Species Diversity and Composition of Terrestrial Ant Communities in Tropical Agricultural System: A Case Study of Rayong Province, Eastern Thailand
Abstract
The objectives of this research work were to evaluate the species diversity and to investigate composition of ground-foraging ant communities in tropical agricultural areas which include durian orchard (DO), mangosteen orchard (MO), and rubber plantation (RP) in Rayong Province, eastern Thailand, throughout October 2015 to September 2016. A total of 36,309 ants (27,263 in the DO, 5,409 in the MO, and 3,637 in the RP) collected using pitfall traps belongs to 36 species, 29 genera and 7 subfamilies. The highest number of species was found in the MO (29 species, 28 genera and 6 subfamilies), followed by the DO (21 species, 20 genera and 5 subfamilies), and the RP (17 species, 16 genera and 6 subfamilies), respectively. According to measures of species diversity, the results show that with respect to the average values of the Shannon Diversity Index (H'), the Simpson’s Index of Diversity (D') and the Evenness index (E'), all measurements of the mangosteen orchard are the highest followed by the rubber plantation and the durian orchard, respectively. The most abundant ant species in each location was Carebara affinis (Jerdon, 1851) (in the DO), Anoplolepis gracilipes (Smith, 1857) (in the MO), and Pheidole sp. (in the RP). In addition, the Sorensen’s similarity coefficient was highest at 64% between the durian and mangosteen orchards whereas the lowest at 61% between the mangosteen orchard and the rubber plantation. All resulted presented here highlighted that the species diversity, abundance, and species composition of ground-foragingant communities were varied among three different agricultural systems. Keywords : ant, diversity, durian orchard, mangosteen orchard, rubber plantationReferences
Agosti, D., Alonso, L.E., Majer, J.D. & Schultz, T.R. (2000). Ants: standard method for measuring and monitoring biodiversity. Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press.
Alonso, L. E. (2000). Ants as indicators of diversity. In D. Agosti, L. E. Alonso, J. D. Majer & T. R.S Schultz (eds.), Ants: standard method for measuring and monitoring biodiversity, pp.80-88. Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press.
Alonso, L. E. & Agosti, D. (2000). Biological studies, monitoring, ant ants: an overview. In D. Agosti, L. E. Alonso, J. D. Majer & T. R.S Schultz (eds.), Ants: standard method for measuring and monitoring biodiversity, pp.1-8. Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press.
Andersen, A. N., Hoffmann, B. D., Muller, W. J., & Griffith, A. D. (2002). Using ants as bioindicator in land management: simplifying assessment of ant community response. Journal of Applied Ecology, 39, 8-17.
Antwiki. (2017). Myrmicinae. Retrieved July 2, 2017, from http://www.antwiki.org/wiki/Myrmicinae.
Bertelsmeier, C., Luque, G. M., Hoffmann, B. D. & Courchamp, F. (2015). Worldwide ant invasions under climate change. Biodiversity and Conservation, 24, 117-128.
Bestelmeyer, B. (1997). Stress tolerance in some Chacoan dolichoderine ants: implications for community organization and distribution. Journal of Arid Environments, 35, 297-310.
Bharti, H., Sharma, Y. P. & Kaur, A. (2009). Seasonal patterns of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Punjab Shivalik. Halteres, 1(1), 36-47.
Bickel, T. O. & Watanasit, S. (2005). Diversity of leaf litter ant communities in Ton Nga Chang Wildlife Sanctuary and nearby rubber plantations, Songkla, Southern Thailand. Songklanakarin Journal of Science and Technology, 27(5), 943-955.
Bolton, B. (1994). Identification guide to the ant genera of the world. London: Harvard University Press.
Chen, Y., Li, Q., Chen, Y., Lu, Z. & Zhou, X. (2011). Ant diversity and bio-indicators in land management of lac insect agroecosystem in Southwestern China. Biodiversity Conservation, 20, 3017-3038.
Chunsavad, P. (2003). Biodiversity of ants in citrus ecosystem at Sadao District, Songkhla Province. Master Thesis of Science in Entomology, Prince of Songkhla University, Songkhla, Thailand. (in Thai)
Evans, T. A., Dawes, T. Z., Ward, P. R. & Lo, N. (2011). Ants and termites increase crop yield in a dry climate. Nature Communications, 2, 262.
