Modificação antrópica de habitats e diversidade de formigas em savanas neotropicais: uma perspectiva funcional e filogenética

Abstract

Human intervention in natural ecosystems is increasing pressure on global biodiversity, affecting not only taxonomic diversity but also the genetic, phylogenetic, and functional diversity of biological communities. The effects of these interventions depend on the individual responses of species and the complex interactions among them. While biodiversity studies typically focus on taxonomic diversity, approaches to functional and phylogenetic diversity are crucial for understanding the organization and functioning of communities subject to habitat modifications. Ants, important biodiversity indicators, were the focus of this study, which investigated the impacts of habitat modification on the distribution of their functional and phylogenetic traits. We expected wild environments to exhibit greater variation in ant functional traits compared to rural and urban environments due to the greater diversity of available food resources. Additionally, we anticipated a reduction in functional and phylogenetic diversity indices in rural and urban environments compared to wild environments. The study took place in 14 areas of neotropical savanna in northern Minas Gerais, subjected to varying intensities of anthropogenic habitat modification (wild, rural, and urban areas). Different measures of morphological attributes, functional diversity, and phylogenetic diversity were calculated for ant communities in each area. A total of 2,258 ants belonging to 71 species, distributed across five subfamilies and 14 genera, were recorded. Crematogaster was the most abundant genus, followed by Camponotus and Brachymyrmex. Pseudomyrmex was the genus richest in species. The most common species were Crematogaster sp.1, sp.2, and sp.5. Results revealed that wild environments tend to exhibit greater homogeneity in ant functional traits (mandible, antenna, and leg), while rural and urban environments show greater variation. Our findings also indicate that functional and phylogenetic diversity of ant communities vary along the analyzed gradient. In urban environments, although functional diversity is high, there is low uniformity in function distribution, indicating greater vulnerability to disturbances. Phylogenetic diversity was lower in rural areas and higher in wild and urban environments. In urban areas, this may be attributed to competition among closely related species. These results are crucial for guiding future research and enhancing our understanding of community assembly from a functional and phylogenetic perspective.