Moisture enhances the positive effect of leaf-cutting ant refuse dumps on soil biota activity

Autores
Fernandez, Anahi Rocio; Farji Brener, Alejandro Gustavo; Satti, Patricia
Año de publicación
2013
Idioma
inglés
Tipo de recurso
artículo
Estado
versión publicada
Descripción
Soil biota activity in arid lands is often limited by the availability of water and organic matter. We experimentally explored whether small changes in soil moisture affect the activity of soil biota in external refuse dumps of the leaf-cutting ant Acromyrmex lobicornis, one of the most important sources of organic matter in a semi-arid land of north-western Patagonia. We estimated CO2 consumption in refuse dumps and in adjacent, non-nest soil samples at two moisture levels, after 48 and 72 h. Soil biota activity, estimated by respiration rates, was up to 160 times greater in refuse dumps than in adjacent, non-nest soils. Activity of soil biota in non-nest soil did not change through time and was not affected by moisture. Conversely, soil biota increased their activity in refuse dump samples only at high moisture condition after 72 h. As the activity of microorganisms is key for soil nutrient generation and availability, refuse dumps may be considered as ‘islands of fertility’ for plants. This effect may be especially important after sporadic spring rainfalls, when the beneficial effect of refuse dumps on soil biota is enhanced. In addition, as refuse dumps generate several times more CO2 than non-nest soils, nest areas may be considered also as hot spots of CO2 emissions. These results illustrate the potential importance of ant nests for nutrient cycling, maintenance of plant cover and carbon balance in arid ecosystems.
Fil: Fernandez, Anahi Rocio. Universidad Nacional del Comahue; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina
Fil: Farji Brener, Alejandro Gustavo. Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Centro Regional Universitario Bariloche. Laboratorio de Ecotono; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina
Fil: Satti, Patricia. Universidad Nacional de Rio Negro. Sede Andina. Escuela de Producción, Tecnología y Medio Ambiente; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina
Materia
Acromyrmex Lobicornis
Ant Debris
Arid Ecosystem
Patagonia
Soil Fertility
Nivel de accesibilidad
acceso abierto
Condiciones de uso
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.5/ar/
Repositorio
CONICET Digital (CONICET)
Institución
Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
OAI Identificador
oai:ri.conicet.gov.ar:11336/26674
Acceder
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oai_identifier_str oai:ri.conicet.gov.ar:11336/26674
network_acronym_str CONICETDig
repository_id_str 3498
network_name_str CONICET Digital (CONICET)
spelling Moisture enhances the positive effect of leaf-cutting ant refuse dumps on soil biota activityFernandez, Anahi RocioFarji Brener, Alejandro GustavoSatti, PatriciaAcromyrmex LobicornisAnt DebrisArid EcosystemPatagoniaSoil Fertilityhttps://purl.org/becyt/ford/1.6https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1Soil biota activity in arid lands is often limited by the availability of water and organic matter. We experimentally explored whether small changes in soil moisture affect the activity of soil biota in external refuse dumps of the leaf-cutting ant Acromyrmex lobicornis, one of the most important sources of organic matter in a semi-arid land of north-western Patagonia. We estimated CO2 consumption in refuse dumps and in adjacent, non-nest soil samples at two moisture levels, after 48 and 72 h. Soil biota activity, estimated by respiration rates, was up to 160 times greater in refuse dumps than in adjacent, non-nest soils. Activity of soil biota in non-nest soil did not change through time and was not affected by moisture. Conversely, soil biota increased their activity in refuse dump samples only at high moisture condition after 72 h. As the activity of microorganisms is key for soil nutrient generation and availability, refuse dumps may be considered as ‘islands of fertility’ for plants. This effect may be especially important after sporadic spring rainfalls, when the beneficial effect of refuse dumps on soil biota is enhanced. In addition, as refuse dumps generate several times more CO2 than non-nest soils, nest areas may be considered also as hot spots of CO2 emissions. These results illustrate the potential importance of ant nests for nutrient cycling, maintenance of plant cover and carbon balance in arid ecosystems.Fil: Fernandez, Anahi Rocio. Universidad Nacional del Comahue; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Farji Brener, Alejandro Gustavo. Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Centro Regional Universitario Bariloche. Laboratorio de Ecotono; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Satti, Patricia. Universidad Nacional de Rio Negro. Sede Andina. Escuela de Producción, Tecnología y Medio Ambiente; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaWiley2013-05info:eu-repo/semantics/articleinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersionhttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501info:ar-repo/semantics/articuloapplication/pdfapplication/pdfapplication/pdfhttp://hdl.handle.net/11336/26674Fernandez, Anahi Rocio; Farji Brener, Alejandro Gustavo; Satti, Patricia; Moisture enhances the positive effect of leaf-cutting ant refuse dumps on soil biota activity; Wiley; Austral Ecology; 39; 2; 5-2013; 198-2031442-9985CONICET DigitalCONICETenginfo:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.1111/aec.12059info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/url/http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/aec.12059/abstractinfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccesshttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.5/ar/reponame:CONICET Digital (CONICET)instname:Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas2025-09-03T09:55:56Zoai:ri.conicet.gov.ar:11336/26674instacron:CONICETInstitucionalhttp://ri.conicet.gov.ar/Organismo científico-tecnológicoNo correspondehttp://ri.conicet.gov.ar/oai/requestdasensio@conicet.gov.ar; lcarlino@conicet.gov.arArgentinaNo correspondeNo correspondeNo correspondeopendoar:34982025-09-03 09:55:57.41CONICET Digital (CONICET) - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicasfalse
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv Moisture enhances the positive effect of leaf-cutting ant refuse dumps on soil biota activity
title Moisture enhances the positive effect of leaf-cutting ant refuse dumps on soil biota activity
spellingShingle Moisture enhances the positive effect of leaf-cutting ant refuse dumps on soil biota activity
Fernandez, Anahi Rocio
Acromyrmex Lobicornis
Ant Debris
Arid Ecosystem
Patagonia
Soil Fertility
title_short Moisture enhances the positive effect of leaf-cutting ant refuse dumps on soil biota activity
title_full Moisture enhances the positive effect of leaf-cutting ant refuse dumps on soil biota activity
title_fullStr Moisture enhances the positive effect of leaf-cutting ant refuse dumps on soil biota activity
title_full_unstemmed Moisture enhances the positive effect of leaf-cutting ant refuse dumps on soil biota activity
title_sort Moisture enhances the positive effect of leaf-cutting ant refuse dumps on soil biota activity
dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv Fernandez, Anahi Rocio
Farji Brener, Alejandro Gustavo
Satti, Patricia
author Fernandez, Anahi Rocio
author_facet Fernandez, Anahi Rocio
Farji Brener, Alejandro Gustavo
Satti, Patricia
author_role author
author2 Farji Brener, Alejandro Gustavo
Satti, Patricia
author2_role author
author
dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv Acromyrmex Lobicornis
Ant Debris
Arid Ecosystem
Patagonia
Soil Fertility
topic Acromyrmex Lobicornis
Ant Debris
Arid Ecosystem
Patagonia
Soil Fertility
purl_subject.fl_str_mv https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1.6
https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1
dc.description.none.fl_txt_mv Soil biota activity in arid lands is often limited by the availability of water and organic matter. We experimentally explored whether small changes in soil moisture affect the activity of soil biota in external refuse dumps of the leaf-cutting ant Acromyrmex lobicornis, one of the most important sources of organic matter in a semi-arid land of north-western Patagonia. We estimated CO2 consumption in refuse dumps and in adjacent, non-nest soil samples at two moisture levels, after 48 and 72 h. Soil biota activity, estimated by respiration rates, was up to 160 times greater in refuse dumps than in adjacent, non-nest soils. Activity of soil biota in non-nest soil did not change through time and was not affected by moisture. Conversely, soil biota increased their activity in refuse dump samples only at high moisture condition after 72 h. As the activity of microorganisms is key for soil nutrient generation and availability, refuse dumps may be considered as ‘islands of fertility’ for plants. This effect may be especially important after sporadic spring rainfalls, when the beneficial effect of refuse dumps on soil biota is enhanced. In addition, as refuse dumps generate several times more CO2 than non-nest soils, nest areas may be considered also as hot spots of CO2 emissions. These results illustrate the potential importance of ant nests for nutrient cycling, maintenance of plant cover and carbon balance in arid ecosystems.
