Determinants of local ant (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) species richness and activity density across Europe
(2009) In Ecological Entomology 34(6). p.748-754- Abstract
- 1. Species richness is influenced by local habitat features and large-scale climatic gradients. Usually, both influences are studied in isolation because of the divergent spatial scales at which they occur. Here, we compared the influence of large-scale climate and local habitat type on European ants using a continent-wide, standardised sampling programme. 2. We investigated species richness and activity density from pitfall traps distributed over four habitat types at 17 locations from northern Sweden to Spain and Greece. Species richness and activity density were analysed with respect to ambient energy [equilibrium evapotranspiration (EET)] and productive energy (net primary productivity). Furthermore, we compared ant richness and... (More)
- 1. Species richness is influenced by local habitat features and large-scale climatic gradients. Usually, both influences are studied in isolation because of the divergent spatial scales at which they occur. Here, we compared the influence of large-scale climate and local habitat type on European ants using a continent-wide, standardised sampling programme. 2. We investigated species richness and activity density from pitfall traps distributed over four habitat types at 17 locations from northern Sweden to Spain and Greece. Species richness and activity density were analysed with respect to ambient energy [equilibrium evapotranspiration (EET)] and productive energy (net primary productivity). Furthermore, we compared ant richness and activity density between the four habitat types: arable land, scrubland, grassland, and forest. 3. Species richness and activity density of ants increased with equilibrium evapotranspiration (EET), explaining 30.2% of the total variation in species richness and 24.2% of activity density. Habitat type explained an additional 19.2% of the variation in species richness and 20.2% of activity density, and was not related to productivity. Species richness and activity density were highest in scrubland and significantly lower in forest and (marginally significant) in arable land. 4. The increase in EET and the decrease in forest confirms the pronounced thermophily of ants, whereas the decrease in arable land is probably caused by soil disturbance. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/1520761
- author
- Kumschick, Sabrina ; Schmidt-Entling, Martin H. ; Bacher, Sven ; Hickler, Thomas LU ; Espadaler, Xavier and Nentwig, Wolfgang
- organization
- publishing date
- 2009
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- habitat type, productivity, hypothesis, equilibrium evapotranspiration, gradient, diversity, disturbance, Ambient energy hypothesis, biodiversity
- in
- Ecological Entomology
- volume
- 34
- issue
- 6
- pages
- 748 - 754
- publisher
- Wiley-Blackwell
- external identifiers
-
- wos:000271495700011
- scopus:70449442542
- ISSN
- 1365-2311
- DOI
- 10.1111/j.1365-2311.2009.01127.x
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- eb3c8566-6947-4349-aa1f-b6738a91a3a5 (old id 1520761)
- date added to LUP
- 2016-04-01 12:36:39
- date last changed
- 2022-01-27 07:28:21
@article{eb3c8566-6947-4349-aa1f-b6738a91a3a5,
abstract = {{1. Species richness is influenced by local habitat features and large-scale climatic gradients. Usually, both influences are studied in isolation because of the divergent spatial scales at which they occur. Here, we compared the influence of large-scale climate and local habitat type on European ants using a continent-wide, standardised sampling programme. 2. We investigated species richness and activity density from pitfall traps distributed over four habitat types at 17 locations from northern Sweden to Spain and Greece. Species richness and activity density were analysed with respect to ambient energy [equilibrium evapotranspiration (EET)] and productive energy (net primary productivity). Furthermore, we compared ant richness and activity density between the four habitat types: arable land, scrubland, grassland, and forest. 3. Species richness and activity density of ants increased with equilibrium evapotranspiration (EET), explaining 30.2% of the total variation in species richness and 24.2% of activity density. Habitat type explained an additional 19.2% of the variation in species richness and 20.2% of activity density, and was not related to productivity. Species richness and activity density were highest in scrubland and significantly lower in forest and (marginally significant) in arable land. 4. The increase in EET and the decrease in forest confirms the pronounced thermophily of ants, whereas the decrease in arable land is probably caused by soil disturbance.}},
author = {{Kumschick, Sabrina and Schmidt-Entling, Martin H. and Bacher, Sven and Hickler, Thomas and Espadaler, Xavier and Nentwig, Wolfgang}},
issn = {{1365-2311}},
keywords = {{habitat type; productivity; hypothesis; equilibrium evapotranspiration; gradient; diversity; disturbance; Ambient energy hypothesis; biodiversity}},
language = {{eng}},
number = {{6}},
pages = {{748--754}},
publisher = {{Wiley-Blackwell}},
series = {{Ecological Entomology}},
title = {{Determinants of local ant (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) species richness and activity density across Europe}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2311.2009.01127.x}},
doi = {{10.1111/j.1365-2311.2009.01127.x}},
volume = {{34}},
year = {{2009}},
}