Spatial distribution of Atta laevigata (Hymenoptera: formicidae) in forest ecosystems with mahogany in the eastern Amazon
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.6008/CBPC2237-9290.2023.001.0001%20Keywords:
Leaf-cutting ants, Swietenia macrophylla, Geostatistics, Forest managementAbstract
Atta laevigata (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) is a leaf-cutting ant that strongly defoliates mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla – Meliaceae) plantations. In this work, it was analyzed the spatial distribution of A. laevigata in 1-ha plots of three 13-year-old forest ecosystems with mahogany in the eastern Amazon, Brazil. The treatments were defined as Consortium (mahogany plantation with other Meliaceae species), Monoculture (only mahogany plantation), and Enrichment (secondary forest enriched with mahogany). The sampling effort counted with 80 pitfall traps buried for 48 h per treatment during eight periods of both rainy (January-June) and dry (July-December) season along two years (2015 and 2016). Every trap was geo-referenced and analyzes were performed using the statistical software SUFER 11.0, which produced the kriging maps. Atta laevigata presented a clustered spatial distribution in all treatments with spatial dependence described by spherical and exponential models. Clusters were more concentrated in plots edges than in the center, and in open areas they presented more variation over time. Among treatments, Monoculture showed the minimum range (13.7 m), with the minimum A. laevigata influence area of 589.65 m², while Consortium and Enrichment presented equal minimums, with an A. laevigata influence area of 804.25 m².
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