Testing trade-offs and the dominance-impoverishment rule among ant communities
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Testing trade-offs and the dominance-impoverishment rule among ant communities. / Sheard, Julie K.; Nelson, Annika S.; Berggreen, Jeppe D.; Boulay, Raphael; Dunn, Robert R.; Sanders, Nathan J.
In: Journal of Biogeography, Vol. 47, No. 9, 2020, p. 1899-1909.Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Testing trade-offs and the dominance-impoverishment rule among ant communities
AU - Sheard, Julie K.
AU - Nelson, Annika S.
AU - Berggreen, Jeppe D.
AU - Boulay, Raphael
AU - Dunn, Robert R.
AU - Sanders, Nathan J.
PY - 2020
Y1 - 2020
N2 - Aim Ant communities are believed to be structured by competition, with dominant species competitively excluding subordinates (the dominance-impoverishment rule). However, a high number of seemingly similar species coexist, possibly due to interspecific trade-offs. Here, we examine the evidence for the dominance-impoverishment rule across a broad latitudinal gradient and explore whether trade-offs explain coexistence within and among ant communities. Location 40 sites in 19 countries across Europe, western North America and northern South America. Taxon Formicidae. Methods We conducted 2-hr baiting experiments at each site. Three dominance scores were calculated for each species at each site where it occurred. We then examined the relationship between ant dominance and diversity and tested for the generality of three trade-offs (dominance-discovery, dominance-thermal tolerance and dominance-generalism) within and among ant communities along with the possible effects of environmental variables on these trade-offs. Results We found no support for the dominance-impoverishment rule. Instead, overall species richness at baits was positively correlated with the number of dominant species and exhibited a unimodal relationship with the relative abundance of dominant ants. Moreover, we found little consistent evidence for the three interspecific trade-offs. Main conclusion Although total species richness at baits is positively correlated with species richness of dominant species and, to a point, increasing worker numbers of dominants, trade-offs among species do not appear to shape broad-scale patterns of coexistence among ants. Species richness declines only when the numbers of dominant workers are very high. Together, these results suggest that while trade-offs and the dominance-impoverishment rule might promote coexistence or shape ant communities in some locations, the evidence for their being general across communities is scant.
AB - Aim Ant communities are believed to be structured by competition, with dominant species competitively excluding subordinates (the dominance-impoverishment rule). However, a high number of seemingly similar species coexist, possibly due to interspecific trade-offs. Here, we examine the evidence for the dominance-impoverishment rule across a broad latitudinal gradient and explore whether trade-offs explain coexistence within and among ant communities. Location 40 sites in 19 countries across Europe, western North America and northern South America. Taxon Formicidae. Methods We conducted 2-hr baiting experiments at each site. Three dominance scores were calculated for each species at each site where it occurred. We then examined the relationship between ant dominance and diversity and tested for the generality of three trade-offs (dominance-discovery, dominance-thermal tolerance and dominance-generalism) within and among ant communities along with the possible effects of environmental variables on these trade-offs. Results We found no support for the dominance-impoverishment rule. Instead, overall species richness at baits was positively correlated with the number of dominant species and exhibited a unimodal relationship with the relative abundance of dominant ants. Moreover, we found little consistent evidence for the three interspecific trade-offs. Main conclusion Although total species richness at baits is positively correlated with species richness of dominant species and, to a point, increasing worker numbers of dominants, trade-offs among species do not appear to shape broad-scale patterns of coexistence among ants. Species richness declines only when the numbers of dominant workers are very high. Together, these results suggest that while trade-offs and the dominance-impoverishment rule might promote coexistence or shape ant communities in some locations, the evidence for their being general across communities is scant.
KW - biogeography
KW - competition
KW - discovery
KW - dominance
KW - formicidae
KW - resource use
KW - thermal tolerance
KW - HYMENOPTERA-FORMICIDAE
KW - RESOURCE DISCOVERY
KW - THERMAL TOLERANCE
KW - SPECIES-DIVERSITY
KW - FUNCTIONAL-GROUPS
KW - MORTALITY RISK
KW - COMPETITION
KW - COEXISTENCE
KW - ORGANIZATION
KW - ASSEMBLAGES
U2 - 10.1111/jbi.13911
DO - 10.1111/jbi.13911
M3 - Journal article
VL - 47
SP - 1899
EP - 1909
JO - Journal of Biogeography
JF - Journal of Biogeography
SN - 0305-0270
IS - 9
ER -
ID: 248026989