ANT ASSEMBLAGES (HYMENOPTERA: FORMICIDAE) ASSOCIATED TO ENVIRONMENTS OF A RURAL PROPERTY IN THE EXTREME WESTERN REGION OF THE STATE OF SANTA CATARINA

Abstract

The conversion of natural environments into agricultural areas has led to habitat
fragmentation and caused impacts on biological communities. This study
evaluated the richness and abundance of ant assemblages from different
environments within a small rural property. The study was conducted in
December 2015 in the Palma Sola municipality, extreme western region of the
state of Santa Catarina, Brazil. The sampled environments included a permanent
preservation area, a forest fragment, a corn crop, a tobacco crop and a pine
reforestation. Pitfall traps and manual collections were used. The observed
richness totaled 69 species. Only two species, Camponotus rufipes and Pheidole
lignicola, occurred in the five environments sampled. Overall, 65.3% of the
variation in ants’ occurrence, according to the sampled environments, was
explained by the principal component analysis (PCA) components. This study
presents new results on the ant diversity from rural areas, and may provide
potential subsidies for management and conservation plans.