Folgarait, P. J. (1998). Ant biodiversity and its relationship to ecosystem functioning: a review. Biodiversity and Conservation, 7, 1221-1244.
Hirunwong, K. & Khachonpisitsak, S. (2015). Diversity of ground-foraging ants in jackfruit orchard, Si Racha District, Chon Buri Province, Eastern Thailand. In the Fifth Conference on Taxonomy and Systematics in Thailand, May 25-27, Bangkok, Thailand. (in Thai)
Hoffman, B. D., Griffiths, A. D., & Andersen, A. N. (2000). Responses of ant communities to dry sulfur deposition from mining emissions in semi-arid tropical Australia, with implication for the use of functional groups. Austral Ecology, 25, 653-663.
Hölldobler, B. & Wilson, E.O. (1990). The ants. Cambridge: Belknap Press.
Hosoishi, S., Ngoc, A. L., Yamane, S. & Ogata, K. (2013). Ant diversity in rubber plantations (Hevea brasiliensis) of Cambodia. Asian Myrmecology, 5, 69-77.
Jaitrong, W. (2012). Identification guide to ant genera in Thailand. Natural History Museum Thailand, Ministry of Science and Technology. BangKok: Podduang Enterprise Co., Ltd. (in Thai)
Kaiser-Bunbury, C.N., Cuthbert, H., Fox, R., Birch, D., & Bunbury, N. (2014). Invasion of yellow crazy ant Anoplolepis gracilipes in a Seychelles UNESCO palm forest. NeoBiota, 22, 43-57.
Kharbani, H. & Hajong, S. R. (2013). Seasonal patterns in ant (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) activity in a forest habitat of the West Khasi Hills, Meghalaya, India. Asian Myrmecology, 5, 103.-112.
Krebs, C.J. (1999). Ecological methodology. California: Addison-Educational Publishers.
Kritsaneepaiboon, S. & Saiboon, S. (2000). Ant species (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in a Longkong (Meliaceae: Aglaia dookkoo Griff.) plantation. Songklanakarin Journal of Science and Technology 22(3), 393-396.
Lopwichan, S. & Khachonpisitsak, S. (2015). Ant diversity in Nong Tha Yu Arboretum, Si Racha District, Chon Buri Province. In The 7th Science Research Conference, 30-31 March 2015, Naresuan University, Phitsanulok.
Munyai, T. C. & Foord, S. H. (2015). Temporal patterns of ant diversity across a mountain with climatically contrasting aspects in the tropics of Africa. PLoS ONE, 10(3), e0122035.
Offenberg, J., Cuc, N. T. T. & Wiwatwitaya, D. (2013). The effectiveness of Weaver ant (Oecophylla smaragdina) biocontrol in Southeast Asian citrus and mango. Asian Myrmecology, 5, 139-149.
Offenberg, J. & Wiwatwitaya, D. (2010). Sustainable weaver ant (Oecophylla smaragdina) farming: harvest yields and effects on worker ant diversity. Asian Myrmecology, 3, 55-62.
ONEP (2001). Invasive species. Section Natural Resource and Environmental Management Coordination Division, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Bangkok.
Onishi, Y., Jaitrong, W., Suttiprapan, P., Buranapanichpan, S., Chanbang, Y. & Ito, F. (2016). Ant species diversity in coffee plantation in Chiang Mai Province, Northern Thailand. The Thailand Natural History Museum Journal, 10(1), 33-48.
Peck, S. L., McQuaid, B. & Campbell, C. L. (1998). Using ant species (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) as a biological indicator of agroecosystem condition. Community and Ecosystem Ecology, 27(5), 1102-1110.
Pettingill, O.S. (1969). A Laboratory and Field Manual of Ornithology. United States: Buress Publishing Company.