Fil: Fernandez, Anahi Rocio. Universidad Nacional del Comahue; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina
Fil: Farji Brener, Alejandro Gustavo. Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Centro Regional Universitario Bariloche. Laboratorio de Ecotono; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina
Fil: Satti, Patricia. Universidad Nacional de Rio Negro. Sede Andina. Escuela de Producción, Tecnología y Medio Ambiente; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina
description Soil biota activity in arid lands is often limited by the availability of water and organic matter. We experimentally explored whether small changes in soil moisture affect the activity of soil biota in external refuse dumps of the leaf-cutting ant Acromyrmex lobicornis, one of the most important sources of organic matter in a semi-arid land of north-western Patagonia. We estimated CO2 consumption in refuse dumps and in adjacent, non-nest soil samples at two moisture levels, after 48 and 72 h. Soil biota activity, estimated by respiration rates, was up to 160 times greater in refuse dumps than in adjacent, non-nest soils. Activity of soil biota in non-nest soil did not change through time and was not affected by moisture. Conversely, soil biota increased their activity in refuse dump samples only at high moisture condition after 72 h. As the activity of microorganisms is key for soil nutrient generation and availability, refuse dumps may be considered as ‘islands of fertility’ for plants. This effect may be especially important after sporadic spring rainfalls, when the beneficial effect of refuse dumps on soil biota is enhanced. In addition, as refuse dumps generate several times more CO2 than non-nest soils, nest areas may be considered also as hot spots of CO2 emissions. These results illustrate the potential importance of ant nests for nutrient cycling, maintenance of plant cover and carbon balance in arid ecosystems.
publishDate 2013
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2013-05
dc.type.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/article
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
http://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501
info:ar-repo/semantics/articulo
format article
status_str publishedVersion
dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv http://hdl.handle.net/11336/26674
Fernandez, Anahi Rocio; Farji Brener, Alejandro Gustavo; Satti, Patricia; Moisture enhances the positive effect of leaf-cutting ant refuse dumps on soil biota activity; Wiley; Austral Ecology; 39; 2; 5-2013; 198-203
1442-9985
CONICET Digital
CONICET
url http://hdl.handle.net/11336/26674
identifier_str_mv Fernandez, Anahi Rocio; Farji Brener, Alejandro Gustavo; Satti, Patricia; Moisture enhances the positive effect of leaf-cutting ant refuse dumps on soil biota activity; Wiley; Austral Ecology; 39; 2; 5-2013; 198-203
1442-9985
CONICET Digital
CONICET
dc.language.none.fl_str_mv eng
language eng
dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.1111/aec.12059
info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/url/http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/aec.12059/abstract
dc.rights.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.5/ar/
eu_rights_str_mv openAccess
rights_invalid_str_mv https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.5/ar/
dc.format.none.fl_str_mv application/pdf
application/pdf
application/pdf
dc.publisher.none.fl_str_mv Wiley
publisher.none.fl_str_mv Wiley
dc.source.none.fl_str_mv reponame:CONICET Digital (CONICET)
instname:Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
reponame_str CONICET Digital (CONICET)
collection CONICET Digital (CONICET)
instname_str Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
repository.name.fl_str_mv CONICET Digital (CONICET) - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
repository.mail.fl_str_mv dasensio@conicet.gov.ar; lcarlino@conicet.gov.ar
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score 13.13397

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