirk
record_format dspace
spelling todo:paper_03076946_v39_n5_p610_Pirk2023-10-03T15:22:39Z Effect of harvester ants of the genus Pogonomyrmex on the soil seed bank around their nests in the central Monte desert, Argentina Pirk, G.I. De Casenave, J.L. Argentina Community ecology Granivory Pogonomyrmex Top-down effects abundance ant community composition foraging behavior grass heterogeneity recruitment (population dynamics) seed bank spatiotemporal analysis vegetation dynamics Argentina Argentina Mendoza Monte Desert Formicidae Pogonomyrmex 1. The abundance and composition of soil seed banks is a key determinant of plant community structure. Harvester ants can remove huge quantities of preferred seeds close to the nest affecting composition and spatial distribution of plants. 2. In the central Monte desert (Argentina) ants of the genus Pogonomyrmex have high seed removal rates, especially of the five main grasses. The aim of this study was to establish if their foraging activity affects spatial patterns of the soil seed bank around their nests. Our hypotheses were: (1) removal by ants decreases seed abundance of preferred species in the soil; and (2) the effect varies in time. 3. Soil seed abundance was assessed at different distances from Pogonomyrmex nests in the litter and in bare soil at the beginning, the middle, and the end of the season (late spring-early autumn). 4. A lower seed abundance of preferred species was observed close to the nest in the litter at the end of the season. Non-preferred species showed no distance gradient. 5. The lower foraging activity and seed consumption at the beginning of the season could explain the temporal variation of the spatial effect. This was only observed in the litter, probably because of the higher removal frequency in this substrate. 6. Colonies of Pogonomyrmex spp. could enhance the heterogeneity of soil seed banks in the centralMonte desert from the summer to the beginning of the autumn. Implications for vegetation dynamics depend on the degree to which seed density limits perennial grasses recruitment after ant activity season. © 2014 The Royal Entomological Society. Fil:Pirk, G.I. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; Argentina. JOUR info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/ar http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12110/paper_03076946_v39_n5_p610_Pirk
institution Universidad de Buenos Aires
institution_str I-28
repository_str R-134
collection Biblioteca Digital - Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales (UBA)
topic Argentina
Community ecology
Granivory
Pogonomyrmex
Top-down effects
abundance
ant
community composition
foraging behavior
grass
heterogeneity
recruitment (population dynamics)
seed bank
spatiotemporal analysis
vegetation dynamics
Argentina
Argentina
Mendoza
Monte Desert
Formicidae
Pogonomyrmex
spellingShingle Argentina
Community ecology
Granivory
Pogonomyrmex
Top-down effects
abundance
ant
community composition
foraging behavior
grass
heterogeneity
recruitment (population dynamics)
seed bank
spatiotemporal analysis
vegetation dynamics
Argentina
Argentina
Mendoza
Monte Desert
Formicidae
Pogonomyrmex
Pirk, G.I.
De Casenave, J.L.
Effect of harvester ants of the genus Pogonomyrmex on the soil seed bank around their nests in the central Monte desert, Argentina
topic_facet Argentina
Community ecology
Granivory
Pogonomyrmex
Top-down effects
abundance
ant
community composition
foraging behavior
grass
heterogeneity
recruitment (population dynamics)
seed bank
spatiotemporal analysis
vegetation dynamics
Argentina
Argentina
Mendoza
Monte Desert
Formicidae
Pogonomyrmex
description 1. The abundance and composition of soil seed banks is a key determinant of plant community structure. Harvester ants can remove huge quantities of preferred seeds close to the nest affecting composition and spatial distribution of plants. 2. In the central Monte desert (Argentina) ants of the genus Pogonomyrmex have high seed removal rates, especially of the five main grasses. The aim of this study was to establish if their foraging activity affects spatial patterns of the soil seed bank around their nests. Our hypotheses were: (1) removal by ants decreases seed abundance of preferred species in the soil; and (2) the effect varies in time. 3. Soil seed abundance was assessed at different distances from Pogonomyrmex nests in the litter and in bare soil at the beginning, the middle, and the end of the season (late spring-early autumn). 4. A lower seed abundance of preferred species was observed close to the nest in the litter at the end of the season. Non-preferred species showed no distance gradient. 5. The lower foraging activity and seed consumption at the beginning of the season could explain the temporal variation of the spatial effect. This was only observed in the litter, probably because of the higher removal frequency in this substrate. 6. Colonies of Pogonomyrmex spp. could enhance the heterogeneity of soil seed banks in the centralMonte desert from the summer to the beginning of the autumn. Implications for vegetation dynamics depend on the degree to which seed density limits perennial grasses recruitment after ant activity season. © 2014 The Royal Entomological Society.
format JOUR
author Pirk, G.I.
De Casenave, J.L.
author_facet Pirk, G.I.
De Casenave, J.L.
author_sort Pirk, G.I.
title Effect of harvester ants of the genus Pogonomyrmex on the soil seed bank around their nests in the central Monte desert, Argentina
title_short Effect of harvester ants of the genus Pogonomyrmex on the soil seed bank around their nests in the central Monte desert, Argentina
title_full Effect of harvester ants of the genus Pogonomyrmex on the soil seed bank around their nests in the central Monte desert, Argentina
title_fullStr Effect of harvester ants of the genus Pogonomyrmex on the soil seed bank around their nests in the central Monte desert, Argentina
title_full_unstemmed Effect of harvester ants of the genus Pogonomyrmex on the soil seed bank around their nests in the central Monte desert, Argentina
title_sort effect of harvester ants of the genus pogonomyrmex on the soil seed bank around their nests in the central monte desert, argentina
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12110/paper_03076946_v39_n5_p610_Pirk
work_keys_str_mv AT pirkgi effectofharvesterantsofthegenuspogonomyrmexonthesoilseedbankaroundtheirnestsinthecentralmontedesertargentina
AT decasenavejl effectofharvesterantsofthegenuspogonomyrmexonthesoilseedbankaroundtheirnestsinthecentralmontedesertargentina
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