Eur. J. Entomol. 115: 562-574, 2018 | DOI: 10.14411/eje.2018.054

Effect of pine reforestation associated with soil disturbance on ant assemblages (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in a semiarid steppeOriginal article

Chema CATARINEU1, Joaquín REYES-LÓPEZ2, Joan A. HERRAIZ3, Gonzalo G. BARBERÁ4
1 Asociación de Naturalistas del Sureste (ANSE), Galdo 11, 30002 Murcia, Spain; e-mail: chema@asociacionanse.org
2 Área de Ecología, Universidad de Córdoba, Edificio C-4, Celestino Mutis, Campus de Rabanales, 14071 Córdoba, Spain; e-mail: cc0reloj@uco.es
3 Asociación Ibérica de Mirmecología (AIM), Facultat de Ciències de la Universitat de Girona, Campus de Montilivi s/n, 17003 Girona, Spain; e-mail: joanaleixherraiz@gmail.com
4 Department of Soil and Water Conservation, CSIC-CEBAS, Campus Universitario de Espinardo, Espinardo, 30100 Murcia, Spain; e-mail: gbarbera@cebas.csic.es

Soil and changes in vegetation may affect ant assemblages, but the relative importance of each in different habitats is not well characterized. In particular, information on the effects of ecological restoration on arthropods is scarce. It was decided, therefore, to study how reforestation may affect an ant assemblage. Ants were sampled in area that had been reforested and adjacent grassland using pitfall traps. Soil surface and vegetation were characterized. The disturbance of the vegetation caused by reforestation resulted in a decrease in the cover of Stipa tenacissima and Cistaceae and an increase in the cover of pine. The mechanical preparation of the site also resulted in changes in the soil surface, with an increase in the cover of stones and rocks. Ant species richness and abundance were greater at the reforested site than in the grassland and more species showed a positive than a negative response to reforestation. The underlying causes of this pattern are mainly related to changes in vegetation and structure of the soil surface and are associated with the increase in the cover of pine, which most probably provided additional food resources, and the greater cover of stones and rocks that provided more shelter for the ant assemblage.

Keywords: Formicidae, interspecific competition, Mechanical Site Preparation, nest site availability, pine reforestation, soil disturbance, species richness, vegetation changes

Received: February 24, 2018; Revised: August 17, 2018; Accepted: August 17, 2018; Published online: October 12, 2018  Show citation

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CATARINEU, C., REYES-LÓPEZ, J., HERRAIZ, J.A., & BARBERÁ, G.G. (2018). Effect of pine reforestation associated with soil disturbance on ant assemblages (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in a semiarid steppe. EJE, 115, Article 562-574. https://doi.org/10.14411/eje.2018.054
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