Authors : Maliha S. Nash and Walter G. Whitford
Abstract: The responses of pyramid ants Dorymyrmex (Conomyrma) insana (Buckley) to structural change (removal of an invasive shrub species) and to an environmental stress (short-term intense grazing by cattle) are presented from an experiment study in Chihuahuan Desert grassland. Spatial and temporal responses of D. insana were examined by analysis of variances, kriging maps and regression analyses. There were no significant responses of D. insana to grazing. The numerical and spatial responses of ants recorded from pit-fall trap data were the same as those recorded from mapping ant nests. The spatial distribution of D. insana nests was a function of the canopy cover of the invasive, woody shrub, honey mesquite (Fabaceae: Prosopis glandulosa Torrey (r = 0.82) and explained 68% of the variability in nests distribution. The dominant liquid feeding ant species (D. insana) responded numerically and spatially to structural change and environmental stress. Spatially referenced data are as important or more important for monitoring ecosystem change than are numerical data.
Maliha S. Nash and Walter G. Whitford , 2004. Understanding an Ecological System: An Example of Temporal and Spatial Variability of Dorymyrmex (Conomyrma) insana in a Stressed System . Journal of Animal and Veterinary Advances, 3: 630-636.