Adams, Benjamin J, Gora, Evan M, Donaldson-Matasci, Matina C et al. (2 more authors) (2023) Competition and habitat availability interact to structure arboreal ant communities across scales of ecological organization. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 20231290. ISSN 1471-2954
Abstract
Understanding how resource limitation and biotic interactions interact across spatial scales is fundamental to explaining the structure of ecological communities. However, empirical studies addressing this issue are often hindered by logistical constraints, especially at local scales. Here, we use a highly tractable arboreal ant study system to explore the interactive effects of resource availability and competition on community structure across three local scales: an individual tree, the nest network created by each colony and the individual ant nest. On individual trees, the ant assemblages are primarily shaped by availability of dead wood, a critical nesting resource. The nest networks within a tree are constrained by the availability of nesting resources but also influenced by the co-occurring species. Within individual nests, the distribution of adult ants is only affected by distance to interspecific competitors. These findings demonstrate that resource limitation exerts the strongest effects on diversity at higher levels of local ecological organization, transitioning to a stronger effect of species interactions at finer scales. Collectively, these results highlight that the process exerting the strongest influence on community structure is highly dependent on the scale at which we examine the community, with shifts occurring even across fine-grained local scales.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
---|---|
Authors/Creators: |
|
Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2023 The Authors. |
Dates: |
|
Institution: | The University of York |
Academic Units: | The University of York > Faculty of Sciences (York) > Biology (York) |
Funding Information: | Funder Grant number THE NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION n/a |
Depositing User: | Pure (York) |
Date Deposited: | 22 Sep 2023 09:00 |
Last Modified: | 16 Dec 2024 00:18 |
Published Version: | https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2023.1290 |
Status: | Published |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1098/rspb.2023.1290 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:203545 |