Phengsi, N. & Khachonpisitsak, S. (2015). Diversity of ground-foraging ants in custard apple orchard, Si Racha District, Chon Buri Province, Eastern Thailand. In the Fifth Conference on Taxonomy and Systematics in Thailand, May 25-27, Bangkok, Thailand. (in Thai)
Philpott, S. M. & Armbrecht, I. (2006). Biodiversity in tropical agroforests and the ecological role of ants and ant diversity in predatory function. Ecological Entomology, 31, 369-377.
Pitaksa, C., Chantarasuwan, A. & Kongkanjana, A. (1998). Ant control in Pineapple Field. In The Third International Pineapple Symposium, November 17-20, Pattaya, Thailand.
Retana, J. & Cerdá, X. (2000). Patterns of diversity and composition of Mediterranean ground ant communities tracking spatial and temporal variability in the thermal environment. Oecologia, 123, 436-444.
Ribas, C. R., Campos, R. B. F., Schmidt, F. A. & Solar, R. R. C. (2012). Ants as indicators in Brazil: a review with suggestions to improve the use of ants in environmental monitoring programs. Psyche, 636749.
Rios-casanova, L., Valiente-Banuet, A., & Rico-Gray, V. 2006. Ant diversity and its relationship with vegetation and soil factors in an alluvial fan of the Techuacán Valley, Mexico. Acta Oecologia, 29, 316-323.
Sakchoowong, W., Jaitrong, W. & Ogata, K. (2008). Ant diversity in forest and traditional hill-tribe agricultural types in northern Thailand. Kasetsart Journal (Natural Science), 42, 617-626.
Schultz, T. R. & McGlynn, T. P. (2000). The interaction of ant with other organisms. In D. Agosti, L. E. Alonso, J. D. Major, and T. R. Schultz (eds.), Ants: standard method for measuring and monitoring biodiversity (pp. 35-44). Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press.
Sitthicharoenchai, D. & Chantarasawat, N. (2006). Ant species diversity in the establishing area for Advanced Technology Institute at Lai-Nan Sub-district, Wiang Sa District, Nan Province, Thailand. The Natural History Journal of Chulalongkorn University, 6(2), 67-74.
Sonthichai, S., Gavinjan, N., Suwannaratana, S. & Jaitrong, W. (2006). A comparison of ant populations in restored forest of different ages and adjacent natural vegetation in northern Thailand. Kasetsart Journal (Natural Science), 40, 882-889.
PIAkey. (2017). The Pacific Invasive Ant Key. Retrieved July 2, 2017, from http://idtools.org/id/ants/pia/index.html.
Torchote, P., Sitthicharoenchai, D. & Chaisuekul, C. (2010). Ant species diversity and community composition in three different habitats: mixed deciduous forest, teak plantation and fruit orchard. Tropical Natural History, 10(1), 37-51.
Watanasit, S. & Nhu-eard, T. (2011). Diversity of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in two rubber plantations in Songkhla Province, Southern Thailand. Songklanakarin Journal of Science and Technology, 33(2),
151-161.
Wiwatwitaya, D. & Jaitrong, W. (2001). Identification guide to ant genera of Khao Yai National Park. Kasetsart University, Bangkok. (in Thai)
Alonso, L. E. (2000). Ants as indicators of diversity. In D. Agosti, L. E. Alonso, J. D. Majer & T. R.S Schultz (eds.), Ants: standard method for measuring and monitoring biodiversity, pp.80-88. Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press.
Alonso, L. E. & Agosti, D. (2000). Biological studies, monitoring, ant ants: an overview. In D. Agosti, L. E. Alonso, J. D. Majer & T. R.S Schultz (eds.), Ants: standard method for measuring and monitoring biodiversity, pp.1-8. Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press.
Andersen, A. N., Hoffmann, B. D., Muller, W. J., & Griffith, A. D. (2002). Using ants as bioindicator in land management: simplifying assessment of ant community response. Journal of Applied Ecology, 39, 8-17.
Antwiki. (2017). Myrmicinae. Retrieved July 2, 2017, from http://www.antwiki.org/wiki/Myrmicinae.
Bertelsmeier, C., Luque, G. M., Hoffmann, B. D. & Courchamp, F. (2015). Worldwide ant invasions under climate change. Biodiversity and Conservation, 24, 117-128.
