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Arboreal ant colonies as hot-points of cryptic diversity for myrmecophiles : the weaver ant camponotus sp. aff. textor and its interaction network with its associates
Gabriela Pérez Lachaud
Jean Paul Lachaud
Acceso Abierto
Atribución-NoComercial-SinDerivadas
Hormigas;Parasitoides;Horismenus myrmecophagus;Pseudochalcura americana
Ants;Parasitoids;Horismenus myrmecophagus;Pseudochalcura americana
Resumen en inglés: "Introduction: Systematic surveys of macrofaunal diversity within ant colonies are lacking, particularly for ants nesting in microhabitats that are difficult to sample. Species associated with ants are generally small and rarely collected organisms, which makes them more likely to be unnoticed. We assumed that this tendency is greater for arthropod communities in microhabitats with low accessibility, such as those found in the nests of arboreal ants that may constitute a source of cryptic biodiversity. Materials and Methods: We investigated the invertebrate diversity associated with an undescribed, but already threatened, Neotropical Camponotus weaver ant. As most of the common sampling methods used in studies of ant diversity are not suited for evaluating myrmecophile diversity within ant nests, we evaluated the macrofauna within ant nests through exhaustive colony sampling of three nests and examination of more than 80,000 individuals. Results: We identified invertebrates from three classes belonging to 18 taxa, some of which were new to science, and recorded the first instance of the co-occurrence of two brood parasitoid wasp families attacking the same ant host colony. This diversity of ant associates corresponded to a highly complex interaction network. Agonistic interactions prevailed, but the prevalence of myrmecophiles was remarkably low. Conclusions: Our data support the hypothesis of the evolution of low virulence in a variety of symbionts associated with large insect societies. Because most myrmecophiles found in this work are rare, strictly specific, and exhibit highly specialized biology, the risk of extinction for these hitherto unknown invertebrates and their natural enemies is high. The cryptic, far unappreciated diversity within arboreal ant nests in areas at high risk of habitat loss qualifies these nests as ‘hotpoints’ of biodiversity that urgently require special attention as a component of conservation and management programs. "
2014
Artículo
PLoS ONE. Vol. 9, no. 6, e100155 (June 2014), p. 1-8. ISSN: 1932-6203
Inglés
Público en general
CIENCIAS DE LA VIDA
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