Estimating density of ant nests using distance sampling
The quantification of ant nest densities is a useful but challenging task given the group's high abundance and diversity of nesting sites. We present a new application of a distance-sampling method which follows standard distance analytical procedures, but introduces a sampling innovation that is pa...
| Autor principal: | Baccaro, Fabricio Beggiato |
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| Outros Autores: | Ferraz, Gonçalo |
| Grau: | Artigo |
| Idioma: | English |
| Publicado em: |
Insectes Sociaux
2020
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| Acesso em linha: |
https://repositorio.inpa.gov.br/handle/1/17929 |
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oai:repositorio:1-17929 |
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oai:repositorio:1-17929 Estimating density of ant nests using distance sampling Baccaro, Fabricio Beggiato Ferraz, Gonçalo Abundance Ant Bait Estimation Method Literature Review Litter Nest Nest Site Population Density Quantitative Analysis Sampling Species Diversity Tropical Forest Amazonas Brasil Manaus Formicidae Manihot Esculenta The quantification of ant nest densities is a useful but challenging task given the group's high abundance and diversity of nesting sites. We present a new application of a distance-sampling method which follows standard distance analytical procedures, but introduces a sampling innovation that is particularly useful for ants; instead of having an observer look for ants we let ants find a bait station and measure the distances covered between nest and station. We test this method by estimating the density of epigaeic ant nests in an Amazon tropical forest site near Manaus, Brazil. We distributed 220 baits of canned sardine mixed with cassava flour among 10, 210-m long transects in old-growth upland forest. Forty-five minutes after baiting, we followed the ants' trails and measured the linear distance between the bait and each nest's entrance. We then used the freely available program DISTANCE to estimate the number of nests per unit area while accounting for the effect of distance on the probability that a colony will find a bait. There were found 38 species nesting in 287 different colonies, with an estimated 2. 66 nests/m2. This estimate fell within the 95 % confidence bounds of nest density predicted for a similar number of species based on a literature survey of ant species richness and nest density. Our sampling solution, however, takes less than 30 % of the time used by conventional sampling approaches for a similar area, with the advantage that it produces not only a point estimate but also a quantification of uncertainty about density. © 2012 International Union for the Study of Social Insects (IUSSI). 2020-06-15T21:50:11Z 2020-06-15T21:50:11Z 2013 Artigo https://repositorio.inpa.gov.br/handle/1/17929 10.1007/s00040-012-0274-2 en Volume 60, Número 1, Pags. 103-110 Restrito Insectes Sociaux |
| institution |
Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia - Repositório Institucional |
| collection |
INPA-RI |
| language |
English |
| topic |
Abundance Ant Bait Estimation Method Literature Review Litter Nest Nest Site Population Density Quantitative Analysis Sampling Species Diversity Tropical Forest Amazonas Brasil Manaus Formicidae Manihot Esculenta |
| spellingShingle |
Abundance Ant Bait Estimation Method Literature Review Litter Nest Nest Site Population Density Quantitative Analysis Sampling Species Diversity Tropical Forest Amazonas Brasil Manaus Formicidae Manihot Esculenta Baccaro, Fabricio Beggiato Estimating density of ant nests using distance sampling |
| topic_facet |
Abundance Ant Bait Estimation Method Literature Review Litter Nest Nest Site Population Density Quantitative Analysis Sampling Species Diversity Tropical Forest Amazonas Brasil Manaus Formicidae Manihot Esculenta |
| description |
The quantification of ant nest densities is a useful but challenging task given the group's high abundance and diversity of nesting sites. We present a new application of a distance-sampling method which follows standard distance analytical procedures, but introduces a sampling innovation that is particularly useful for ants; instead of having an observer look for ants we let ants find a bait station and measure the distances covered between nest and station. We test this method by estimating the density of epigaeic ant nests in an Amazon tropical forest site near Manaus, Brazil. We distributed 220 baits of canned sardine mixed with cassava flour among 10, 210-m long transects in old-growth upland forest. Forty-five minutes after baiting, we followed the ants' trails and measured the linear distance between the bait and each nest's entrance. We then used the freely available program DISTANCE to estimate the number of nests per unit area while accounting for the effect of distance on the probability that a colony will find a bait. There were found 38 species nesting in 287 different colonies, with an estimated 2. 66 nests/m2. This estimate fell within the 95 % confidence bounds of nest density predicted for a similar number of species based on a literature survey of ant species richness and nest density. Our sampling solution, however, takes less than 30 % of the time used by conventional sampling approaches for a similar area, with the advantage that it produces not only a point estimate but also a quantification of uncertainty about density. © 2012 International Union for the Study of Social Insects (IUSSI). |
| format |
Artigo |
| author |
Baccaro, Fabricio Beggiato |
| author2 |
Ferraz, Gonçalo |
| author2Str |
Ferraz, Gonçalo |
| title |
Estimating density of ant nests using distance sampling |
| title_short |
Estimating density of ant nests using distance sampling |
| title_full |
Estimating density of ant nests using distance sampling |
| title_fullStr |
Estimating density of ant nests using distance sampling |
| title_full_unstemmed |
Estimating density of ant nests using distance sampling |
| title_sort |
estimating density of ant nests using distance sampling |
| publisher |
Insectes Sociaux |
| publishDate |
2020 |
| url |
https://repositorio.inpa.gov.br/handle/1/17929 |
| _version_ |
1787143190411739136 |
| score |
11.755432 |