Bestelmeyer, B. (1997). Stress tolerance in some Chacoan dolichoderine ants: implications for community organization and distribution. Journal of Arid Environments, 35, 297-310.
Bharti, H., Sharma, Y. P. & Kaur, A. (2009). Seasonal patterns of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Punjab Shivalik. Halteres, 1(1), 36-47.
Bickel, T. O. & Watanasit, S. (2005). Diversity of leaf litter ant communities in Ton Nga Chang Wildlife Sanctuary and nearby rubber plantations, Songkla, Southern Thailand. Songklanakarin Journal of Science and Technology, 27(5), 943-955.
Bolton, B. (1994). Identification guide to the ant genera of the world. London: Harvard University Press.
Chen, Y., Li, Q., Chen, Y., Lu, Z. & Zhou, X. (2011). Ant diversity and bio-indicators in land management of lac insect agroecosystem in Southwestern China. Biodiversity Conservation, 20, 3017-3038.
Chunsavad, P. (2003). Biodiversity of ants in citrus ecosystem at Sadao District, Songkhla Province. Master Thesis of Science in Entomology, Prince of Songkhla University, Songkhla, Thailand. (in Thai)
Evans, T. A., Dawes, T. Z., Ward, P. R. & Lo, N. (2011). Ants and termites increase crop yield in a dry climate. Nature Communications, 2, 262.
Folgarait, P. J. (1998). Ant biodiversity and its relationship to ecosystem functioning: a review. Biodiversity and Conservation, 7, 1221-1244.
Hirunwong, K. & Khachonpisitsak, S. (2015). Diversity of ground-foraging ants in jackfruit orchard, Si Racha District, Chon Buri Province, Eastern Thailand. In the Fifth Conference on Taxonomy and Systematics in Thailand, May 25-27, Bangkok, Thailand. (in Thai)
Hoffman, B. D., Griffiths, A. D., & Andersen, A. N. (2000). Responses of ant communities to dry sulfur deposition from mining emissions in semi-arid tropical Australia, with implication for the use of functional groups. Austral Ecology, 25, 653-663.
Hölldobler, B. & Wilson, E.O. (1990). The ants. Cambridge: Belknap Press.
Hosoishi, S., Ngoc, A. L., Yamane, S. & Ogata, K. (2013). Ant diversity in rubber plantations (Hevea brasiliensis) of Cambodia. Asian Myrmecology, 5, 69-77.
Jaitrong, W. (2012). Identification guide to ant genera in Thailand. Natural History Museum Thailand, Ministry of Science and Technology. BangKok: Podduang Enterprise Co., Ltd. (in Thai)
Kaiser-Bunbury, C.N., Cuthbert, H., Fox, R., Birch, D., & Bunbury, N. (2014). Invasion of yellow crazy ant Anoplolepis gracilipes in a Seychelles UNESCO palm forest. NeoBiota, 22, 43-57.
Kharbani, H. & Hajong, S. R. (2013). Seasonal patterns in ant (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) activity in a forest habitat of the West Khasi Hills, Meghalaya, India. Asian Myrmecology, 5, 103.-112.
Krebs, C.J. (1999). Ecological methodology. California: Addison-Educational Publishers.
Kritsaneepaiboon, S. & Saiboon, S. (2000). Ant species (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in a Longkong (Meliaceae: Aglaia dookkoo Griff.) plantation. Songklanakarin Journal of Science and Technology 22(3), 393-396.
Lopwichan, S. & Khachonpisitsak, S. (2015). Ant diversity in Nong Tha Yu Arboretum, Si Racha District, Chon Buri Province. In The 7th Science Research Conference, 30-31 March 2015, Naresuan University, Phitsanulok.
Munyai, T. C. & Foord, S. H. (2015). Temporal patterns of ant diversity across a mountain with climatically contrasting aspects in the tropics of Africa. PLoS ONE, 10(3), e0122035.
Offenberg, J., Cuc, N. T. T. & Wiwatwitaya, D. (2013). The effectiveness of Weaver ant (Oecophylla smaragdina) biocontrol in Southeast Asian citrus and mango. Asian Myrmecology, 5, 139-149.
