Forest Cover and Geographic Distance Shape Ant Assemblages in the Southwestern Brazilian Amazon.

ABSTRACT: Understanding the drivers affecting species richness and composition in local communities is crucial for discerning differences among communities in a specific region. In large regions, a variety of environmental conditions shape diversity, reflecting the peculiarities of each location, such as available resources and species interactions. While many species are associated with forest habitats, some can adapt to open environments, reflecting how environmental changes affect ant assemblages. The southwestern Brazilian Amazon stands out for significant contrasts in precipitation and forest cover, with the drier and deforested east compared to the wetter and forested west. Thus, we investigated how precipitation, forest cover and spatial distance influence ant species richness and composition

SUBMITTER: Silva da Costa MM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12611350 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature