Structure of litter ant communities in extensive Eucalyptus grandis dunnii Maiden culture in Atlantic Forest areas

Abstract

Eucalyptus grandis currently is the most cultivated eucalyptus species for cellulose production in Brazil, due to its high yield per area unit. The hydrographic basin of the Alto Tietê River comprises the most of the remains of the Atlantic Forest in the state of São Paulo and has large areas grown with this taxon. The tropical forest litter is an environment that has high morphological diversity, and ants are important elements for the formation of this substrate. However, little is known about the factors that define the structure of ant communities in extensive eucalyptus cultures in the Atlantic Forest. Understanding these factors may contribute to recovery programs of abandoned or commercial managed eucalyptus culture areas. To this end, this project aims to study some of the structural components of litter and eucalyptus environments cultivated with the species that is most commercialized at present, in order to construct causal models of the factors that determine the richness and composition of ants in these forests. To ensure attaining this objective, we intend to analyze the richness and abundance of other selected invertebrates and the habitat structure. The sites chosen for this project have original floristic composition of dense ombrophile forest of Serra do Mar. We hope that the results will allow for the development of general explicative models of the trophic structure of litter in eucalyptus forests and provide information on the current state of ant communities in Atlantic Forest areas cultivated with E. grandis, which is of interest for conservation programs of the hydrographic basin of Alto Tiête, as ants are considered a bioindicator (AU)