Abstract
Leaf-cutter ants (Attaspp.) remove leaf litter and woody debris—potential fuels—in and around their nests and foraging trails. We conducted single and three annual experimental fires to determine the effects of this leaf-cutter ant activity on the behavior of low-intensity, slow-moving fires. In a transitional forest, where the southern Amazon forest meets the Brazilian savanna, we tested whether leaf-cutter ant nests and trails (i) inhibit fire spread due to a lack of fuels, and (ii), thereby, reduce the total burned area during these experimental low-intensity fires, particularly at forest edges where leaf-cutter ant abundance was higher. Fine-medium fuel mass increased with an increase in distance from ant nest, and the mean area of bare soil was greater on nests than on the forest floor. Between 60 to 90 percent of the unburned area was within 30 m of ant nests, and burned area significantly increased with increasing distance to ant nests. In addition, the number of ant nests declined with increasing distance from the forest edge, and, with exception of the first experimental fire, burned area also increased with increasing distance from the edge. The present study provides new insight to fire ecology in Amazon environments.
Highlights
Leaf-cutter ants (Atta spp.) are considered conspicuous herbivores in the neotropics [1, 2]
We propose to address the following questions: can leaf-cutter ants inhibit fire and effectively protect nearby vegetation in a forest that has experienced this type of disturbance? And if the answer is yes, is this protection more effective at the forest edge? In order to respond to these questions, we hypothesize that leaf-cutter ant trails and nest building (i) blocks fire spread by removing potential fuels and (ii) reduces the total burned area, especially at the forest edge, where they are more abundant
The least amount of leaf litter was documented on top of nest mounds (33.8 ± 136.1 g), and the greatest amount on the forest floor 15 m from ant nests (55.1 ± 12.1 g)
Summary
Leaf-cutter ants (Atta spp.) are considered conspicuous herbivores in the neotropics [1, 2] Their role in the ecosystem, goes well beyond their herbivory because their construction and maintenance of nests causes diverse impacts to soil [3, 4] with consequences for recruitment dynamics, [5,6,7,8,9] nutrient access [10, 11], and growth of nearby vegetation [12]. In order to respond to these questions, we hypothesize that leaf-cutter ant trails and nest building (i) blocks fire spread by removing potential fuels and (ii) reduces the total burned area, especially at the forest edge, where they are more abundant
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