Vertical Stratification Increases the Capacity of Morphological Traits to Predict Trophic Position in Neotropical Ants.

ABSTRACT: Morphology is a key functional trait that influences the ecophysiology of organisms. The use of morphological traits for understanding functional ecology is common in studies of ants, especially relating to their feeding biology. However, there is limited information on the predictive value of these traits in identifying the trophic position of ants. Moreover, although vertical stratification is a common feature of many ant assemblages, with distinct arboreal and ground-active communities, the influence of verticality on the relationship between morphology and trophic position is unknown. We used data from 73 ant species from Brazilian Cerrado to examine the strength of associations between nine morphological traits and trophic position, and to evaluate if this varies between vertical stra

SUBMITTER: Vieira J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12286619 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature