Risch Stephen J, Carroll C Ronald
Section of Ecology and Systematics, Division of Biological Sciences, Cornell University, 14853, Ithaca, New York, USA.
Institute of Environmental Studies, Baylor University, 76706, Waco, Texas, USA.
Oecologia. 1982 Oct;55(1):114-119. doi: 10.1007/BF00386726.
The development of the ant communities and their foraging dynamics were studied in two annual agroecosystems of the Mexican tropical lowlands: a "forest milpa" of corn, beans, and squash made by cutting and buring 40-year-old forest, and a "field milpa" of corn, beans, and squash made by plowing 1-year-old second growth. The ant community was sampled using tuna fish baits 26, 52, 110 and 353 days after planting. Although immediately after planting the same number of ant species occurred in each milpa type, thereafter the ant faunas diverged. The field milpa became completely dominated by the native fire ant, Solenopsis geminata, while the number of ant species in the forest milpa gradually increased over time, reaching eight species 110 days after planting and 14 species by 353 days. Initially S. geminata dominated the ant fauna in the forest milpa (occurring on 90% of the baits), but by 353 days planting it was found on only 26% of the occupied baits. Ant foraging efficiency, as measured by proportion of tuna baits occupied and the removal rates of dead Drosophila fly baits, was much higher (by a factor of 2 to 3) in the field than the forest milpa. This was caused by the extremely high density of S. geminata colonies in the field milpa. The simple Solenopsis-dominated community of the field milpa may be much more effective in biological control than the more diverse community of the forest milpa. Although S. geminata has potential negative impacts in annual agroecosystems (it stings, eats corn seeds, and guards homopterams), its overall impact appears to be beneficial. As forested areas of the lowland wet tropics are increasingly cut and converted to annual agriculture, the primary ant inhabitant of these highly disturbed environments, S. geminata, will necessarily play a much more significant ecological role in agroecosystems.
在墨西哥热带低地的两种一年生农业生态系统中，对蚂蚁群落的发展及其觅食动态进行了研究：一种是通过砍伐和焚烧40年树龄的森林而形成的玉米、豆类和南瓜的“森林玉米田”，另一种是通过翻耕一年生次生林而形成的玉米、豆类和南瓜的“农田玉米田”。在种植后26天、52天、110天和353天，使用金枪鱼诱饵对蚂蚁群落进行采样。虽然在种植后立即在每种玉米田类型中出现的蚂蚁种类数量相同，但此后蚂蚁动物区系出现了分化。农田玉米田完全被本地火蚁（Solenopsis geminata）占据，而森林玉米田中蚂蚁种类的数量随时间逐渐增加，种植后110天达到8种，到353天时达到14种。最初，S. geminata在森林玉米田的蚂蚁动物区系中占主导地位（出现在90%的诱饵上），但到种植353天时，仅在26%被占据的诱饵上发现了它。以金枪鱼诱饵被占据的比例和果蝇死饵的清除率衡量，蚂蚁的觅食效率在农田中比在森林玉米田中高得多（高出2至3倍）。这是由农田玉米田中S. geminata蚁群的极高密度造成的。农田玉米田由Solenopsis主导的简单群落可能在生物防治方面比森林玉米田更多样化的群落更有效。虽然S. geminata在一年生农业生态系统中具有潜在的负面影响（它会叮咬、食用玉米种子并保护同翅目昆虫），但其总体影响似乎是有益的。随着低地湿润热带地区的森林面积不断被砍伐并转变为一年生农业，这些高度干扰环境中的主要蚂蚁居民S. geminata必然会在农业生态系统中发挥更重要的生态作用。
