不同生境对蚂蚁功能群的影响* ——以云南省绿春县为例

为探究土地利用变化主导的生境变化对蚂蚁功能群的影响,采用陷阱法和Winkler袋法调查了云南省绿春县天然次生林(N)、桉树林(E)、紫胶林(L)、橡胶林(R)、紫胶-玉米混农林(M)、旱地(D)和农田(F)7种生境类型的蚂蚁群落。共采集蚂蚁37 891头,隶属于8亚科52属137种;依据竞争关系、生境要求、行为优势以及对环境压力和干扰的响应等4个生态学特性,将52属划分为7个功能群:优势臭蚁亚科(DD)、从属弓背蚁族(SC)、广义切叶蚁亚科(GM)、机会主义者(O)、隐蔽物种(C)、气候特化种(CS)和专业捕食者(SP)。不同功能群的物种丰富度排序为机会主义者(10属32种)气候特化种(15属29种)广义切叶蚁亚科(3属24种)隐蔽物种(14属21种)从属弓背蚁族(2属16种)专业捕食者(6属14种)优势臭蚁亚科(2属2种)。从属弓背蚁族、气候特化种、隐蔽物种3个功能群的蚂蚁多度在天然次生林、桉树林和紫胶林中所占比例较高,而优势臭蚁亚科功能群则在干扰多的农田中比例较高;除优势臭蚁亚科仅2属2种外,在天然次生林、桉树林、紫胶林和紫胶-玉米混农林中大多数功能群的蚂蚁物种丰富度明显高于农田,而专业捕食者功能群蚂蚁物种丰富度在不同生境中差异不大。桉树林和紫胶林蚂蚁功能群的群落结构与天然次生林较为接近,橡胶林、紫胶-玉米混农林和旱地蚂蚁功能群的群落结构相似。气候特化种、广义切叶蚁亚科、机会主义者和从属弓背蚁族在不同类型样地中的物种组成变化程度大于同一类型生境重复样地间的变化程度。广义切叶蚁亚科、机会主义者和从属弓背蚁族3个功能群的蚂蚁群落在不同生境中变化明显,整体上表现为桉树林、紫胶林和天然次生林的蚂蚁群落与旱地和农田不相似;隐蔽物种和气候特化种仅在桉树林和紫胶林蚂蚁群落较为相似;专业捕食者功能群蚂蚁群落在不同生境中的变化不明显。蚂蚁功能群能够指示生境变化,广义切叶蚁亚科、从属弓背蚁族和机会主义者的指示效果较好,实质上是不同功能群中不同物种的多度及功能群内的群落组成变化对生境变化导致的干扰及资源可利用程度的响应有差异。     

气候低适宜区域橡胶种植模式对蚂蚁多样性的影响

为了揭示中、低适宜区域橡胶种植地的生物多样性状况,及选择有益于保护生物多样性的种植模式,使用陷阱法于2015年9月和2016年8月调查了钝叶黄檀-玉米地(对照)、橡胶纯林(Ⅱ)、橡胶-茶树混农林(Ⅲ)、橡胶-咖啡混农林(Ⅳ)中地表层和树冠层蚂蚁物种多样性、群落结构差异及指示物种,以研究不同类型种植模式间蚂蚁群落间的差异。结果表明:4种类型样地中,地表层蚂蚁中多度、物种丰富度、ACE值均存在显著差异(P0.05),大小排序为橡胶-茶树混农林橡胶纯林钝叶黄檀-玉米地橡胶-咖啡混农林;树冠层蚂蚁群落多度存在显著差异(P0.05),大小排序为橡胶纯林橡胶-茶树混农林橡胶-咖啡混农林钝叶黄檀-玉米地,物种丰富度和ACE值不存在显著差异(P0.05)。地表层和树冠层蚂蚁群落结构样地类型间均存在极显著差异(P0.01),其中橡胶-茶树混农林的蚂蚁群落结构与其余样地存在较高的相似性。4种类型样地中均存在1种指示物种,钝叶黄檀-玉米地为棒刺大头蚁(Pheidolespathifera),橡胶林为黑头酸臭蚁(Tapinomamelanocephalum),橡胶-茶树混农林为环纹大齿猛蚁(Odontomachuscirculus),橡胶-咖啡混农林为缅甸细长蚁(Tetraponera birmana)。从本研究来看,橡胶-茶树混农林是当地橡胶复合农林系统中既具经济效益,又能较好保护蚂蚁多样性的种植模式。     

