Inflorescences of the Bromeliad Vriesea friburgensis as Nest Sites and Food Resources for Ants and Other Arthropods in Brazil
For the first time, the usage of bromeliad inflorescences as nesting sites for ants and other arthropods was studied. Frequencies of occurrence of nests were recorded from hollow stems of dried infructescences of the bromeliad Vriesea friburgensis on Santa Catarina Island, southern Brazil. Three hab...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Wiley
2014-01-01
|
| Series: | Psyche: A Journal of Entomology |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2014/396095 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1832562842290618368 |
|---|---|
| author | Volker S. Schmid Simone Langner Josefina Steiner Anne Zillikens |
| author_facet | Volker S. Schmid Simone Langner Josefina Steiner Anne Zillikens |
| author_sort | Volker S. Schmid |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | For the first time, the usage of bromeliad inflorescences as nesting sites for ants and other arthropods was studied. Frequencies of occurrence of nests were recorded from hollow stems of dried infructescences of the bromeliad Vriesea friburgensis on Santa Catarina Island, southern Brazil. Three habitat types were studied: miconietum and two types of restinga, one with low (restinga-low) and one with high vegetation cover (restinga-high). Additionally, flower visitation by ants was examined in restinga-low. Out of 619 infructescences, 33% contained nests. Ants were the most frequent occupants (82–96% of nests), followed by termites (3–18%) and bees (0–0.6%). Species accumulation curves and diversity indices indicate that the diversity of stem-occupying ant species is highest in restinga-low (eight species observed, 18 predicted) and lowest in restinga-high (four observed and predicted). Highest similarity of compositions of infructescence-inhabiting ant species was recorded between miconietum and restinga-high, lowest between restinga-low and restinga-high. Similarity between compositions of inflorescence-visiting and infructescence-inhabiting species in restinga-low was even higher (compared with the cases described in the previous sentence) although 50% of the involved species were present in only one of the samples. Altogether, our results indicate that inflorescences are important resources for ants and other nest-building insects from flowering season to past-fruiting season. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-cc21dd6aa15d4375bc5fc872ce47e04c |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 0033-2615 1687-7438 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2014-01-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Psyche: A Journal of Entomology |
| spelling | doaj-art-cc21dd6aa15d4375bc5fc872ce47e04c2025-02-03T01:21:39ZengWileyPsyche: A Journal of Entomology0033-26151687-74382014-01-01201410.1155/2014/396095396095Inflorescences of the Bromeliad Vriesea friburgensis as Nest Sites and Food Resources for Ants and Other Arthropods in BrazilVolker S. Schmid0Simone Langner1Josefina Steiner2Anne Zillikens3Department of Evolution, Behavior and Genetics, University of Regensburg, 93040 Regensburg, GermanyJustus-Liebig-Universität Gießen, Karl-Glöckner-Straße 21 C, 35394 Gießen, GermanyDepartamento de Biologia Celular, Embriologia e Genética, CCB, Campus Universitário Trindade, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, 88040-900 Florianópolis, SC, BrazilDepartamento de Biologia Celular, Embriologia e Genética, CCB, Campus Universitário Trindade, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, 88040-900 Florianópolis, SC, BrazilFor the first time, the usage of bromeliad inflorescences as nesting sites for ants and other arthropods was studied. Frequencies of occurrence of nests were recorded from hollow stems of dried infructescences of the bromeliad Vriesea friburgensis on Santa Catarina Island, southern Brazil. Three habitat types were studied: miconietum and two types of restinga, one with low (restinga-low) and one with high vegetation cover (restinga-high). Additionally, flower visitation by ants was examined in restinga-low. Out of 619 infructescences, 33% contained nests. Ants were the most frequent occupants (82–96% of nests), followed by termites (3–18%) and bees (0–0.6%). Species accumulation curves and diversity indices indicate that the diversity of stem-occupying ant species is highest in restinga-low (eight species observed, 18 predicted) and lowest in restinga-high (four observed and predicted). Highest similarity of compositions of infructescence-inhabiting ant species was recorded between miconietum and restinga-high, lowest between restinga-low and restinga-high. Similarity between compositions of inflorescence-visiting and infructescence-inhabiting species in restinga-low was even higher (compared with the cases described in the previous sentence) although 50% of the involved species were present in only one of the samples. Altogether, our results indicate that inflorescences are important resources for ants and other nest-building insects from flowering season to past-fruiting season.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2014/396095 |
| spellingShingle | Volker S. Schmid Simone Langner Josefina Steiner Anne Zillikens Inflorescences of the Bromeliad Vriesea friburgensis as Nest Sites and Food Resources for Ants and Other Arthropods in Brazil Psyche: A Journal of Entomology |
| title | Inflorescences of the Bromeliad Vriesea friburgensis as Nest Sites and Food Resources for Ants and Other Arthropods in Brazil |
| title_full | Inflorescences of the Bromeliad Vriesea friburgensis as Nest Sites and Food Resources for Ants and Other Arthropods in Brazil |
| title_fullStr | Inflorescences of the Bromeliad Vriesea friburgensis as Nest Sites and Food Resources for Ants and Other Arthropods in Brazil |
| title_full_unstemmed | Inflorescences of the Bromeliad Vriesea friburgensis as Nest Sites and Food Resources for Ants and Other Arthropods in Brazil |
| title_short | Inflorescences of the Bromeliad Vriesea friburgensis as Nest Sites and Food Resources for Ants and Other Arthropods in Brazil |
| title_sort | inflorescences of the bromeliad vriesea friburgensis as nest sites and food resources for ants and other arthropods in brazil |
| url | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2014/396095 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT volkersschmid inflorescencesofthebromeliadvrieseafriburgensisasnestsitesandfoodresourcesforantsandotherarthropodsinbrazil AT simonelangner inflorescencesofthebromeliadvrieseafriburgensisasnestsitesandfoodresourcesforantsandotherarthropodsinbrazil AT josefinasteiner inflorescencesofthebromeliadvrieseafriburgensisasnestsitesandfoodresourcesforantsandotherarthropodsinbrazil AT annezillikens inflorescencesofthebromeliadvrieseafriburgensisasnestsitesandfoodresourcesforantsandotherarthropodsinbrazil |