Time to go home: The temporal threshold in the regeneration of the ant community in the Brazilian savanna

Abstract The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of succession stages of regeneration of the Brazilian savanna (Cerrado) on the richness, diversity, trophic guilds, and community composition of ants looking for taxonomic and functional changes in the community. The areas included an active pasture that had been created within the past six months, areas with several years of abandonment with different degrees of natural Brazilian savanna regeneration (from 2 to 15 years), and two large remnants of native forest that had been preserved for at least 40 years. Collections were carried out in 56 plots using sardine baits and an active search for a period of one hour in each plot. In addition to calculating the regeneration age, we evaluated successional stages by measuring vegetal characteristics in each plot. A total of 60 species was obtained, distributed in 28 genera and 8 subfamilies, and these demonstrated a direct association with the regeneration age of the areas, as well as their richness and diversity of ants. Areas with initial regeneration showed a greater proportion of generalist species and, as plant succession increased, generalist species decreased. A temporal threshold of 5–6 years for regeneration age was observed, when the community structure tended to stabilize. We observed that the maintenance of a minimum quantity of vegetation in areas destined for livestock can efficiently preserve ant diversity.