Brown, Preston H.; Miller, Dini M.; Brewster, Carlyle C.; Fell, Richard D. - - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Department of Entomology, 216A Price Hall (0319) Blacksburg VA 24061 USA

Urban Ecosystems, Volume 16, issue 2 (June 2013), p. 175 - 192. (ISSN: 1083-8155; Springer US, Boston)

Один из наиболее эффективных путей для описания сукцессионного градиента природы это использование измерений процессов изменений в биологическом разнообразии. Авторы исследовали биоразнообразие муравьёв (known tramp/structure invaders) in an environment undergoing urban succession to characterize how ant communities changed along a disturbance gradient. Динамика муравьиных сообществ была исследована в 3 урбанизированных территориях в Пуэрто-Рико различного возраста. Within each development, we assessed the ant community using biodiversity measures of richness, abundance, diversity and evenness. We also studied changes in biodiversity within each development over time as well as how biodiversity related to food preferences within the ant communities. In general, the biodiversity measures increased as the age of the housing development increased. Monthly changes in biodiversity indicated that month was a better predictor of biodiversity in the most recently disturbed development, while the biodiversity in the older developments was less predictable from month to month. The biodiversity measures also suggested that the ant community in the youngest development was comprised mostly of generalist feeders. However, the older sites’ ant species appeared to have more specific feeding preferences. Based on the biodiversity measures of these ant communities, our findings suggest that the housing developments of different ages represented advancing stages of secondary succession. Более того, в работе показано, что сукцессия видов муравьёв происходит быстро (<10 лет) в урбанизированной природе, приводя к сравнительному разнообразию муравьиных сообществ. 

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