Immediate effects of Ore on ants in the semi‐arid mallee region of north‐western Victoria

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Abstract
The immediate effects of a high intensity wildfire on the ant communities of a heath and a mallee site in semi‐arid north‐western Victoria are reported. Following fire the number of species trapped on the ground doubled (to ca. 80 each site), total ant abundance decreased by half (due to the demise of previously dominant species), surface activity of reproductive castes increased, and dramatic changes in species relative abundance (including shifts toward greater equitability) occurred. These changes are interpreted in terms of fire‐induced simplification of the habitat and release from competition with dominant species. The results appear to illustrate the importance of interspecific competition in structuring foraging activity in mallee ant communities. Observations are also reported on seed‐harvesting by ants, including changes in harvester ant abundance, germination from within‐nest seed storage, and the first record of Heteroponera removing seeds.