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Low Density of Ant Lion Larva ( Myrmeleon crudelis ) in Ant‐Acacia Clearings: High Predation Risk or Inadequate Substrate? 1
Author(s) -
Gatti Maria Genoveva,
FarjiBrener Alejandro G.
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
biotropica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.813
H-Index - 96
eISSN - 1744-7429
pISSN - 0006-3606
DOI - 10.1111/j.1744-7429.2002.tb00561.x
Subject(s) - ant , predation , acacia , ant colony , predator , ecology , larva , substrate (aquarium) , pruning , biology , botany , ant colony optimization algorithms , computer science , artificial intelligence
We experimentally determined whether the low density of antlion larvae found in ant‐acacia clearings is due to high levels of ant predation or an inadequate substrate for pit‐trap construction. Pit establishment was more affected by soil improvement than by the exclusion of ants, suggesting that soil condition is the main factor that affect antlions’density. The low density of this ant‐predator in ant‐acacia clearings may be considered as an indirect advantage of the ant's pruning behavior.