Forest Succession and Tree Identity Shape Species and Functional Group Richness of Ant Communities in New England
Forest Succession and Tree Identity Shape Species and Functional Group Richness of Ant Communities in New England
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DOI：
10.1656/045.028.0102
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发表时间：
2021-02
影响因子：
0.4
通讯作者：
Maggie Anderson;I. D. Toro
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Maggie Anderson;I. D. Toro
蚂蚁群落是森林土壤生态系统功能的重要组成部分，它们的活动通常会加速森林土壤凋落叶分解和养分循环。在北美东北部，全球气候变化预计会加速森林演替，而这种演替对森林蚂蚁群落的影响仍相对未被探索。本研究旨在通过验证物种能量理论的预测，了解森林演替和生产力对新英格兰蚂蚁群落功能群多样性的影响。我们的研究在马萨诸塞州的哈佛森林进行，在那里我们对蚂蚁进行了局部地面调查，并测量了新英格兰地区主要的4种树种的生产力。研究发现，落叶乔木蚂蚁物种丰富度和功能类群丰富度均显著高于针叶树。物种丰富度与功能类群丰富度高度相关。与物种能量理论相反，我们发现树木生产力与蚂蚁群落组成或功能之间没有很强的相关性。我们的研究结果表明，随着新英格兰森林以落叶树为主，当地自上而下的森林过程可能会影响蚂蚁群落的组成和功能。
Abstract Ant communities are an important component of ecosystem functioning, as ant activities often accelerate leaf-litter decomposition and nutrient cycling in forest soils. In Northeastern North America, global climate change is expected to accelerate forest succession, and the effects of this succession on forest ant communities remain relatively unexplored. This work aims to understand the effects of forest succession and productivity on the functional group diversity of New England ant communities by testing a prediction of species–energy theory. Our study took place at the Harvard Forest, MA, where we conducted localized ground surveys for ants and measured the productivity of 4 tree species dominant in New England. We found that both ant species richness and functional group richness were significantly higher in association with deciduous trees compared to coniferous tree types. Species richness and functional group richness were highly correlated. Contrary to the species–energy theory, we found no strong correlations between tree productivity and ant community composition or function. Our findings indicate that local, top-down forest processes may influence the composition and functioning of ant communities as New England forests become dominated by deciduous trees.