Register      Login
Australian Journal of Zoology Australian Journal of Zoology Society
Evolutionary, molecular and comparative zoology
Shopping Cart: ( empty )
You are here: Home > Journals > ZO > ZO06009
RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 54(2)

Biogeography and diversity of ants in Purnululu (Bungle Bungle) National Park and Conservation Reserve, Western Australia

Lauren Barrow A , Catherine L. Parr B C and James L. Kohen A
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, North Ryde, NSW 2109, Australia.

B Bushfire Cooperative Research Centre, CSIRO Tropical Ecosystems Research Centre, PMB 44, Winnellie, NT 0822, Australia.

C Corresponding author. Email: kate.parr@csiro.au

Australian Journal of Zoology 54(2) 123-136 https://doi.org/10.1071/ZO06009
Submitted: 17 January 2006  Accepted: 18 March 2006   Published: 11 May 2006

Abstract

We describe the diversity, composition, functional group organisation and biogeography of ants in Purnululu National Park (128°19′E, 17°19′S) in Western Australia’s Kimberley region, located at a semi-arid/tropical zone boundary. Pitfall trapping collected a representative sample of ants from three main habitats within the park: spinifex, sandplain and gorges. In total, 154 species from 25 genera were collected. The richest genera were Melophorus, Iridomyrmex and Monomorium. Iridomyrmex was the most abundant genus, accounting for 80% of all individuals recorded in traps. Functional group composition was dominated by Dominant Dolichoderinae (41% of individuals collected) and Hot Climate Specialists (26%). Biogeographical composition was typical of semi-arid zone assemblages located on the overlap between Eyrean and Torresian zones: 50% of the species recorded represented Eyrean taxa, followed by 33% with Torresian affinities, and 10% Widespread. Differences in ant species richness, abundance and assemblage composition between the three habitat types were attributed to a combination of variation in vegetation structure and microhabitat composition. This paper provides baseline data on local ant communities in the semi-arid Kimberley, enabling a greater understanding of the conservation value of reserves within the Kimberley, one of Australia’s least studied bioregions.


Acknowledgments

We thank Mark Branson, Richard Mercer and Matt Flower for their hours of field and laboratory assistance; Thalie Partridge for field support and help with GIS mapping; Alan Andersen for invaluable help with identification of specimens and comments on this paper; PNP Council for allowing us to conduct research within the park; CALM for their financial and technical support throughout the project. Additional funding support was provided through the Bushfire CRC. L. Barrow thanks all the people at TERC in Darwin for providing a productive and supportive work environment and Maureen Barrow for preliminary editing of this manuscript. This paper is one in a series contributing to the Masters (Honours) thesis of LB with Macquarie University.


References

Andersen, A. N. (1983). Species diversity and temporal distribution of ants in semi-arid mallee region of northwestern Victoria. Australian Journal of Ecology 8, 127–137.
Andersen A. N. (1997a). Using ants as bioindicators: multiscale issues in ant community ecology. Conservation Ecology 11. Available at http://www.consecol.org/vol1/iss1/art8 [Verified 2 December 2005].

Andersen, A. N. (1997b). Functional groups and patterns of organisation in North American ant communities: a comparison with Australia. Journal of Biogeography 24, 433–460.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | Andersen A. N. (2000). ‘The Ants of Northern Australia: a Guide to the Monsoonal Fauna.’ (CSIRO Publishing: Melbourne.)

Andersen, A. N. (2003). Ant biodiversity in Arid Australia: productivity, species richness and community organisation. Records of the South Australian Museum Monograph Series 7, 79–92.
Andersen A. N., and Braithwaite R. W. (1996). Plant–animal interactions. In ‘Landscape and Vegetation Ecology of the Kakadu Region, Northern Australia’. (Eds C. M. Finlayson and I. von Oertzen.) pp. 137–154. (Kluwer Academic Publishers: the Netherlands.)

