Act locally, think globally. Ant studies in Argentina in the context of ecological theory
Building and testing general principles is key to accelerate scientific progress. Here, we review the studies performed in Argentina in which ants were used as model organisms, in the context of ecological theories, hypotheses and concepts. Specifically, we focus on ant studies performed under the conceptual frameworks of ecological engineering, indirect interactions, seed dispersal, community assembly rules, biological invasions and integrated pest management. Those studies contributed to 1) supporting the concept of ecological engineers through the study of the physical changes in the environment caused by ants through the building and maintenance of their nests, and their consequences on other organisms such as soil biota, plants and herbivores; 2) questioning the convergence hypothesis, which proposes that independently assembled communities in similar, but geographically distant habitats converge in composition and functioning under similar environmental pressures; 3) showing that directed seed dispersal is an important process to increase plant performance in desert ecosystems; 4) understanding the type of control which prevails in communities (top-down or bottom-up); 5) emphasizing the relevance of indirect interactions in the structure and functioning of ecosystems with examples of trophic cascades, indirect facilitation, exploitative competition and trait-mediated effects; 6) a better understanding of the causes of success or failure of biological invasions, via the study of the behavioral and demographic characteristics of invasive ant species in their native area, and the role of biotic resistance and mutualism facilitation; and 7) exploring the concept of integrated pest management via the study of the use of natural enemies, repellents and attractants, and the knowledge about the feeding and foraging behavior of pests. This body of work reinforces the key role of ants as model organisms to test ecological hypotheses and highlights the importance of using conceptual frameworks as guidance to better understand the complexity of natural systems.
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Asociación Argentina de Ecología
2022
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Farji-Brener, Alejandro Pirk, Gabriela Lescano, María N. Elizalde, Luciana Werenkraut, Victoria Buteler, Micaela Alma, Andrea M. Ortiz, Daniela Devegili, Andrés M. |
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Farji-Brener, Alejandro Pirk, Gabriela Lescano, María N. Elizalde, Luciana Werenkraut, Victoria Buteler, Micaela Alma, Andrea M. Ortiz, Daniela Devegili, Andrés M. Act locally, think globally. Ant studies in Argentina in the context of ecological theory |
| author_facet |
Farji-Brener, Alejandro Pirk, Gabriela Lescano, María N. Elizalde, Luciana Werenkraut, Victoria Buteler, Micaela Alma, Andrea M. Ortiz, Daniela Devegili, Andrés M. |
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Farji-Brener, Alejandro |
| title |
Act locally, think globally. Ant studies in Argentina in the context of ecological theory |
| title_short |
Act locally, think globally. Ant studies in Argentina in the context of ecological theory |
| title_full |
Act locally, think globally. Ant studies in Argentina in the context of ecological theory |
| title_fullStr |
Act locally, think globally. Ant studies in Argentina in the context of ecological theory |
| title_full_unstemmed |
Act locally, think globally. Ant studies in Argentina in the context of ecological theory |
| title_sort |
act locally, think globally. ant studies in argentina in the context of ecological theory |
| description |
Building and testing general principles is key to accelerate scientific progress. Here, we review the studies performed in Argentina in which ants were used as model organisms, in the context of ecological theories, hypotheses and concepts. Specifically, we focus on ant studies performed under the conceptual frameworks of ecological engineering, indirect interactions, seed dispersal, community assembly rules, biological invasions and integrated pest management. Those studies contributed to 1) supporting the concept of ecological engineers through the study of the physical changes in the environment caused by ants through the building and maintenance of their nests, and their consequences on other organisms such as soil biota, plants and herbivores; 2) questioning the convergence hypothesis, which proposes that independently assembled communities in similar, but geographically distant habitats converge in composition and functioning under similar environmental pressures; 3) showing that directed seed dispersal is an important process to increase plant performance in desert ecosystems; 4) understanding the type of control which prevails in communities (top-down or bottom-up); 5) emphasizing the relevance of indirect interactions in the structure and functioning of ecosystems with examples of trophic cascades, indirect facilitation, exploitative competition and trait-mediated effects; 6) a better understanding of the causes of success or failure of biological invasions, via the study of the behavioral and demographic characteristics of invasive ant species in their native area, and the role of biotic resistance and mutualism facilitation; and 7) exploring the concept of integrated pest management via the study of the use of natural enemies, repellents and attractants, and the knowledge about the feeding and foraging behavior of pests. This body of work reinforces the key role of ants as model organisms to test ecological hypotheses and highlights the importance of using conceptual frameworks as guidance to better understand the complexity of natural systems. |
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Asociación Argentina de Ecología |