重庆市茶园蚂蚁物种多样性及空间分布格局

为筛选茶园害虫的蚂蚁类天敌,采用样地调查法研究了重庆主要产茶区(海拔371~1 068 m)茶园蚂蚁物种多样性特征与空间分布格局。在重庆主要产茶区茶园,设置3条垂直带,每条垂直带划分为低海拔(300~500 m)、中海拔(500~700 m)和高海拔(700 m以上)3个水平带,每个水平带设置3~4块样地,调查茶园的蚂蚁物种组成、群落多样性及空间分布特点。在物种多样性方面:共采集到蚁科昆虫4亚科,39种。各水平带物种丰富度为7~13种,Shannon-Wiener多样性指数0.55~1.25,Pielou均匀度指数0.08~0.16,Simpson优势度指数为0.26~0.65;各水平带蚂蚁群落多样性指数差异不显著,表明其多样性水平比较一致。群落相似性指数为0.22~0.48,多数处于中等不相似水平。在群落优势种方面:不同海拔茶园蚂蚁优势种数目1~3种,常见种最多达6种,最少仅1种;稀有种最多17种,最少5种;从重庆范围来看,重庆主要产茶区茶园蚂蚁群落共有7种优势种。在蚂蚁空间分布方面:有17种蚂蚁具有较宽的垂直空间分布,活动范围涵盖土壤、地表和树冠,有作为天敌昆虫资源的可能。仅有9种蚂蚁在不同水平带的茶园中均有分布。结合群落相似性与多样性分析结果,重庆茶园生境破碎,蚂蚁群落间物种交流受阻,不利于茶园生物多样性水平的稳定与提高。     

高寒区不同树种配置对林下植被物种多样性的影响

以高寒区的青海云杉林,白桦林,华北落叶松林,青海云杉白桦混交林,青海云杉华北落叶松混交林5种人工林群落为研究对象,通过样地调查和地表植被调查,分析了不同树种配置对林下物种多样性的影响。结果表明:不同群落间物种多样性有较大差异,混交林相对纯林具有更高的物种多样性;而且在青海云杉和华北落叶松混交的这种配置下,其林下植被在物种丰富度指数、物种多样性指数、生态优势度指数和物种均匀度指数上均表现为最大。因此,建议在该地区适当扩大青海云杉和华北落叶松混交林的种植面积,以充分发挥人工林的水土保持功能并提高地表植被的物种多样性。     

人为干扰对西天山野果林群落结构和物种多样性的影响

[目的]探究人为干扰对西天山野果林群落结构和物种多样性的影响,为后期野果林的恢复、保护提供理论依据。[方法]以西天山野果林为研究对象,采用典型样地法,选择32个20 m×20 m具代表性的样地布置样方。以乔木径级结构、高度级结构及各层次物种组成和物种多样性指数作为评价指标,对比研究轻度(距离核心景区2～3 km)、中度(距离核心景区1～2 km)、重度(距离核心景区0～1 km)3种人为干扰强度下群落结构和物种多样性的变化。[结果]①从群落结构来看,轻度和中度干扰条件下乔木个体多分布在中径级(20 cmDBH≤30 cm)和中高度级(5 m树高≤8 m);而重度干扰下乔木个体多分布在小径级(10 cmDBH≤15 cm)、中径级(20 cmDBH≤25 cm)和高高度级(8 m树高≤10 m),其群落结构与轻度和中度干扰下乔木层的群落结构明显不同。②在总面积为1.28 hm~2的32个样地中,共记录到93个植物物种,隶属于40科84属;物种数随着人为干扰强度增加呈递减趋势,轻度、中度和重度干扰下群落的物种数依次为93种、69种和51种。Shannon-Wiener指数H值、均匀度指数J值随人为干扰强度的增加而降低,优势度指数H’值随人为干扰强度的增加而增加。[结论]重度人为干扰会普遍降低野果林群落的物种多样性水平,造成群落结构不稳定,不利于植被恢复和物种多样性保护。     

