The Effect of Selective Logging on the Nest Density, Foraging Range and Colony Size on the Ground-Dwelling Ant Aphaenogaster Swammerdami Forel, 1886 in Kirindy ForestmMadagascar  

作　　者：Ferdinand Tornyie Stefan Jahnel Eliezer Bortei Borketey-La 

机构地区：[1]Council for Scientific and Industrial Research-Institute of Industrial Research, Accra 00233, Ghana [2]Department of Behavioural Biology, University of Vt'enna,Venna 11010, Austria [3]Department of Crop/Soil Science Education, University of Education, Winneba 00233, Ghana

出　　处：《Journal of Earth Science and Engineering》2013年第11期723-729,共7页地球科学与工程（英文版）

摘　　要：Studying the ecology of ants can be a powerful tool for conservation, While the effect of logging is mainly investigated by the comparison of species richness and composition, the impact on individual species are often neglected. This study investigated the effect of selective logging on the nest density, foraging range and colony size on the ground-dwelling ant Aphaenogaster swammerdami in Kirindy forest--Madagascar. This ant is a common ground-dwelling species in Kirindy, a western dry deciduous forest of Madagascar. Sampling was done in two sites of the forest： One part that was selectively lodged and another that have not been logged. Here we show that selective logging led to a decrease in colony size and density, while the foraging range seemed to be unaffected. Higher desiccation stress and lower food availability in the logged forest are most likely to be responsible for these results.

关 键 词：Ground-dwelling selective logging colony size nest density species richness. 

分 类 号：S865.33[农业科学—野生动物驯养] Q969.554.2[农业科学—畜牧兽医]