Scavenging ant foraging behavior and variation in the scale of nutrient redistribution among semi-arid grasslands
Scavenging ant foraging behavior and variation in the scale of nutrient redistribution among semi-arid grasslands
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DOI：
10.1006/jare.2002.1044
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发表时间：
2003-03-01
影响因子：
2.7
通讯作者：
Wiens, JA
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Bestelmeyer, BT;Wiens, JA
蚂蚁对节肢动物腐肉的清除是草地养分再分配的重要机制。通过在不同大小的区域内将材料移到巢穴中，食腐蚁可能会导致生态系统斑块的差异。我们问三个沙漠/草原长期生态研究站点之间的整体蚂蚁觅食活动的变化如何产生差异的距离，清除材料横向重新分布。一般来说，大型工蜂和嗜热性物种移走诱饵最远。总的来说，这导致了去除距离和蒸汽压赤字之间的正相关关系。所有蚂蚁的平均移动距离增加短草草原的奇瓦瓦沙漠草原，创造了7倍的蚂蚁营养浓度的空间尺度的变化。与生态系统研究中强调的收获蚁相比，创造这种模式的优势物种并不引人注目，也鲜为人知。(C)2002年爱思唯尔科学有限公司
The scavenging of arthropod carrion by ants can be an important mechanism of nutrient redistribution in grasslands. By removing materials to nests over different sized areas, scavenging ants may contribute to differences in ecosystem patchiness. We asked how variation in overall ant foraging activity among three desert/grassland Long-Term Ecological Research sites creates differences in the distances that scavenged material is laterally redistributed. Generally, species with large-bodied workers and thermophilic species removed baits the farthest. Overall, this resulted in a positive relationship between removal distance and vapor pressure deficit. Mean removal distance across all ants increased from the shortgrass steppe to the Chihuahuan desert grassland, creating a seven-fold variation in the spatial scale of nutrient concentration by ants. The dominant species creating this pattern are inconspicuous and little-known when compared to the harvester ants that have been emphasized in ecosystem studies. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd.