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The influence of ants on the guild structure of Acacia insect communities in Mkomazi Game Reserve, north‐east Tanzania
Author(s) -
KRÜGER OLIVER,
McGAVIN GEORGE
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
african journal of ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.499
H-Index - 54
eISSN - 1365-2028
pISSN - 0141-6707
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-2028.1998.00130.x
Subject(s) - guild , biology , acacia , parasitoid , predation , ecology , herbivore , biomass (ecology) , abundance (ecology) , tanzania , hymenoptera , larva , insect , habitat , geography , environmental planning
A total of 41,099 insect specimens of 133 families and 492 morphospecies were collected from 31 trees of six species of Acacia in north‐east Tanzania, representing one of the largest insect samples ever analysed from a tropical savannah habitat. Herbivores (sapsuckers and chewers) and parasitoids had the highest diversity shares, whereas the highest biomass shares were obtained by phytophagous chewers, ants and predators. The percentage biomass of ants was correlated positively with the diversity share of sapsuckers and negatively with the diversity share of tourists. A positive correlation was found with the residual biomass share of phytophagous sapsuckers, indicating a protective function of ants for this guild. Diversity and abundance share was much higher in egg and coccoid parasitoids compared to larval parasitoids, probably due to predation by ants on larval parasitoids. Their low diversity supports the hypothesis of a decline towards the equator in ichneumonid diversity.