Brief description
This data contains ant species abundance, richness and functional groups sampled across a time since fire chronosequence exceeding 300 years in non-resprouting Eucalyptus salubris woodlands.Lineage
Plot selectionA subset (51 of 72) of the sites established by Gosper et al. (2013a,b) in Eucalyptus salubris woodland across a time since fire chronosequence were selected. Site details can be found in Gosper et al. (2013b).
Ant sampling
Ants were sampled using 20 pitfall traps per site, in a grid with 10 m spacing, and operated for 48 hrs. All sites were sampled over the period 16- to 29-Oct-2012. Full details can be found in Gosper et al. (2015). Traps were plastic specimen containers, 40 mm diameter and 52 mm depth, and partly filled (~40 mL) with ethylene glycol as a preservative.
Ant sorting and classification
In each trap ants were sorted into species. The abundance of any species in a single trap was capped at 50 in order to prevent data distortions from traps placed near nest entrances or foraging trails. Ant species were assigned to a functional group following Andersen (1995, 1997) and Hoffmann and Andersen (2003).
Notes
CreditWe at TERN acknowledge the Traditional Owners and Custodians throughout Australia, New Zealand and all nations. We honour their profound connections to land, water, biodiversity and culture and pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging.
Funding was provided by: Department of Parks and Wildlife’s “A biodiversity and cultural conservation strategy for the Great Western Woodlands” Project: Great Western Woodlands Supersite. Australian SuperSite Network. Other funding: Australian Transect Network and CSIRO Land and Water
Ants are Australia’s dominant faunal group in terms of biomass and energy flow. They occupy all trophic levels, act as ecosystem engineers, feature in many mutualistic interactions with plants, and are a key food resource for many vertebrates. Ants are also Australia’s best studied insect group in terms of biogeography and community dynamics. They are the most widely used invertebrate bio-indicators in environmental assessment and monitoring.
Created: 2012-10-16
Issued: 2023-05-16
Modified: 2024-05-12
Data time period: 2012-10-16 to 2012-10-29
text: The Great Western Woodlands site was established in 2012 on Credo Station, 110 km NNW of Kalgoorlie, WA.
User Contributed Tags
Login to tag this record with meaningful keywords to make it easier to discover
Point-of-truth metadata URL
Gosper, C.R., Prober, S.M., Yates, C.J. and Wiehl, G. (2013a) Estimating the time since fire of long-unburnt Eucalyptus salubris (Myrtaceae) stands in the Great Western Woodlands. Australian Journal of Botany 61, 11-21.
uri :
https://www.publish.csiro.au/bt/BT12212
Gosper, C.R., Yates, C.J. and Prober, S.M. (2013b) Floristic diversity in fire-sensitive eucalypt woodlands shows a ‘U’-shaped relationship with time since fire. Journal of Applied Ecology 50, 1187-1196.
uri :
https://www.jstor.org/stable/24031416
Gosper, C.R., Pettit, M.J., Andersen, A.N., Yates, C.J. and Prober, S.P. (2015) Multi-century dynamics of ant communities following fire in Mediterranean-climate woodlands: are changes congruent with vegetation succession? Forest Ecology and Management 342, 30-38.
uri :
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378112715000080?via%3Dihub
Andersen AN (1995) A classification of Australian ant communities, based on functional groups which parallel plant life-forms in relation to stress and disturbance. J Biogeogr 22:15–29.
uri :
https://www.jstor.org/stable/2846070
Andersen AN (1997) Functional groups and patterns of organization in North American ant communities: a comparison with Australia. J Biogeogr 24:433–60.
uri :
https://www.jstor.org/stable/2846163
Hoffmann BD, Andersen AN (2003) Responses of ants to disturbance in Australia, with particular reference to functional groups. Austral Ecol 28:444–464.
doi :
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1046/j.1442-9993.2003.01301.x
- URI : geonetwork.tern.org.au/geonetwork/srv/eng/catalog.search#/metadata/41abac88-ba96-4169-8119-cc813e4ebc1f
- global : 41abac88-ba96-4169-8119-cc813e4ebc1f
