Luque G M, Reyes-López J, Fernández-Haeger J
Area de Ecología, C-4, Campus de Rabanales, Universidad de Córdoba, 14071 Córdoba, Spain.
Environ Entomol. 2007 Apr;36(2):337-47. doi: 10.1603/0046-225x(2007)36[337:rogahf]2.0.co;2.
The recovery of ant communities at the Guadiamar River bank (southwest Spain) was studied across 5 yr, after an environmental disaster caused by the spill of toxic sludge over the river caused by a mine accident. Three affected and three control sites were sampled from 2000 to 2004 using pitfall traps. The last year of study, a more exhaustive sampling was conducted at the affected area (eight sampling sites). Additionally, four adjacent study sites not affected by the toxic spill were also studied. Ants showed clear responses to the restoration of the area. Mean ant species richness in spillage affected sites showed a significant increase over the 5 yr. Moreover, multivariate analysis showed distinct changes of ant community composition of the affected area over the years that were not observed in control sites. Six years after the disaster, one half of the species recorded in control sites were also present in the affected area, with only one species exclusive to this area, Cardiocondyla mauritanica Forel (tramp species). However, not only habitat specialist species but also some generalist and conspicuous species within the river basin are not present along the affected area, including species of the genera Camponotus, Messor, Cataglyphis, and Aphaenogaster. This study shows an incipient recovery of ant communities 6 yr after a major environmental disturbance, highlighting the absence of any invasive ant species in the restored area.
在西班牙西南部瓜迪亚马尔河岸发生的一起矿难事故导致有毒污泥泄漏到河中，引发环境灾难后，研究人员对该地区蚂蚁群落的恢复情况进行了为期5年的研究。2000年至2004年期间，使用陷阱诱捕法对三个受影响地点和三个对照地点进行了采样。在研究的最后一年，在受影响地区进行了更详尽的采样（八个采样点）。此外，还对四个未受有毒物质泄漏影响的相邻研究地点进行了研究。蚂蚁对该地区的恢复表现出明显的反应。受泄漏影响地点的平均蚂蚁物种丰富度在5年期间显著增加。此外，多变量分析表明，受影响地区蚂蚁群落组成在多年间发生了明显变化，而对照地点未观察到这种变化。灾难发生六年后，对照地点记录的物种中有一半也出现在受影响地区，该地区仅有一种特有物种，即毛里塔尼亚心盾蚁（外来物种）。然而，不仅栖息地特化物种，而且流域内的一些广布种和显眼物种在受影响地区也未出现这些物种，包括弓背蚁属、收获蚁属、箭蚁属和长角蚁属的物种。这项研究表明，在重大环境干扰6年后，蚂蚁群落开始恢复，突出了恢复地区没有任何入侵蚂蚁物种这一情况。
