Effects of land-use types on ant assemblage at Kwara State University Campus: A guinea savanna region of Nigeria

Abstract

Ants are abundant and can be sampled easily, thereby respond to environmental changes at small spatial scales. The key functions of ants as bioindicators in the environment have promoted the classification of ants into different functional groups. Three quantitative sampling methods were employed in three land-use types: disturbed, undisturbed, and cultivated land-use types, on the Kwara State University Campus, Malete, Nigeria. We analyzed the taxonomic, species, and functional group diversity of ants encountered. A total of 1,075 ant occurrences belonging to 40 species, 20 genera and 5 subfamilies were recorded during the rainy and dry seasons. Disturbed land had the highest species richness and abundance, followed by undisturbed land and then cultivated land. Manual ant search yielded the highest richness, followed by pitfall and then baiting methods. A statistical analysis revealed that mean species richness varied significantly across the land-use types during the rainy season but no significant differences during the dry season. Similarly, six of the functional groups were encountered, of which Generalized Myrmicinae was the most frequent in disturbed land-use while Subdominant Camponotini was the most frequent in undisturbed and cultivated land-use types. Ants are confirmed as useful bioindicators for proper management of the environment and human impacts.