The role of vegetation complexity and soil characteristics on ant communities

Ants are common organisms that can be  used to monitor diversity and conditions in the community because they are sensitive to environmental disturbance and soil quality. Plant diversity can influence organisms by changing the resource availability, structure and abiotic conditions of the environment. Several studies have found that seed-dispersing ants are important for plant diversity, however, the role of plant diversity and vegetation complexity on ants remains unresolved. Our aim was to determine: 1) How vegetation structure and diversity (height/density) affects ant diversity 2) How plant richness affects ant richness, and 3) How soil moisture, texture, and leaf litter affect ant and plant diversity. In Pembroke, NC, we established 24 sampling plots (25m²) where we characterized the plant community (richness and abundance), vegetation structure (height, understory cover, canopy cover, tree diversity, dbh and debris), soil and leaf litter characteristics (texture and moisture), and ant community (richness and abundance) for two years. Ant abundance totaled 288 (20 species) in 2017 and 338 (20 species) in 2018, and 72 plant species were found. The best models for ant abundance and richness were %cover and % Sand. Plant % cover was best predicted by a positive relationship with average vegetation height. Plant richness was best predicted by average height and leaf litter weight. We concluded that ants are affected by vegetation complexity and soil texture and that plant cover and structural complexity are important factors to use in future ant studies.