Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/16645
Title: Does morphology predict trophic position and habitat use of ant species and assemblages?
Contributor(s): Gibb, Heloise (author); Stoklosa, Jakub (author); Warton, David I (author); Brown, A M (author); Andrew, Nigel R  (author)orcid ; Cunningham, S M (author)
Publication Date: 2015
Open Access: Yes
DOI: 10.1007/s00442-014-3101-9
Handle Link: https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/16645
Abstract: A functional traits-based theory of organismal communities is critical for understanding the principles underlying community assembly, and predicting responses to environmental change. This is particularly true for terrestrial arthropods, of which only 20 % are described. Using epigaeic ant assemblages, we asked: (1) can we use morphological variation among species to predict trophic position or preferred microhabitat; (2) does the strength of morphological associations suggest recent trait divergence; (3) do environmental variables at site scale predict trait sets for whole assemblages? We pitfall-trapped ants from a revegetation chronosequence and measured their morphology, trophic position [using C:N stoichiometry and stable isotope ratios (δ)] and characteristics of microhabitat and macrohabitat. We found strong associations between high trophic position (low C:N and high δ¹⁵N) in body tissue and morphological traits: predators were larger, had more laterally positioned eyes, more physical protection and tended to be monomorphic. In addition, morphological traits were associated with certain microhabitat features, e.g. smaller heads were associated with the bare ground microhabitat. Trait-microhabitat relationships were more pronounced when phylogenetic adjustments were used, indicating a strong influence of recent trait divergences. At the assemblage level, our fourth corner analysis revealed associations between the prevalence of traits and macrohabitat, although these associations were not the same as those based on microhabitat associations. This study shows direct links between species-level traits and both diet and habitat preference. Trait-based prediction of ecological roles and community structure is thus achievable when integrating stoichiometry, morphology and phylogeny, but scale is an important consideration in such predictions.
Publication Type: Journal Article
Grant Details: ARC/DP0985886
Source of Publication: Oecologia, 177(2), p. 519-531
Publisher: Springer
Place of Publication: Germany
ISSN: 1432-1939
0029-8549
Fields of Research (FoR) 2008: 060808 Invertebrate Biology
060208 Terrestrial Ecology
Fields of Research (FoR) 2020: 310913 Invertebrate biology
310308 Terrestrial ecology
Socio-Economic Objective (SEO) 2008: 970106 Expanding Knowledge in the Biological Sciences
Socio-Economic Objective (SEO) 2020: 280102 Expanding knowledge in the biological sciences
Peer Reviewed: Yes
HERDC Category Description: C1 Refereed Article in a Scholarly Journal
Appears in Collections:Journal Article

Files in This Item:
7 files
File Description SizeFormat 
open/SOURCE03.pdfPost-peer review version708.97 kBAdobe PDF
Download Adobe
View/Open
open/FULLTEXT_SOURCE03.txtPost-peer review version67.97 kBTextView/Open
open/PREMIS_SOURCE03.xmlPREMIS Metadata920 BUnknownView/Open
open/THUMBNAIL_SOURCE03.jpgThumbnail15 kBJPEGView/Open
open/JHOVE_SOURCE03.xmlJHOVE Technical Metadata596 BUnknownView/Open
1 2 Next
Show full item record

SCOPUSTM   
Citations

77
checked on Mar 16, 2024

Page view(s)

1,032
checked on Jun 11, 2023

Download(s)

868
checked on Jun 11, 2023
Google Media

Google ScholarTM

Check

Altmetric


Items in Research UNE are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.