Andersen, A. N. , and Burbidge, A. (1991). The ants of a vine thicket near Broome: a comparison with the northwest Kimberley. Journal of the Royal Society of Western Australia 73, 79–82.
Clarke K. R., and Gorley R. N. (2001). ‘Primer v5 Users Manual\Tutorial.’ (PRIMER-E: Plymouth.)

Clarke K. R., and Warwick R. M. (2001). ‘Change in Marine Communities: An Approach to Statistical Analysis and Interpretation.’ (PRIMER-E: Plymouth.)

Colwell R. K. (2005). ‘EstimateS – Statistical Estimation of Species Richness and Shared Species from Samples.’ Available at http://www.purl.oclc.org/estimates [Verified 31 October 2005].

Colwell, R. K. , and Coddington, J. A. (1994). Estimating terrestrial biodiversity through extrapolation. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences 345, 101–118.
| PubMed | Greenslade P. J. M. (1978). Ants. In ‘The Physical and Biological Features of Kunoth Paddock in Central Australia’. (Ed. W. A. Low.) pp 109–113. Management Technical Paper, CSIRO Division of Land and Resources, Canberra.

Grimbacher, P. S. , and Hughes, L. (2002). Response of ant communities and ant–seed interactions to bush regeneration. Ecological Management & Restoration 3, 188–199.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | Hoaston D., Blake D., Mory A., Tyler I., Pittavino M., Kampard J., Allen B., and Oswald-Jacobs I. (1997). ‘Bungle Bungle Range – Purnululu National Park, East Kimberley, Western Australia: A Guide to the Rocks, Landforms, Plants, Animals, and Human Impact.’ (Australian Geological Survey Organisation: Canberra.)

Hölldobler B., and Wilson E. O. (1990). ‘The Ants.’ (The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press: Cambridge, MA.)

Hughes, L. , and Westoby, M. (1992). Fate of seeds adapted for dispersal by ants in Australian sclerophyll vegetation. Ecology 73, 1285–1299.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | Magurran A. E. (2003). ‘Measuring Biological Diversity.’ (Blackwell Publishing: Oxford.)

Majer, J. D. (1983). Ants: bio-indicators of minesite rehabilitation, land-use and land conservation. Environmental Management 7, 375–383.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | Mathews E. G., and Kitching R. L. (1984). ‘Insect Ecology.’ (University of Queensland Press: Brisbane.)

May R. M. (1975). Patterns of species abundance and diversity. In ‘Ecology and Evolution of Communities’. (Eds M. L. Cody and J. M. Diamond.) pp. 81–120. (Harvard University Press: Cambridge, MA.)

McGeoch, M. A. , and Chown, S. L. (1998). Scaling up the value of bioindicators. Trends in Ecology and Evolution 13, 46–47.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | Press T., Brock J., and Andersen A. (1995). Fauna. In ‘Kakadu – Natural and Cultural Heritage and Management’. (Eds T. Press, D. Lea, A. Webb and A. Graham.) pp. 167–216. (Griffin Press: Darwin.)

Reynoldson, T. B. , Bailey, R. C. , Day, K. E. , and Norris, R. H. (1995). Biological guidelines for freshwater sediment based on BEnthic Assessment of SedimenT (the BEAST) using a multivariate approach for predicting biological state. Australian Journal of Ecology 20, 198–219.
Shattuck S. O. (2000). ‘Australian Ants: Their Biology and Identification.’ (CSIRO Publishing: Melbourne.)

Van Rensburg, B. J. , McGeoch, M. A. , Chown, S. L. , and van Jaarsveld, A. S. (1999). Conservation of heterogeneity among dung beetles in the Maputaland Centre of Endemism, South Africa. Biological Conservation 88, 145–153.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | Woinarski J. C. Z. (1992). ‘A Survey of the Wildlife and Vegetation of Purnululu (Bungle Bungle) National Park and Adjacent Area.’ (Department of Conservation and Land Management: Perth.)

Wright, J. F. (1995). Development and use of a system for predicting the macroinvertebrate fauna in flowing waters. Australian Journal of Ecology 20, 181–197.