Shade-growing practices lessen the impact of coffee plantations on multiple dimensions of ant diversity

1. Land use management influence changes in biodiversity beyond the targeted species. Management practices in coffee plantations have shifted from coffee growing below accompanying (shade) trees, to intensified monocultures in which coffee grows fully exposed to the sun. Anthropogenic disturbance causes changes in species composition relative to adjacent natural patches and reduces their biotic heterogeneity. Here, we assessed the impact of coffee plantation management practices on the taxonomical, phylogenetic, and functional composition of ant communities, an ecologically dominant group and crucial biological pest controller in these agroecosystems. We hypothesized that shade-grown coffee plantations would harbor ant communities similar to those of nearby forest patches, but dissimilar to those of intensified monocultures. 2. We surveyed ant diversity in eight shade-grown coffee farms, eight intensive coffee monocultures and eight forest patches. We used a combination of active and passive sampling methods over two field campaigns spanning six months. 3. Our results support our hypothesis for all diversity dimensions. Additionally, ant communities in intensified monocultures were taxonomically and functionally, but not phylogenetically, more homogeneous than those found in forest patches and shade-grown plantations. 4. Synthesis and applications. Our findings support the idea that practices in shade-grown plantations buffer the impoverishment of multiple diversity dimensions after forest conversion. By assessing and integrating multiple biodiversity dimensions into management strategies, farmers and interested parties can minimize future biodiversity and ecosystem service loss.

1. 土地利用管理所引发的生物多样性变化，其影响范畴远超目标物种本身。当前咖啡种植园的管理模式已从传统的伴生遮阴树种植模式，转变为咖啡植株完全暴露于直射阳光下的集约化单作模式。人为干扰会使群落物种组成相较于相邻自然斑块发生改变，并降低其生物异质性。本研究评估了咖啡种植园管理实践对蚂蚁群落分类组成、系统发育组成及功能组成的影响——蚂蚁是此类农业生态系统中的生态优势类群，同时也是关键的生物害虫防控者。我们提出假说：遮阴种植的咖啡园其蚂蚁群落与周边森林斑块的蚂蚁群落相似，但与集约化单作咖啡园的蚂蚁群落存在显著差异。
2. 我们在8个遮阴种植咖啡农场、8个集约化单作咖啡园以及8个森林斑块中开展了蚂蚁多样性调查。在为期6个月的两次野外调查中，我们结合了主动采样与被动采样两种方法。
3. 本研究结果在所有多样性维度上均验证了我们提出的假说。此外，相较于森林斑块与遮阴种植咖啡园，集约化单作咖啡园的蚂蚁群落在分类学和功能层面更为均质，但系统发育层面并未呈现此特征。
4. 总结与应用：本研究结果证实，遮阴种植模式可缓冲森林转换后多维度生物多样性的流失。若将多维度生物多样性评估纳入管理策略，农户及相关利益方可最大程度降低未来生物多样性与生态系统服务的损失。