Can Monoculture Timber Plantations Conserve More Ant Communities Than Adjacent Natural Forests?

Abstract

Understanding where biodiversity is and how it is distributed is crucial to conserving vulnerable and dynamic ecosystems. Although natural forests support greater diversity and are vital for the conservation of organisms, recent studies have argued that monoculture plantations can be used as an alternative habitat for forest species. We investigate how ant diversity patterns and assemblage composition vary between monoculture timber plantations and adjacent natural forests using pitfall traps in the Natal Midlands of South Africa. A total of 326 ants were collected, comprising 4 subfamilies, 13 genera, and 30 species. The blue gum plantations had the highest species diversity compared to other habitats. Although two species were found exclusively in the natural forest, it had the lowest ant diversity. Generally, species assemblages between the compared plantations and the natural forests were distinct. Monoculture plantations affect ant communities, leading to a change in their distribution patterns and assemblage composition. Determining how these rapidly expanding plantations affect biodiversity at different scales is essential for preserving indigenous fauna. Although our findings proposed that blue gum plantations have the potential to conserve ant taxonomic diversity compared to pine plantations, we recommend that future studies investigate the response of ant functional diversity to monoculture timber plantations in the region.