Diversidad de hormigas (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) en un área natural vs otra reforestada a lo largo de la costa atlántica marroquí

Asmaa Fernane; Ahmed Taheri‍; Aya  Najjari; Joaquín-Luis Reyes-López‍

doi:10.3989/graellsia.2023.v79.391

Authors

Asmaa Fernane Laboratory of Plant Biotechnology, Ecology and Ecosystem Valorization. Faculty of Sciences of El Jadida, Chouaïb Doukkali University https://orcid.org/0009-0007-9445-639X
Ahmed Taheri‍ Taheri‍Laboratory of Plant Biotechnology, Ecology and Ecosystem Valorization. Faculty of Sciences of El Jadida, Chouaïb Doukkali University https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7402-525X
Aya Najjari Laboratory of Plant Biotechnology, Ecology and Ecosystem Valorization. Faculty of Sciences of El Jadida, Chouaïb Doukkali University https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5336-4364
Joaquín-Luis Reyes-López‍ Area of Ecology, University of Cordoba, Building C-4 “Celestino Mutis,” Rabanales Campus https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0702-4588

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3989/graellsia.2023.v79.391

Keywords:

Biodiversity, Formicidae, reforested forest, Atlantic coast, Biological and Ecological Interest Site, Morocco

Abstract

The coastline of El Jadida province is one of Morocco’s Atlantic coastal areas with exceptional biological, ecological, and landscape interest, ranging from the mouth of the Oum Er Rabia river to the dunes and coastal forests. However, this protected area remains little known in terms of its entomological component and has not yet benefited from any conservation measures. To address this lack of entomological data, we conducted field surveys in four ant sampling campaigns between April and May 2022 using the pitfall trap method in two different sites: the “Biological and Ecological Interest Site” of Haouzia and the exploited forest of Chiadma. We recorded a total of 19 ant species, belonging to 11 genera and three subfamilies: Myrmicinae (70.39%), Dolichoderinae (17.66%), and Formicinae (11.96%). The most abundant species were Aphaenogaster senilis and Tapinoma simrothi, accounting for 49.36% and 17.66% of the specimens, respectively. The highest diversity of ants was found in the natural scrub of Haouzia, with 13 species and a Shannon index of 5.9, compared to 11 species and a Shannon index of 3.5 in the reforested forest of Chiadma. Moreover, with the exception of Aphaenogaster theryi and Cataglyphis vaucheri, all the captured ant species are new records for the coastline of El Jadida Province, and both sites together showed a very high rate of Moroccan endemism of ants (31.57%). Non-metricmultidimensional scaling analysis showed a clear separation between the two surveyed ecosystems. Our results suggest a potential negative effect of Eucalyptus reforestation on local biodiversity, and highlight the urgent need for conservation measures to protect the remarkable biodiversity hosted by the “Biological and Ecological Interest Site” of Haouzia and its surroundings.

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