Niche differentiation in rainforest ant communities across three continents

Result code in IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F60077344%3A_____%2F19%3A00511959" target="_blank" >RIV/60077344:_____/19:00511959 - isvavai.cz</a>

Result on the web

<a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdfdirect/10.1002/ece3.5394" target="_blank" >https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdfdirect/10.1002/ece3.5394</a>

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ece3.5394" target="_blank" >10.1002/ece3.5394</a>

Result language

angličtina

Original language name

Niche differentiation in rainforest ant communities across three continents

Original language description

A central prediction of niche theory is that biotic communities are structured by niche differentiation arising from competition. To date, there have been numerous studies of niche differentiation in local ant communities, but little attention has been given to the macroecology of niche differentiation, including the extent to which particular biomes show distinctive patterns of niche structure across their global ranges. We investigated patterns of niche differentiation and competition in ant communities in tropical rainforests, using different baits reflecting the natural food spectrum. We examined the extent of temporal and dietary niche differentiation and spatial segregation of ant communities at five rainforest sites in the neotropics, paleotropics, and tropical Australia. Despite high niche overlap, we found significant dietary and temporal niche differentiation in every site. However, there was no spatial segregation among foraging ants at the community level, despite strong competition for preferred food resources. Although sucrose, melezitose, and dead insects attracted most ants, some species preferentially foraged on seeds, living insects, or bird feces. Moreover, most sites harbored more diurnal than nocturnal species. Overall niche differentiation was strongest in the least diverse site, possibly due to its lower number of rare species. Both temporal and dietary differentiation thus had strong effects on the ant assemblages, but their relative importance varied markedly among sites. Our analyses show that patterns of niche differentiation in ant communities are highly idiosyncratic even within a biome, such that a mechanistic understanding of the drivers of niche structure in ant communities remains elusive.

Czech name

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Czech description

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Type

J_imp - Article in a specialist periodical, which is included in the Web of Science database

CEP classification

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OECD FORD branch

10618 - Ecology

Project

—

Continuities

I - Institucionalni podpora na dlouhodoby koncepcni rozvoj vyzkumne organizace

Publication year

2019

Confidentiality

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů

Name of the periodical

Ecology and Evolution

ISSN

2045-7758

e-ISSN

—

Volume of the periodical

9

Issue of the periodical within the volume

15

Country of publishing house

US - UNITED STATES

Number of pages

15

Pages from-to

8601-8615

UT code for WoS article

000478485200001

EID of the result in the Scopus database

2-s2.0-85070422066