元阳梯田全福庄流域水源涵养林的植物多样性分析

元阳梯田已有1 200多年的历史,水源涵养林的存在对于梯田的延续具有重要的价值。为得到元阳梯田水源涵养林的植物多样性分布特征,对元阳梯田全福庄流域4种主要植被类型水源涵养林下的植物物种数量特征、物种丰富度、多样性、均匀度等多样性规律进行了标准样地调查。结果表明,研究区共有植物155种,隶属66科,其中,山茶科、禾本科、蓼科植物占有绝对优势,不同植被类型森林群落的优势种不同;物种丰富度大小为:次生常绿阔叶林>杂木林>次生落叶阔叶林>人工水冬瓜林;物种多样性特征表现为,乔木层:次生常绿阔叶林>次生落叶阔叶林>杂木林>人工水冬瓜林;灌木层:次生常绿阔叶林>杂木林>次生落叶阔叶林,人工水冬瓜林无灌木层分布;草本层:次生落叶阔叶林>人工水冬瓜林>次生常绿阔叶林>杂木林。植被分布的物种丰富度和均匀度对物种多样性存在交叉影响。     

渭干河-库车河三角洲绿洲盐生植被物种多样性研究

运用数量生态学的方法对渭干河-库车河三角洲绿洲的盐生植被物种多样性进行分析,结果表明:以梭梭为单优势种的群落Ⅳ具有最高的优势度指数和最低的丰富度指数、多样性指数和均匀度指数,群落结构最为简单;以骆驼刺为优势种和梭梭为主要伴生种的群落Ⅱ具有较高的多样性指数和均匀度指数,但优势度指数较低,优势种长势不显著,常与其它伴生种相伴而生,结构较为稳定;以柽柳和梭梭为共优势种的群落Ⅰ具有最高的物种丰富度和中等水平的优势度指数、多样性指数和均匀度指数,群落中物种数较多,结构较为复杂;以芦苇和骆驼刺为共优势种的群落Ⅵ具有较高的物种丰富度和物种多样性,物种优势度和物种均匀度水平居中,群落结构较为复杂;群落Ⅲ和Ⅴ具有中等偏上水平的物种丰富度指数、优势度指数、多样性指数和均匀度指数,群落结构稳定.     

水土保持生态自我修复中的植物多样性恢复研究

以植物群落调查样地为基础,从物种多样性指数、生态优势度、群落均匀度和林下植被生物量,对辽东地区水土保持生态修复区的几种典型土地利用方式下植物多样性恢复效应研究表明:天然次生生态系统(天然栎林与撂荒地)的植物多样性和林下植被生物量均表现为随着修复时间的延长而增加,人工针叶林生态系统与之相反,表现为下降趋势。不同土地利用方式下,植物群落的物种多样性表现为:天然次生栎林>撂荒地>落叶松人工林>红松人工林,其中,退耕落叶松人工林的植物多样性指数高于连植落叶松人工林。     

天然甜槠林物种多样性的研究

本文运用物种多样性、物种丰富度、物种均匀度等分析方法对福建省周宁县天然甜槠林的群落组成进行研究。结果表明:甜槠群落物种多样性指数和均匀度值均较大,群落结构复杂、物种丰富。研究结果为保护该地域森林植被提供了理论依据。     

乌兰布和沙漠降水量对典型灌木群落结构及多样性的影响

[目的]分析降水量对乌兰布和沙漠植被群落结构特征及多样性变化的影响,为乌兰布和沙漠植被保护与植物资源持续利用提供理论依据。[方法]应用2011—2013年固定样方调查数据和同期降水量资料,对乌兰布和沙漠典型灌木群落结构及物种多样性与年降水量的变化相关性进行分析。[结果]降水量对3个典型灌木群落物种数及分科有显著影响。降水量增加,驼绒藜群落物种数增加了5种(新增加2个科别),霸王群落物种数增加了12种(新增加2个科别),四合木群落物种数增加了12种(新增加6个科别);降水量对驼绒藜群落、霸王群落、四合木群落中1年生草本与多年生草本影响最大,对灌木与半灌木影响不大;降水量的增加提高了3个典型灌木群落物种丰富度与物种多样性,有效增加了四合木群落与驼绒藜群落的相似性,减小了两个群落之间的生境差异;降水量与3个典型灌木群落物种数、盖度、丰富度指数(R)、均匀度指数(E)、多样性指数均呈正相关关系,且相关系数均大于0.600 0。[结论]研究区内降水量对3个典型灌木群落物种数、盖度、丰富度指数、均匀度指数和多样性指数均具有显著影响。     

