title: Comparison Between Ground Ant (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) Communities Foraging in the Straw Mulch of Sugarcane Crops and in the Leaf Litter of Neighboring Forests.
abstract: In many sugarcane plantations in Brazil, the straw is left on the soil after harvesting, and vinasse, a by-product of the production of sugar and ethanol, is used for fertigation. Our goal was to compare ant community composition and species richness in the straw mulch of sugarcane crops with the leaf litter of neighboring forests. We tested the hypothesis that ant communities in the straw mulch of vinasse-irrigated sugarcane crops and in the forest leaf litter were similar, because the combination of straw mulching and vinasse irrigation has a positive effect on soil fauna. Straw mulch and leaf litter were collected from 21 sites and placed in Berlese funnels. In total, 61 species were found in the forest leaf litter, whereas 34 and 28 species were found in the straw mulch of sugarcane fields with and without vinasse, respectively. Ant communities differed between forest and crop fields, but the species in the sugarcane straw mulch were a subset of the species found in the forest leaf litter. Although vinasse is rich in organic matter, it did not increase ant diversity. Seven feeding and/or foraging types were identified and, among the different types, surface-foraging omnivorous ants were the most prevalent in all habitats. Vinasse-irrigated sugarcane straw mulch had more predatory species than mulch from vinasse-free fields, but fewer than forest leaf litter. However, this positive effect of vinasse irrigation should be carefully evaluated because vinasse has negative effects on the environment.
authors.affiliation: Universidade de Mogi das Cruzes, Laboratório de Mirmecologia do Alto Tietê. Rua Dr. Cândido Xavier de Almeida e Souza, Zip code 08701-970, Mogi das Cruzes, São Paulo Brazil.
authors.forename: N S
authors.initials: NS
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.affiliation: Universidade de Mogi das Cruzes, Laboratório de Mirmecologia do Alto Tietê. Rua Dr. Cândido Xavier de Almeida e Souza, Zip code 08701-970, Mogi das Cruzes, São Paulo Brazil.
authors.forename: L P
authors.initials: LP
authors.lastname: Saad
authors.affiliation: Universidade de Mogi das Cruzes, Laboratório de Mirmecologia do Alto Tietê. Rua Dr. Cândido Xavier de Almeida e Souza, Zip code 08701-970, Mogi das Cruzes, São Paulo Brazil.
authors.forename: D R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Souza-Campana
authors.affiliation: Universidade Estadual Paulista Júlio de Mesquita Filho, Centro de Estudos de Insetos Sociais, Avenida 24-A, 1515. Bela Vista, Zip code 13.506-900, Rio Claro, São Paulo Brazil.
authors.forename: O C
authors.initials: OC
authors.lastname: Bueno
authors.affiliation: Universidade de Mogi das Cruzes, Laboratório de Mirmecologia do Alto Tietê. Rua Dr. Cândido Xavier de Almeida e Souza, Zip code 08701-970, Mogi das Cruzes, São Paulo Brazil.
authors.forename: M S C
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Morini
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001000:Ants / Q000502:physiology*; D044822:Biodiversity; D001938:Brazil; D065928:Forests; D018515:Plant Leaves; D031786:Saccharum / Q000254:growth & development; D012987:Soil
chemical_list: D012987:Soil
keywords: Saccharum officinarum; Vinasse; diversity; land management; predatory ant