Ant Foraging As an Indicator of Tropical Dry Forest Restoration
Ant Foraging As an Indicator of Tropical Dry Forest Restoration
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蚂蚁觅食作为热带干旱森林恢复的指标
DOI：
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发表时间：
2016
影响因子：
1.7
通讯作者：
C. Martínez
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
J. Hernández;M. Osorio;C. Martínez
摘要 觅食行为的变化可能表明食物供应的差异，并允许评估恢复行动。蚂蚁是用于评估对干扰的生态反应的重要生物指示剂。然而，行为数据并没有很好地纳入索引。对红收割蚁的觅食性能进行了量化，以评估墨西哥中部莫雷洛斯州 Sierra de Huautla 热带干燥森林恢复生态实验的成功。在高度退化的生物群落中，作为恢复实验的一部分，排除了牛放牧和木材收获的 6 和 8 年之后，食粮 Pogonomyrmex barbatus 蚂蚁的觅食性能下降。尽管在觅食上投入了更多的时间，但排除地块中的蚁群与对照地块中的蚁群相比，其觅食成功率较低，并且获得的种子生物量也较少。与最佳觅食理论的预测一致，在蚂蚁觅食表现较差的恢复地块中，蚂蚁收获了更高多样性的种子。排除地块中觅食成功率的降低和非首选食物收获的增加可能是由于草本植被的生长阻碍了觅食者的出行。此外，到排除 8 年时，排除地块中 37% 的巢穴已经消失，而对照地块中的巢穴则为 0%。由于恢复干预引发的植物演替过程，蚂蚁的觅食成功和行为对栖息地质量的变化很敏感。本研究重点关注动物觅食行为在栖息地恢复计划评估中的效用。
Abstract Variation in foraging behavior may indicate differences in food availability and allow assessment of restoration actions. Ants are prominent bioindicators used in assessing ecological responses to disturbance. However, behavioral data have been poorly incorporated as an index. The foraging performance of red harvester ants was quantified in order to evaluate the success of a restoration ecology experiment in the tropical dry forest of Sierra de Huautla, Morelos, in central Mexico. Foraging performance by granivorous, Pogonomyrmex barbatus, ants was diminished after 6 and 8 years of cattle grazing and wood harvest were excluded as part of a restoration experiment in a highly degraded biome. Despite investing more time in foraging, ant colonies in exclusion plots showed lower foraging success and acquired less seed biomass than colonies in control plots. In line with the predictions of optimal foraging theory, in restored plots where ant foraging performance was poor, ants harvested a higher diversity of seeds. Reduced foraging success and increased harvest of non-preferred foods in exclusion plots were likely due to the growth of herbaceous vegetation, which impedes travel by foragers. Moreover, by 8 years of exclusion, 37% of nests in exclusion plots had disappeared compared to 0% of nests in control plots. Ants' foraging success and behavior were sensitive to changes in habitat quality due to the plant successional process triggered by a restoration intervention. This study spotlights on the utility of animal foraging behavior in the evaluation of habitat restoration programs.