Environmental bioindicators: ants as a tool for monitoring urban green in the south of Portugal.

Abstract

Ants contribute to the regulation and survival of many organisms as a result of being involved in numerous interactions through herbivory, predation and/or mutualism with other organisms, such as bacteria, plants, fungi, arthropods and vertebrates. Until recently, it was thought that urban areas were not interesting for biodiversity studies. However, there is much research on ant diversity in green areas within urban landscapes worldwide. In fact, urban ecosystems can ensure a high diversity of native ant species and contribute to their preservation. The present study was aimed at providing a baseline data on ant species diversity in Polytechnic Institute of Beja Campus and evaluating the disturbance level of habitats exposed to different anthropogenic pressure, using ants as bio-indicators of ecosystem health. Each species was classified according the functional groups used for Iberian Peninsula. Sampling was carried out from May to August, by installing 12 pitfall traps in three different habitats. In total, 17 ant species were identified. The results showed that although all the plots are disturbed, since they are ecosystems strongly managed by man; the average value of disturbance index is 53%, but the Disturbance index in each plot ranged from 60 to 75.