Ant Communities Are Structured by Patch and Landscape Level Factors

UNCP Author/Contributor (non-UNCP co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
Dr. Kaitlin Campbell, Assistant Professor (Creator)
Institution
The University of North Carolina at Pembroke (UNCP )
Web Site: http://www.uncp.edu/academics/library

Abstract: Landowners and conservation groups are converting marginal agricultural land to semi-natural habitats, such as conservation grasslands. Dr. Thomas Crist and I studied ant communities in 23 conservation grasslands that differed in area, time since planting, plant community, soils, management, and surrounding landscape. The goals of this study were to differentiate patch and surrounding landscape effects on the grassland ant species composition and diversity. Our results suggest that ant communities are primarily influenced by habitat age, but soil, management, and surrounding land use have differential effects on individual species frequencies. These findings support a greater use of ants as environmental indicators at the patch and landscape level.

Additional Information

Publication
UNCP Research and Creativity Showcase
Language: English
Date: 2017
Keywords
Ant Communities, Agro-Ecosystems, Community Assembly, Conservation Reserve Program, Semi-Natural Habitats, Conservation Grasslands, Landscape Level Factors, Landscape Ecology, Prairie, Restoration Ecology, Habitat Age, Species Frequencies, Faculty Research, Poster Presentations, University of North Carolina at Pembroke

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