Offenberg, J. & Wiwatwitaya, D. (2010). Sustainable weaver ant (Oecophylla smaragdina) farming: harvest yields and effects on worker ant diversity. Asian Myrmecology, 3, 55-62.
ONEP (2001). Invasive species. Section Natural Resource and Environmental Management Coordination Division, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Bangkok.
Onishi, Y., Jaitrong, W., Suttiprapan, P., Buranapanichpan, S., Chanbang, Y. & Ito, F. (2016). Ant species diversity in coffee plantation in Chiang Mai Province, Northern Thailand. The Thailand Natural History Museum Journal, 10(1), 33-48.
Peck, S. L., McQuaid, B. & Campbell, C. L. (1998). Using ant species (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) as a biological indicator of agroecosystem condition. Community and Ecosystem Ecology, 27(5), 1102-1110.
Pettingill, O.S. (1969). A Laboratory and Field Manual of Ornithology. United States: Buress Publishing Company.
Phengsi, N. & Khachonpisitsak, S. (2015). Diversity of ground-foraging ants in custard apple orchard, Si Racha District, Chon Buri Province, Eastern Thailand. In the Fifth Conference on Taxonomy and Systematics in Thailand, May 25-27, Bangkok, Thailand. (in Thai)
Philpott, S. M. & Armbrecht, I. (2006). Biodiversity in tropical agroforests and the ecological role of ants and ant diversity in predatory function. Ecological Entomology, 31, 369-377.
Pitaksa, C., Chantarasuwan, A. & Kongkanjana, A. (1998). Ant control in Pineapple Field. In The Third International Pineapple Symposium, November 17-20, Pattaya, Thailand.
Retana, J. & Cerdá, X. (2000). Patterns of diversity and composition of Mediterranean ground ant communities tracking spatial and temporal variability in the thermal environment. Oecologia, 123, 436-444.
Ribas, C. R., Campos, R. B. F., Schmidt, F. A. & Solar, R. R. C. (2012). Ants as indicators in Brazil: a review with suggestions to improve the use of ants in environmental monitoring programs. Psyche, 636749.
Rios-casanova, L., Valiente-Banuet, A., & Rico-Gray, V. 2006. Ant diversity and its relationship with vegetation and soil factors in an alluvial fan of the Techuacán Valley, Mexico. Acta Oecologia, 29, 316-323.
Sakchoowong, W., Jaitrong, W. & Ogata, K. (2008). Ant diversity in forest and traditional hill-tribe agricultural types in northern Thailand. Kasetsart Journal (Natural Science), 42, 617-626.
Schultz, T. R. & McGlynn, T. P. (2000). The interaction of ant with other organisms. In D. Agosti, L. E. Alonso, J. D. Major, and T. R. Schultz (eds.), Ants: standard method for measuring and monitoring biodiversity (pp. 35-44). Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press.
Sitthicharoenchai, D. & Chantarasawat, N. (2006). Ant species diversity in the establishing area for Advanced Technology Institute at Lai-Nan Sub-district, Wiang Sa District, Nan Province, Thailand. The Natural History Journal of Chulalongkorn University, 6(2), 67-74.
Sonthichai, S., Gavinjan, N., Suwannaratana, S. & Jaitrong, W. (2006). A comparison of ant populations in restored forest of different ages and adjacent natural vegetation in northern Thailand. Kasetsart Journal (Natural Science), 40, 882-889.
PIAkey. (2017). The Pacific Invasive Ant Key. Retrieved July 2, 2017, from http://idtools.org/id/ants/pia/index.html.
Torchote, P., Sitthicharoenchai, D. & Chaisuekul, C. (2010). Ant species diversity and community composition in three different habitats: mixed deciduous forest, teak plantation and fruit orchard. Tropical Natural History, 10(1), 37-51.
Watanasit, S. & Nhu-eard, T. (2011). Diversity of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in two rubber plantations in Songkhla Province, Southern Thailand. Songklanakarin Journal of Science and Technology, 33(2),
151-161.
Wiwatwitaya, D. & Jaitrong, W. (2001). Identification guide to ant genera of Khao Yai National Park. Kasetsart University, Bangkok. (in Thai)
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2017-11-22
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