Ecological and evolutionary impacts of ecosystem engineering: Wood-boring beetles, arboreal ants, and trophic interactions in Brazilian cerrado

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This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).Some organisms have impacts on the ecosystems in which they live that are much greater than would be expected based on their abundance or biomass. The goal of this study is to understand the influence of wood-boring beetles on associated ant species that live in the cavities made by those beetles, and also quantify the effect of those ants on their insect prey and the plants upon which they live. The study will be conducted in the savannah region of Brazil, where insect and plant diversity are high, but the tree canopy is sufficiently low to the ground that manipulations can be carried out at the tree level. Experimental and observational studies will be conducted to determine (1) the impact of tree size and density on the relationship between wood-boring beetles, cavity-nesting ants, their prey, and the plants on which they live, (2) the impact of variability in cavity size on these relationships, and (3) how wood-boring beetles have influenced the evolution of the ants, which depend on beetle-produced cavities for shelter and rearing their offspring. This study will provide unique information about the relationship between animals that modify their environment, in this case the beetles, and those that are influenced by such modification. By clarifying the mechanistic basis for how one species influences the number of other kinds of animals in the environment, the study will provide important insight into how species are maintained in complex natural systems. The proposed project will provide unique summer research opportunities for three undergraduates, targeting females and underrepresented minorities, and highly valuable training for a postdoctoral researcher. The project will also foster strong international collaboration and help solidify a lasting USA-Brazilian institutional link.