Ants as indicators of soil-based ecosystem services in agroecosystems of the Colombian Llanos

Ants represent a widespread and functionally diverse taxonomic group that are both sensitive to land management and serve as important regulators of key soil processes. Building upon this idea, we sought to understand the impacts of agricultural management on ant communities in the Orinoco River Basin of eastern Colombia and to identify species that could be used as indicators of soil-based ecosystem services. Ants were collected and identified from the soil and litter layer within 75 fields (nine TSBF sub-samples along a transect in each field) divided among five common agricultural land uses in the region: 1) annual crops (maize, soy and rice), 2) rubber plantations, 3) oil palm plantations, 4) improved pastures (based on Brachiaria spp.), and 5) semi-natural savannas. As expected, land management was found to greatly influence ant communities. Improved pastures showed the highest species richness (6.9 species per transect) and semi-natural savanna the greatest abundance of ants (145 individuals per transect). Within each of these fields a suite of soil and agroecosystem characteristics were measured and combined into synthetic indicators of five soil-based ecosystem services: 1) nutrient provision, 2) water storage and regulation, 3) maintenance of soil structure, 4) climate regulation services and 5) soil biodiversity and biological activity. Ant species were then associated with these synthetic indicators using the IndVal method to identify indicator species for each of the five consolidated ecosystem services measured. In total, 14 indicator species were identified and found to be significantly associated with either the high or low provision of each of the five services. The development of such bioindicators offers a rapid and relatively inexpensive tool to facilitate land management and policy decisions in this biologically diverse and rapidly changing region of Colombia.     

Homogenization of ant communities in mediterranean California: The effects of urbanization and invasion

In coastal California, the invasive Argentine ant (Linepithema humile) displaces nearly all above ground foraging native ant species. The loss of native ants following invasion by Argentine ants homogenizes these faunas; natural habitats invaded by L. humile have lower beta diversity compared to comparable uninvaded areas. Argentine ant abundance in the seasonally dry mediterranean environments of this region correlates strongly and positively with soil moisture. For this reason, the displacement of native ants across natural and artificial moisture gradients often resembles an edge effect, the magnitude of which is inversely proportional to the suitability of the physical environment from the perspective of L. humile. The direct effects of Argentine ant invasions in natural environments are therefore amplified by inputs of urban and agricultural run off. Indirect ecological effects of these invasions arise from the loss of large-bodied ants, arid adapted ants, and behavioral repertoires unique to particular native ant species. Further research is needed to quantify how these aspects of functional homogenization affect invaded communities. The close association between L. humile and moist soils suggests that, at least in arid regions, control strategies might be aimed at reducing urban run off in order to maintain functionally diverse communities of native ants.     

Conversion of a tropical forest into agroforest alters the fine root-related carbon flux to the soil

Large areas of remaining tropical forests are affected by anthropogenic disturbances of various intensities. These disturbances alter the structure of the forest ecosystem and consequently its carbon budget. We analysed the role of fine root dynamics in the soil carbon budget of tropical moist forests in South-east Asia along a gradient of increasing disturbance intensity. Fine root production, fine root turnover, and the associated carbon fluxes from the fine root system to the soil were estimated with three different approaches in five stands ranging from an old growth forest with negligible anthropogenic disturbance to a cacao agroforestry system with planted shade trees. Annual fine root production and mortality in three natural forest sites with increasing canopy openness decreased continuously with increasing forest disturbance, with a reduction of more than 45% between the undisturbed forest and the forest with large timber extraction. Cacao agroforestry stands had higher fine root production and mortality rates than forest with large timber extraction but less than undisturbed forest. The amount of carbon annually transferred to the soil carbon pool through fine root mortality was highest in the undisturbed forest and generally decreased with increasing forest use intensity. However, root-related C flux was also relatively high in the plantation with planted shading trees. In contrast, the relative importance of C transfer from root death in the total above- and below-ground C input to the soil increased with increasing forest use intensity and was even similar to the C input via leaf litter fall in the more intensively managed agroforest. We conclude that moderate to heavy disturbance in South-east Asian tropical moist forests has a profound impact on fine root turnover and the related carbon transfer to the soil.     

