Ant Assemblages in Intact Big Sagebrush and Converted Cheatgrass-Dominated Habitats in Tooele County, Utah

Biological invasions are one of the greatest threats to native species in natural ecological systems. One of the most successful invasive species is Bromus tectorum L. (cheatgrass), which is having marked impacts on native plant communities and ecosystem processes. However, we know little about the effects of this invasion on native animal species in the Intermountain West. Because ants have been used to detect ecological change associated with anthropogenic land use, they seem well suited for a preliminary evaluation of the consequences of cheatgrass-driven habitat conversion. In our study, we used pitfall traps to assess ant community assemblages in intact sagebrush and nearby cheatgrass-dominated vegetation....

Categories: Publication; Types: Citation, Journal Citation; Tags: Artemisia tridentata, Bromus tectorum, Great Basin desert, Monte L. Bean Life Science Museum, Brigham Young University, Western North American Naturalist, All tags... ant communities, ants, big sagebrush, cheatgrass, ecological restoration, invasion, invertebrates, Fewer tags