Abstract
Ant species diversity was monitored along a mining path rehabilitated four to eleven years previously. The mining path at Hawks Nest (32°30′S, 152°30′E) passes through closed heath and scrub with some open forest patches. Ant species richness, ant species diversity and the number of individuals seemed to be more dependent on the structure of the ant community present than on site variables. The equitability component however showed a linear increase with time, from which it could be predicted that mined plots would not reach the values on control plots in less than 17 years (95% C.I. 13–21 yrs).
An abrupt replacement of species comprising the ant community occurred approximately nine years after rehabilitation. This can be related to replacement of the dominant species and has been interpreted as interspecific competition determining the structure and hence the diversity of the ant community.
Predictive multiple regression equations for species diversity, species richness and the number of individual ants, on mined plots, account for 73%, 79% and 93% of each variance respectively. Independent variables used in the equations were: a floristic component (the absence of a group of plant species found in mature heath); foliage height diversity; the amount of vegetation in vegetation layers (20 to 50 cm and 50 to 100 cm); and soil hardness.
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Fox, M.D., Fox, B.J. (1982). Evidence for interspecific competition influencing ant species diversity in a regenerating heathland. In: Buckley, R.C. (eds) Ant-plant interactions in Australia. Geobotany, vol 4. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-7994-9_10
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-7994-9_10
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