Local and landscape environmental heterogeneity drive ant community structure in temperate seminatural upland grasslands.

ABSTRACT: Environmental heterogeneity is an important driver of ecological communities. Here, we assessed the effects of local and landscape spatial environmental heterogeneity on ant community structure in temperate seminatural upland grasslands of Central Germany. We surveyed 33 grassland sites representing a gradient in elevation and landscape composition. Local environmental heterogeneity was measured in terms of variability of temperature and moisture within and between grasslands sites. Grassland management type (pasture vs. meadows) was additionally included as a local environmental heterogeneity measure. The complexity of habitat types in the surroundings of grassland sites was used as a measure of landscape environmental heterogeneity. As descriptors of ant community structure, we considere

SUBMITTER: Perez-Sanchez AJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10025078 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature