Resumen

FUSTER, A.. Ants species associated with Prosopis ruscifolia Griseb. in saline environments of the Semi-arid Chaco. Quebracho (Santiago del Estero) [online]. 2012, vol.20, n.1, pp.29-38. ISSN 1851-3026.

Different species of ants establish narrow associations among determined families of plants. The ants have beneficial effects on pollination, dispersion of seeds and protection, in exchange for nutritious resources and nesting places offered by the vegetation. Prosopis ruscifolia possesses structural and ecological characteristics that may allow it to establish mutually beneficial relationships with ant species present in the environments they inhabit. The goal of this work was to carry out a preliminary study of assembles of ants that it is associated to P. ruscifolia in environmental saline and contributes to the knowledge of the myrmecofauna of the region. The collections of ants were carried out on 52 individuals of P. ruscifolia of saline environments located in the south of Santiago del Estero. We identified 16 species of ants, six of which would use the "vinal" as a resource for nesting and the other to obtain food. An average of 13,17 individuals was determined and 2,35 species of ants by tree. The diversity and specific richness of ants found in this study offer a valuable knowledge about assembles of ants of saline environments and it is a base line for future studies about the relationship plant-ant in the region, specifically on the "vinal".

Palabras clave : Formicidae; Biodiversity; Myrmecophyte; Plant-ant interactions sample.

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