Formigas em cavernas ferruginosas da Amazônia: indicadoras de diversidade e fatores que as influenciam

Abstract

Although ants are often found in caves, many studies consider that their presence occurs accidentally in these environments. Ants have been widely used as an diversity indicator group in various environments. In this study it was intended to evaluate if ants can be considered good diversity indicators in caves. In addition, were also analyzed the environmental variables that influence the richness and composition of ant species in caves. It was found in this work, that the ants have a greater potential for diversity indication in caves, since their richness is correlated with a larger number of analyzed groups (coleoptera and troglóbios) besides presenting a higher value of correlation with total collected species richness. The presence of bat guano, the cave area and the collected season were the variables that most influenced the ant species richness in caves. The presence of guano and the cave area were the variables that most influenced the ant species composition in caves. Therefore, it can be concluded that the presence of ants does not occur accidentally in these environments. In addition, the importance of studying these organisms in these environments is evident as they reveal important ecological patterns.