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An evaluation of methods for sampling ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in British Columbia, Canada

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 May 2012

R.J. Higgins  and
B.S. Lindgren
R.J. Higgins*
Affiliation:
Department of Biological Sciences, Thompson Rivers University, 1250 Western Avenue, Williams Lake, British Columbia, V2G 1H7 Canada
B.S. Lindgren
Affiliation:
Natural Resources and Environmental Studies Institute, University of Northern British Columbia, 3333 University Way, Prince George, British Columbia, V2N 4Z9 Canada
*
1Corresponding author (e-mail: rhiggins@tru.ca).
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Abstract

Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) are ubiquitous and of considerable ecological interest, yet poorly studied in Canada. Given their natural history attributes and relatively low density and diversity in cool boreal forests, there is a need to evaluate the applicability of commonly used approaches to sampling and analysis. We examined the relative utility of two pitfall trap designs, mini-Winkler litter extractions, and colony versus forager sampling for ecological studies. First, we found that Laurent (conventional) and Nordlander (modified to exclude larger nontarget organisms) pitfall traps were equally efficacious for estimating total species richness. Second, pitfall trapping yielded marginally higher total species richness than mini-Winkler litter sampling, by the incidence-based estimator (Chao2). Third, two studies considering the relationship between captures of individual ants in pitfall traps and identified ant colonies argued for caution in how pitfall captures are interpreted. In the first study, Nordlander traps placed in a grid surrounding nests of Formica obscuripes Forel revealed unique and highly patchy captures of individuals, with no patterns relating to proximity to the nest. In the second study, abundance estimates to compare ant assemblage structure in a simple grassland ecosystem by pitfall trapping (relative) and area-based hand sampling (absolute) for colonies, revealed that relative sampling does not reflect the absolute ant assemblage structure. Our results support, equivocally, the use of pitfall traps (Nordlander) over mini-Winklers in the cool moist forests of west-central British Columbia, but individual specimen counts should not be used when analysing the data.

Résumé

Les fourmis (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) sont ubiquistes et elles présentent un intérêt écologique considérable, mais elles demeurent peu étudiées au Canada. À cause des caractéristiques de leur histoire naturelle et de leur densité et diversité relativement basses dans les forêts boréales fraîches, il est nécessaire d’évaluer l'applicabilité des méthodologies d’échantillonnage et d'analyse couramment en usage. Nous examinons l'utilité relative de deux modèles de pièges à fosse, de mini-extracteurs de litière de type Winkler et de l’échantillonnage des colonies plutôt que des individus en recherche de nourriture dans les études écologiques. D'abord, nous trouvons que les pièges à fosse de Laurent (modèle courant) et de Nordlander (modifiés pour exclure les organismes plus grands non ciblés) sont tout aussi efficaces pour estimer la richesse spécifique totale. De plus, les pièges à fosse indiquent une richesse spécifique légèrement plus élevée que les mini-échantillonneurs de litière Winkler, au moyen de l'estimateur basé sur l'incidence (Chao2). Troisièmement, deux études qui examinent la relation entre les captures de fourmis individuelles dans les pièges à fosse et les colonies de fourmis identifiées soulignent la nécessité de prudence dans l'interprétation des captures dans les pièges à fosse. Dans la première étude, des pièges de Nordlander placés sur une grille entourant des nids de Formica obscuripes Forel produisent des captures uniques et fortement contagieuses d'individus, mais sans patron associé à la proximité du nid. Dans la seconde étude, les estimations d'abondance pour comparer la structure des peuplements de fourmis dans un écosystème simple de prairie avec des pièges à fosse (relatives) et par récolte manuelle des colonies par surface (absolues) montrent que l’échantillonnage relatif ne reflète pas la structure du peuplement absolu de fourmis. Nos résultats appuient, de manière équivoque, l'utilisation des pièges à fosse (Nordlander) plutôt que des mini-appareils Winkler dans les forêts fraîches et humides du centre ouest de la Colombie-Britannique, mais on ne devrait pas faire de décomptes des spécimens individuels dans l'analyse des données.

Type
Original Article
Information
The Canadian Entomologist , Volume 144 , Issue 3 , 28 May 2012 , pp. 491 - 507
Copyright
Copyright © Entomological Society of Canada 2012

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