Biodiversity below ground: probing the subterranean ant fauna of Amazonia

Announcing my very first published journal article:

Biodiversity below ground: probing the subterranean ant fauna of Amazonia

Kari T. Ryder Wilkie¹ , Amy L. Mertl¹ and James F. A. Traniello¹

(1)	Department of Biology, Boston University, 5 Cummington Street, Boston, MA 02215, USA

Received: 8 January 2007 Revised: 29 March 2007 Accepted: 7 April 2007 Published online: 25 April 2007

Abstract Ants are abundant, diverse, and ecologically dominant in tropical forests. Subterranean ants in particular are thought to have a significant environmental impact, although difficulties associated with collecting ants underground and examining their ecology and behavior have limited research. In this paper, we present the results of a study of subterranean ant diversity in Amazonian Ecuador that employs a novel probe to facilitate the discovery of species inhabiting the soil horizon. Forty-seven species of ants in 19 genera, including new and apparently rare species, were collected in probes. Approximately 19% of the species collected at different depths in the soil were unique to probe samples. Analysis of similarity (ANOSIM) results showed that the species composition of ants collected with the probe was significantly different from samples collected using other techniques. Additionally, ANOSIM computations indicated the species assemblage of ants collected 12.5 cm below the surface was significantly different from those found at 25, 37.5, and 50 cm. Ant diversity and species accumulation rates decreased with increasing depth. There were no species unique to the lowest depths, suggesting that subterranean ants may not be distributed deep in the soil in Amazonia due to the high water table. The technique we describe could be used to gain new insights into the distribution and biology of subterranean ant species and other members of the species-rich soil invertebrate macrofauna.

Link to Naturwissenschaften article
Link to webpage showing how to make your own subterranean probe
If anyone doesn't have access to Naturwissenschaften, send me an email and I would be happy to send you a copy.