The effect of mechanical and chemical undergrowth weedings on an ant community was tested in eucalypts plantations and the consequences of such treatments were evaluated at Bom Despacho, Minas Gerais State, Brazil. The ants were collected by applying the Winkler trap method. Eighty-six species of six sub-families were found. Eight days after the clearings, the number of species dropped to 1/4 in both weedings systems. Sixty days later, the number of species tended to return to the initial level, showing that undergrowth elimination caused an immediate depressive effect on the ant community of similar intensity and over a short time. The reasons of the variations observed are discussed.
Formicidae; eucalypts; management; diversity; litter