Species Diversity and Community Structure of Ground-Dwelling Spiders in Unpolluted and Moderately Heavy Metal-Polluted Habitats

This study was conducted to investigate the relationship between ground-dwelling spider communities and the degree of soil contamination of heavy metals, Cd and Pb. Six sites were selected according to expected differences in Cd and Pb contamination levels in soil and similarity in vegetation composition. Ground-dwelling spiders were collected monthly in 2003 and 2004 by pitfall trapping. Species diversity of ground-dwelling spiders between unpolluted and moderately polluted sites was not significantly different although the value was higher in the unpolluted site. Species diversity tended to decrease with increasing Pb levels in soil although no statistical significance was obtained. No trend was shown between species diversity and Cd levels in soil. The community structure of ground-dwelling spiders was similar for the two types of sites. Overall ground-dwelling spider communities may be not sensitive enough to discriminate moderate heavy metal contamination levels in soil. However, among the dominant spider families, the composition and structure of Linyphiidae separated unpolluted and moderately polluted sites. Pardosa astrigera and P. laura (Lycosidae) have a potential as heavy metal accumulator indicator species and Oedothorax insulanus (Linyphiidae) has a potential as a heavy metal sentinel indicator species.     

Spatial and temporal variation in the Argentine ant edge effect: Implications for the mechanism of edge limitation

One consequence of human land-use is the exposure of native communities to invasive human commensal species along edges. Argentine ants (Linepithema humile) invade a variety of habitats in California with consequent dramatic declines in native ants. In coastal southern California, USA Argentine ants appear to be an edge effect in small habitat fragments [Suarez, A.V., Bolger, D.T., Case, T.J., 1998. Effects of fragmentation and invasion on native ant communities in coastal southern California. Ecology 79, 2041-2056]. They invade fragments from the urban edge, but only penetrate coastal sage scrub (CSS) habitat to a distance of approximately 200 m. Using pitfall sampling in edge (<250 m from the urban edge) and interior (>600 m from the edge) habitat I tested whether there is also an Argentine ant edge effect in the largest blocks of habitat in the landscape and investigated patterns of spatial and temporal variation in native and Argentine ants. Argentine ants were common in coastal sage scrub habitat within 250 m of urban edges, but rare in interior areas. Correspondingly, native ants were significantly less abundant and diverse in edge areas as compared to interior. Over the period 1997-2000 Argentine ants did not become more abundant in interior habitat suggesting it will remain a refuge for native ants. Argentine ant abundance in edge plots varied greatly among years and sites. Annual variation in abundance was positively related to annual rainfall. Increased soil moisture near edges due to urban runoff has often been suggested as the mechanism that allows the invasion of edge but not interior habitat. This hypothesis predicts that edge habitat downslope of the urban edge should support invasions of higher abundance and greater spatial penetration than habitat upslope. However, I found that edge slope did not predict the extent of invasion, whereas, soil type did. Coarse, well-drained soils supported an Argentine ant invasion of lower abundance and lesser spatial penetration than soils that should retain more moisture. These patterns of spatial and annual variation are more consistent with a biotic flow mechanism where ants move from urban habitat into CSS sites that are temporarily favorable, rather than an abiotic flow where urban runoff causes a physical change to CSS habitat near edges. This invasion affects a substantial area of habitat, however, the inability of Argentine ants to invade interior habitat suggests that refugia for native ants will persist if large unfragmented blocks of habitat are maintained.     

Global dung beetle response to tropical forest modification and fragmentation: A quantitative literature review and meta-analysis

Although insects are crucial for maintaining ecosystem function, our understanding of their overall response to human activity remains limited. This is no less true of dung-burying beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae), which provide a suite of critical ecosystem functions and services, yet but face multiple conservation threats, particularly from landscape conversion. Here we use a review and meta-analysis to synthesize the current knowledge concerning response to tropical forest modification and fragmentation of dung beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae). For every modified habitat type and individual forest fragment across 33 studies, we calculated six dung beetle community parameters, standardized relative to intact tropical forest. We organized modified habitats along an approximate disturbance gradient ranging from selectively logged, late and early secondary forest, through agroforestry, tree plantations, to annual crops, cattle pastures and clear-cuts. Secondary forests, selectively logged forest and agroforests supported rich communities with many intact forest species, while cattle pastures and clear-cuts contained fewer species overall with few forest-dwelling species. Abundance generally declined with increasing modification, but was quite variable. Communities in open habitats were often characterized by hyper-abundance of a small number of small-bodied species, leading to low evenness. Across fragmentation studies, dung beetle species richness, abundance and evenness declined in smaller forest fragments. Richness and abundance sometimes declined in more isolated fragments, although this response appeared to depend on matrix quality. Across both habitat modification and fragmentation studies, geographic location and landscape context appeared to modify dung beetle response by influencing the available pool of colonists. We discuss potential underlying mechanisms and conclude with recommendations for management and conservation and for future research.     

