Formicidae is an abundant group in the soil and is also well distributed in all vegetation strata, representing a good model for studies on vertical stratification of the fauna. The aim of this study was to verify a possible stratification of ant assemblages inhabiting the soil, the lower and the higher vegetation strata. Data was collected in the Serra de Caldas Novas State Park, in an area of cerrado strictu sensu. Ant collection was performed using pitfall traps. A total of 11 traps were placed in the soil, 17 in the lower vegetation stratum (dominated by shrubs and small trees) and 23 in the higher vegetation stratum (dominated by taller, mature trees). Forty-nine species of ants from 15 genera and five subfamilies were collected. Accumulation curves indicated that there is 37.5% more species in the soil than in mature trees and 35% more species in mature trees than in shrubs/young trees. There was not a clear vertical stratification between the soil and the two vegetation strata. Therefore, the species present in the vegetation tended to represent a nested subset of those found in the soil. Even without a clear vertical stratification, the diversity of ants in the cerrado vegetation is high, and part of this diversity appears to be explained by the fact that some species are specialized in nesting and/or foraging in the soil, while others in the vegetation.
Ant assemblages; ant-plant interactions; richness; composition; similarity
