@article {33477, title = {Habitat and species identity, not diversity, predict the extent of refuse consumption by urban arthropods}, journal = {Global Change Biology}, year = {2014}, month = {Jan-12-2014}, pages = {n/a - n/a}, abstract = {

Urban green spaces provide ecosystem services to city residents, but their management is hindered by a poor understanding of their ecology. We examined a novel ecosystem service relevant to urban public health and esthetics: the consumption of littered food waste by arthropods. Theory and data from natural systems suggest that the magnitude and resilience of this service should increase with biological diversity. We measured food removal by presenting known quantities of cookies, potato chips, and hot dogs in street medians (24 sites) and parks (21 sites) in New York City, USA. At the same sites, we assessed ground-arthropod diversity and abiotic conditions, including history of flooding during Hurricane Sandy 7\ months prior to the study. Arthropod diversity was greater in parks (on average 11 hexapod families and 4.7 ant species per site), than in medians (nine hexapod families and 2.7 ant species per site). However, counter to our diversity-based prediction, arthropods in medians removed 2\–3 times more food per day than did those in parks. We detected no effect of flooding (at 19 sites) on this service. Instead, greater food removal was associated with the presence of the introduced pavement ant (Tetramorium\ sp. E) and with hotter, drier conditions that may have increased arthropod metabolism. When vertebrates also had access to food, more was removed, indicating that arthropods and vertebrates compete for littered food. We estimate that arthropods alone could remove 4\–6.5\ kg of food per year in a single street median, reducing its availability to less desirable fauna such as rats. Our results suggest that species identity and habitat may be more relevant than diversity for predicting urban ecosystem services. Even small green spaces such as street medians provide ecosystem services that may complement those of larger habitat patches across the urban landscape.

}, keywords = {Ants, arthropods, biodiversity, ecosystem service, hurricane, urban food waste, urbanization}, doi = {10.1111/gcb.12791}, url = {http://doi.wiley.com/10.1111/gcb.12791}, author = {Youngsteadt, Elsa and Henderson, Ryanna C. and Savage, Amy M. and Ernst, Andrew F. and Dunn, Robert R. and Frank, Steven D.} } @article {4652, title = {Antweb. Ants of Utah}, volume = {2012}, number = {October 15}, year = {2012}, url = {http://www.antweb.org/utah.jsp}, author = {Stefan Cover and David Lubertazzi} } @article {4652, title = {Antweb. Ants of Texas}, volume = {2012}, number = {October 15}, year = {2012}, url = {http://www.antweb.org/texas.jsp}, author = {Lloyd Davis} } @article {4652, title = {Antweb. Ants of Pennsylvania}, volume = {2012}, number = {October 15}, year = {2012}, url = {http://www.antweb.org/pennsylvania.jsp}, author = {W. Barkley Butler} } @article {4652, title = {Antweb. Ants of Ohio}, volume = {2012}, number = {October 15}, year = {2012}, url = {http://www.antweb.org/ohio.jsp}, author = {Kaloyan Ivanov} } @article {4652, title = {Antweb. Ants of New Mexico}, volume = {2012}, number = {October 15}, year = {2012}, url = {http://www.antweb.org/newmexico.jsp}, author = {William Mackay} } @article {3677, title = {Polydomy in ants: what we know, what we think we know, and what remains to be done}, journal = {Biological Journal of the Linnean Society}, volume = {90}, year = {2007}, note = {Part of FORMIS 07; from NAL{\textquoteright}s AGRICOLA; from Fire Ant Literature Database; from-DPW, verified-DPW.}, month = {February 2007}, pages = {319-348}, abstract = {

The correct identification of colony boundaries is an essential prerequisite for empirical studies of ant behavior and evolution. Ant colonies function at various organizational levels, and these boundaries may be difficult to assess. Moreover, new complexity can be generated through the presence of spatially discrete subgroups within a more or less genetically homogeneous colony, a situation called polydomy. A colony is polydomous only if individuals (workers and brood) of its constituent nests function as a social and cooperative unit and are regularly interchanged among nests. This condition was previously called polycalic, and the term polydomy was used in a broader sense for a group of daughter nests of the same mother colony (implying limited female dispersal), without regard to whether these different nests continued to exchange individuals. We think that this distinction between \&$\#$39;polycaly\&$\#$39; and \&$\#$39;polydomy\&$\#$39; concerns two disparate concepts. We thus prefer the narrower definition of polydomy, which groups individuals that interact socially. Does this new level of organization affect the way in which natural selection acts on social traits? Here, after examining the history of terms, we review all ant species that have been described as expressing polydomous structures. We show that there is no particular syndrome of traits predictably associated with polydomy. We detail the existing theoretical predictions and empirical results on the ecology of polydomy, and the impact of polydomy on social evolution and investment strategies, while carefully distinguishing monogynous from polygynous species. Finally, we propose a methodology for future studies and offer ideas about what remains to be done.

}, author = {Debout, G. and Schatz, B. and Elias, M. and Mckey, D.} }