Insights for conservation and ecological monitoring: diversity and habitat preferences of arboreal and ground-dwelling ants in an African World Heritage site

Invertebrates (like beetles and ants) are valuable for identifying the effects of landscape disturbances and other anthropogenic stressors in protected areas. Their effectiveness as bioindicators depends on understanding their community composition and habitat associations. This study investigated the utility of ants as potential bioindicators in Matobo National Park, a protected area in Zimbabwe. We compared ant community compositions across five distinct habitats to quantify the habitat associations of specific ant species. We identified a total of 18 ant genera in Matobo National Park. Our findings revealed that arboreal Crematogaster sp. was an indicator species for grasslands, while Camponotus mayri indicated mixed woodlands. Similarly, ground-dwelling Odontomachus assiniensis were an indicator species for acacia woodlands, and Megaponera analis for mixed woodlands. We also observed significant species segregation between arboreal and ground-dwelling ant communities across habitats. Season significantly influenced both ant abundance and diversity, with higher diversity recorded during the wet season. Assessment of threats to biodiversity across the five sampled habitats identified land use changes and climate-related events as the primary concerns. Our findings provide baseline information for the utility of ants as bioindicators and add to the growing body of literature that suggests that invertebrates (like ants) may be useful in understanding the effects of future perturbations in protected areas.