A Presentation made by the Ugandan team During the Closing Conference of the Conservation and Sustainable management of the Below Ground Biodiversity Project

1. Changes in the diversity of assemblages of ground-foraging ants in response to land use and agricultural intensification
1Anne M. Akol, 2Alan P. Lugoloobi, 3Mary J.N. Okwakol
1Department of Zoology, Makerere University, Box 7062, Kampala, Uganda; 2National Agricultural Research Laboratories-Kawanda, Box 7065, Kampala, Uganda; 3CSM-BGBD Project Uganda, Box 22474, Kampala, Uganda
Introduction Methods
The increasing d
Th i i demands f f d d
d for food due t growing h
to i human populations i th f
l ti in the face of d li i
f declining Sampling f ground assemblages of ants was d
S li for d bl f t done i M bi f
in Mabira forest (U
t (Uganda), a mid-altitude
d ) id ltit d
agricultural productivity have spurred new attention on soil resources, particularly how they tropical forest. The area comprises six broad land use types ranging from those used
could be improved and harnessed to sustain agricultural productivity. The challenge could be intensively in agriculture through medium intensity mixed cropping systems to less intensively
met by adopting more ecologically sound production practices that promote the activities of soil used intact forest. Ants were sampled using a combination of methods (monoliths, pitfall
biota, such as ants, that promote healthy soils. This study examined the impact of land-use traps, litter bags and from soil scrapes).
conversions and agricultural intensification on the diversity of ant communities in/on soil.
Results
Sixty-eight ant genera from six sub-families (Formicinae, Ponerinae, Myrmecinae, Dorylinae,
Dolichoderinae and Pseudomyrmecinae) were recovered. Ants of the Myrmecinae and
Ponerinae were the most prevalent while members of Dorylinae, Dolichoderinae and
Pseudomyrmecinae were less common.
Conversion of forest to other derived land-use forms and increasing agricultural intensification Forest-fallow interface
was associated with reduced richness and relative abundance of ants (Figures 1 and 2 Multiple cropping system sugarcane
respectively),
respectively) as well as changes in the composition of ant communities (Bray-Curtis Increasing intensification
distance metric and Ward clustering) (Figure 3)
Land use types Land use types
18 800
16 F5,90 = 5.623; P<0.001 700
Kobs = 18.366; df=5; P<0.01
14 R2 = 0.238
600
12
a 500
ance
ess
10 ab
richne
abunda
400
8 bc
300
6 bc c
c c
200 bc
4
100 abc
2
a ab a
0 0 MCS Sugarcane
Forest Fallow Grassland Tea
Forest Fallow Grass land MCS Sugarcane Tea
Land use intensification Land use intensification
18 800
16 700 Kobs = 11 173 df 2 P<0 01
11.173; df=2; P<0.01
F2,93 = 11.447; P<0.001
14 R2 = 0.198
600
12
a 500
richness
10
abundance
400
8 b b
300
6 b
200
4
a
2 100
a
0 0
high low m edium high low medium
Figure 1 [MCS = multiple cropping system] Figure 2
Figure 3
Conclusion
Acknowledgements
Ground-foraging ant communities are sensitive to agricultural disturbance and may respond by showing
This work was made possible by the support received from UNEP/GEF under
changes in richness, relative abundance and/or composition. These responses may have implications
the auspices of the CSM-BGBD Project implemented by CIAT-TSBF
for the functioning of affected ecosystems