Effects of Ant Mounds on the Plant and Soil Microbial Community in an Alpine Meadow of Qinghai–Tibet Plateau

Ants are important soil engineers, affecting the structure and function of ecosystems. To address the impacts of ants (Camponotus herculeanus ) on the properties of an alpine meadow ecosystem of Qinghai–Tibet Plateau, we investigated the effects of ant mounds on plant biomass, soil physicochemical properties, microbial diversity, and functions. We found that the total biomass of plant community was significantly greater in ant mound periphery. Plant species richness in ant mounds was reduced compared with that of control plots without ant mounds. Significant changes in physicochemical properties of soil were also observed. Soil organic matter, total nitrogen, available phosphorous, total potassium, and available potassium increased in ant mound soil due to the excavation activities by ants as well as the accumulation of organic matter and other nutrients during mound construction. For example, roots/soil contents (g/g) and soil moisture in ant mound soils were lower than those in controls. Microbial community composition and microbial biomass were clearly changed in ant mound soils. BIOLOG analysis further indicated that the functional diversity of the microbial community of ant mound soil increased and differed from that of controls. This study indicates that ant‐induced modification of soil properties indirectly influences plant biomass and species composition, and ant mounds have different microbial communities from those of control soil. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Impacts of coffee agroforestry management on tropical bee communities

Though it is undoubted that tropical bees are influenced by habitat composition, few studies have investigated the relative importance of both local and landscape-level habitat parameters in supporting large and diverse bee communities. The conservation of native bee communities within agroforestry landscapes is particularly urgent given the importance of pollination services within these systems. In this study, we examined tropical bee communities within a largely deforested shade coffee-growing region in Chiapas, Mexico. We used regression tree modeling to examine the response of bee functional groups to local and landscape-level habitat management. Our models revealed that the most predictive factors for bee abundance and species richness were the number of tree species, the number of tree species in flower, and the canopy cover of the local agroforestry landscape. Solitary bees were most abundant in habitats with high canopy cover, while social bees were most abundant in habitats with greater tree species richness. Cavity-nesting and wood-nesting bee abundance was positively affected by the amount of canopy cover in the farm, while ground-nesting bees were most abundant in habitats with a large number of tree species in flower. Our results demonstrate that across bee sociality groups, nesting guilds, and tribes, the most critical factor impacting native bee communities was within-farm local vegetation management. These results reveal the important role that agroforestry managers can have on biodiversity conservation, and the potential contribution they can make by creating resource-rich agricultural matrices. Specifically, our findings highlight the importance of diverse overstory tree management in supporting native bee communities within tropical agroforestry systems.     

The role of ants in conservation monitoring: If, when, and how

Ants are increasingly being recognized as useful tools for land managers to monitor ecosystem conditions. However, despite an abundance of studies on ant responses to both environmental disturbance and land management techniques, an analysis of the practice and value of including ants in monitoring is lacking. Consequently, conservation managers are left with little guidance as to if, when, and how ants can be used to assess conservation activities. Based on our review of approximately 60 published studies, we outline five areas where ants provide valuable information for management-based monitoring: (1) to detect the presence of invasive species, (2) to detect trends among threatened or endangered species, (3) to detect trends among keystone species, (4) to evaluate land management actions, and (5) to assess long-term ecosystem changes. We also discuss practical considerations when designing a monitoring framework for ants, including appropriate methods, taxonomic resolution for sampling, and spatial and temporal scale. We find that when integrated with management goals, monitoring ants can provide information over the short-term on topics such as the status of invasive or keystone species, as well as over longer time frames, for instance the impact of climate change. Overall, we conclude that ants merit monitoring based on their inherent ecological qualities, independent of any “indicator” attributes they might have.