Parasitoids of Acromyrmex (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) Leaf-Cutting Ants in Continuous and Fragmented Atlantic Forest

Sociobiology

Jarbas Marçal de Queiroz²  Luciana Elizalde¹ 

[1] Laboratorio Ecotono, CRUB–Universidad Nacional del Comahue, INIBIOMA–CONICET;Departamento de Ciências Ambientais, Instituto de Florestas, Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro

关键词: habitat fragmentation;    Phoridae;    species richness;    host-parasitoid interactions;    Apocephalus;    Myrmosicarius;   

DOI  :  

来源: Universidade Estadual de Feira de Santana, Brazil

【 摘 要 】

Fragmentation of the habitat is a major threat to biodiversity in Atlantic forest. Parasitoids seem to be particularly susceptible to habitat fragmentation. This study evaluated whether habitat fragmentation affected the interactions between phorid parasitoids and theirAcromyrmexleaf-cutting ant host. Host density, and parasitoid species richness, abundance and proportion of nests with phorids were compared for a fragmented landscape and a well-preserved continuous forest in the Atlantic forest in Rio de Janeiro. FiveAcromyrmexspecies and seven species of phorid parasitoids were found, most of them attacking exclusivelyAcromyrmex niger(Smith). Host nest density was similar in continuous and fragmented forests, and host species density was higher in fragmented forest. Parasitoid species richness, abundance and proportion of ant nests with phorids were higher in the continuous forest. This work showed for the first time the negative effect that forest fragmentation has on parasitoid species ofAcromyrmexants, apparently due to phorid inability to reach fragments. However, even when phorid abundance was considerably reduced in forest fragments, phorids of some species were able to parasitize ants there. In addition, the quantitative interactions amongAcromyrmexants and their parasitoids in Atlantic forest are described for the first time.

【 授权许可】

Unknown