Asian needle ant (Brachyponera chinensis) and woodland ant responses to repeated applications of fuel reduction methods

Ecosphere

Cynthia C. Vigueira¹  Patrick A. Vigueira¹  Joshua W. Campbell²  Steven M. Grodsky³  Oliver Keller⁴  Cathryn H. Greenberg⁵  Dale A. Halbritter⁶ 

[1] Biology Department High Point University One University Parkway High Point North Carolina 27268 USA;Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology Auburn University 301 Funchess Hall Auburn Alabama 36849 USA;Department of Land, Air & Water Resources University of California Davis California 95616 USA;Entomology and Nematology Department University of Florida 1881 Natural Area Drive Gainesville Florida 32611 USA;USDA Forest Service Southern Research Station 1577 Brevard Road Asheville North Carolina 28806 USA;USDA‐ARS Invasive Plant Research Laboratory 3225 College Avenue Fort Lauderdale Florida 33314 USA;

关键词: Asian needle ant;    Formicidae;    fuel reduction;    Prenolepis imparis;    prescribed burns;    understory thinning;   

DOI  :  10.1002/ecs2.2547

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Abstract Ants (Formicidae: Hymenoptera) are important components of forest ecosystems and can be affected by fuel reduction forest management practices. We assessed the impact of repeated applications of fuel reduction treatments on abundance and diversity of ants within upland mixed‐hardwood forests in the Southern Appalachian Mountains in North Carolina, USA. We established three replicate blocks (~56 ha each) and split each block into four fuel reduction treatments, which included prescribed burning (B), mechanical felling (M), a combination of prescribed burning and mechanical felling (MB), and a control (C; i.e., no treatment). We implemented treatments multiple times (two mechanical thinnings and four prescribed burns) over the course of a 15‐yr period. Due to tree mortality and resultant canopy gaps from high‐severity burns, forest structure was dramatically altered in MB. Over a 3‐yr period (2014–2016), we captured 54,219 ants comprised of 23 genera using pitfall and colored pan traps. Prenolepis imparis was the most common ant species collected, and it was significantly lower in abundance in MB than all other treatments. However, the non‐native species Brachyponera chinensis was more abundant in MB than all other treatments. Thus, some fuel reduction treatments may have consequences for invasive ant colonization in forests. Most ant taxa did not differ in abundance among treatments, suggesting that some fuel reduction practices may affect some, but not all ant species. Our results indicate that some fuel reduction treatments can alter forest ant communities, thus contributing to changing forest ecosystem dynamics. Monitoring of ants and other bioindicators after repeated rounds of fuel reduction treatments could provide useful knowledge that can be used to help balance forest management and biological diversity.

【 授权许可】

Unknown