02665nas a2200229   4500008004100000245009900041210006900140300001200209490000700221520194100228653002602169653001202195653002602207653001302233653002902246653002002275653002502295653003102320100001502351700001602366856005302382       2004                        eng d00aCharacterizing termite assemblages in fragmented forests: A test case in the Argentinian Chaco0 aCharacterizing termite assemblages in fragmented forests A test   a637-6460 v293 aTermites are major decomposers in tropical ecosystems. To characterize their assemblages in terms of taxonomical and functional composition, Jones and Eggleton (2000, Journal of Applied Ecology 37, 191–203) recently proposed a standardized sampling protocol based on belt transects of 100 m  2 m. We evaluated the represent- ativeness of samples obtained by this protocol, and its suitability to calculate diversity statistics, by replicating it in an area of naturally fragmented subtropical forest. We sampled six 100 m transects in separate small forest islets, and one transect extended to 500 m in a large islet, recording presence/absence data (occurrences) of termite species in successive quadrats of 5 m  2 m. In the large islet, strips of 100 m within the 500 m transect produced extremely variable species richness figures. This variability was primarily due to heterogeneity in the spatial distribution of soil- dwelling termites. Combining non-contiguous quadrats allowed us to span a broader diversity of microhabitats for an equal effort, providing less variable results and faster species accumulation. Individual transects of 100 m in small forest islets yielded too few samples to allow reliable estimations of total species richness, although these transects when pooled constituted a useful data set for comparison with other sites. In the focal habitat, a single 100 m transect appeared therefore inadequate to allow a reliable characterization of the termite assemblage, even at the level of a single forest islet. To improve the rate of species accumulation and to obtain diversity statistics allowing intersite comparisons, we suggest the use of smaller, non-contiguous quadrats, and that sampling be continued until stable diversity estimates are obtained. In the habitat studied, such an alternative protocol could be adequately combined with a standardized protocol for collecting ground-dwelling ants10acommunity composition10ageneity10ahabitat fragmentation10aisoptera10asampling standardization10aspatial hetero-10aspecies accumulation10aspecies richness estimates1 aRoisin, Y.1 aLeponce, M.  uhttps://insectafgseag.myspecies.info/fr/node/42600453nas a2200157   4500008004100000245005200041210005200093300001200145490000700157100001700164700001600181700001600197700001400213700001500227856005300242       2008                        eng d00aRainfall Influences Ant Sampling in Dry Forests0 aRainfall Influences Ant Sampling in Dry Forests  a590-5960 v401 aDelsinne, T.1 aLeponce, M.1 aTheunis, L.1 aBraet, Y.1 aRoisin, Y.  uhttps://insectafgseag.myspecies.info/fr/node/27801873nas a2200145   4500008004100000245008700041210006900128300001000197490000700207520141200214100001701626700001501643700001601658856005301674       2007                        eng d00aSpatial and temporal foraging overlaps in a Chacoan ground-foraging ant assemblage0 aSpatial and temporal foraging overlaps in a Chacoan groundforagi  a29-440 v713 aIn arid habitats ant temporal foraging results from a set of trade-offs between species food discovery and food domination ability and between species thermal tolerance and behavioral dominance. We investigated how this set of trade-offs structures the spatial co-occurrence of ants during foraging, hence focusing on interspecific competition. The consequences of food type on the spatio-temporal foraging structure were also studied because food preferences were expected to optimize the restricted foraging time and space of thermophilic species. The food partitioning between 24 species attracted to protein or carbohydrate baits was studied in a dry forest of the Paraguayan Chaco. Baits were spaced at one meter intervals and inspected every 15 min over 90-min sessions conducted during mornings and afternoons. Null model analyses revealed a temporal food partitioning during afternoon sessions and a spatial partitioning, influenced by both thermal conditions and interspecific competition. Bait type did not influence the spatio-temporal foraging. Unexpectedly, evidence of interspecific competition was scarce and avoidance rather than overt conflicts appeared to be the rule of thumb. Overall, the spatio-temporal food exploitation at a small scale was affected by temperature and stochastic processes. This demonstrates that chance structures ant foraging even in constraining arid environments.1 aDelsinne, T.1 aRoisin, Y.1 aLeponce, M.  uhttps://insectafgseag.myspecies.info/fr/node/279