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2022 |
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https://ojs.ecologiaaustral.com.ar/index.php/Ecologia_Austral/article/view/1799 |
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rev-ecoaus-article-17992023-11-02T15:38:48Z Act locally, think globally. Ant studies in Argentina in the context of ecological theory Actuar localmente, pensar globalmente. Estudios de hormigas en la Argentina en el contexto de la teoría ecológica Farji-Brener, Alejandro Pirk, Gabriela Lescano, María N. Elizalde, Luciana Werenkraut, Victoria Buteler, Micaela Alma, Andrea M. Ortiz, Daniela Devegili, Andrés M. ants biological invasions ecological hypotheses ecological engineering seed dispersal pest control indirect interactions control de plagas dispersión de semillas hipótesis ecológicas hormigas ingeniería ecológica interacciones indirectas invasiones biológicas Building and testing general principles is key to accelerate scientific progress. Here, we review the studies performed in Argentina in which ants were used as model organisms, in the context of ecological theories, hypotheses and concepts. Specifically, we focus on ant studies performed under the conceptual frameworks of ecological engineering, indirect interactions, seed dispersal, community assembly rules, biological invasions and integrated pest management. Those studies contributed to 1) supporting the concept of ecological engineers through the study of the physical changes in the environment caused by ants through the building and maintenance of their nests, and their consequences on other organisms such as soil biota, plants and herbivores; 2) questioning the convergence hypothesis, which proposes that independently assembled communities in similar, but geographically distant habitats converge in composition and functioning under similar environmental pressures; 3) showing that directed seed dispersal is an important process to increase plant performance in desert ecosystems; 4) understanding the type of control which prevails in communities (top-down or bottom-up); 5) emphasizing the relevance of indirect interactions in the structure and functioning of ecosystems with examples of trophic cascades, indirect facilitation, exploitative competition and trait-mediated effects; 6) a better understanding of the causes of success or failure of biological invasions, via the study of the behavioral and demographic characteristics of invasive ant species in their native area, and the role of biotic resistance and mutualism facilitation; and 7) exploring the concept of integrated pest management via the study of the use of natural enemies, repellents and attractants, and the knowledge about the feeding and foraging behavior of pests. This body of work reinforces the key role of ants as model organisms to test ecological hypotheses and highlights the importance of using conceptual frameworks as guidance to better understand the complexity of natural systems. Construir y probar principios generales es clave para acelerar el progreso científico. En este trabajo revisaremos los estudios realizados en la Argentina en los que las hormigas se usaron como organismo modelo para probar teorías, hipótesis y conceptos ecológicos. Específicamente, nos enfocaremos en los marcos conceptuales de ingeniería ecológica, interacciones indirectas, dispersión de semillas, ensamble de comunidades, invasiones biológicas y manejo integrado de plagas. Estos estudios contribuyeron a: 1) apoyar el concepto de ingenieros ecológicos al estudiar las modificaciones en el ambiente realizadas por las hormigas al construir y mantener sus hormigueros, y las consecuencias de estas modificaciones sobre la biota del suelo, las plantas y los herbívoros; 2) cuestionar la hipótesis de convergencia, que propone que comunidades independientes en ambientes parecidos, pero distantes geográficamente, convergen en composición y funcionamiento; 3) demostrar que la dispersión directa es un proceso que incrementa la adecuación de las plantas en sistemas desérticos; 4) comprender el tipo de control que prevalece en las comunidades (de arriba hacia abajo o de abajo hacia arriba); 5) enfatizar la relevancia de las interacciones indirectas, con ejemplos de cascadas tróficas, facilitación indirecta, competencia por explotación y efectos mediados por rasgos; 6) comprender mejor las causas del éxito o fracaso de las invasiones biológicas, a través del estudio de las características comportamentales y demográficas de las hormigas invasoras en su área nativa, y el papel de la resistencia biótica y la facilitación por mutualismos; y 7) explorar el concepto de manejo integrado de plagas estudiando el uso de enemigos naturales, repelentes y atrayentes, y el comportamiento de la alimentación de plagas. Todos estos trabajos refuerzan el papel clave de las hormigas como organismo modelo para poner a prueba hipótesis ecológicas, y enfatizan la importancia de usar marcos conceptuales como guía para comprender mejor la complejidad de los sistemas naturales. Asociación Argentina de Ecología 2022-04-14 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion Artículos application/pdf https://ojs.ecologiaaustral.com.ar/index.php/Ecologia_Austral/article/view/1799 10.25260/EA.22.32.2.1.1799 Ecología Austral; Vol. 32 No. 2 (2022): August 2022. Pages 599-820; 601-619 Ecología Austral; Vol. 32 Núm. 2 (2022): August 2022. Pages 599-820; 601-619 0327-5477 1667-7838 eng https://ojs.ecologiaaustral.com.ar/index.php/Ecologia_Austral/article/view/1799/1180 Derechos de autor 2022 Alejandro Farji-Brener, Gabriela Pirk, María N. Lescano, Luciana Elizalde, Victoria Werenkraut, Micaela Buteler, Andrea M. Alma, Daniela Ortiz, Andrés M. Devegili https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ |