O PAPEL DA SELEÇÃO, DISPERSÃO E DERIVA ECOLÓGICA NA MONTAGEM DE COMUNIDADES DE FORMIGAS NA AMAZÔNIA

Abstract

The theory of ecological communities states that communities are assembled by the influence of four high-level ecological processes: selection, dispersal, ecological drift, and speciation. Thus, the organization of communities of any organism is governed by the combination of these processes. This thesis investigated how three ecological processes (selection, dispersal, and ecological drift) can contribute to assembling litter-dwelling ant communities in the Amazon Basin. In the first chapter, we sought to understand how selection and dispersal influence the composition differences between communities (beta diversity) of ant communities across a broad latitudinal gradient, ranging from dense forests to savannas. In the second chapter, we aimed to understand how ecological drift and selection interact and influence the beta diversity of ant communities in Northern Pantanal, a large area in the north of Amazon subject to seasonal flooding. Our results indicate that, at a regional level, there is a balance of influence of dispersal and selection on communities. At a local level, ecological drift did not weaken the strength of selection on the beta diversity of ant communities. We conclude that the selection on local and regional scales strongly structures the assembly of ant communities in the Amazon.