Ant species richness and evenness increase along a metal pollution gradient in the Bolesław zinc smelter area

SummaryAnts are considered to be relatively resistant to metal pollution, but the effect of metal toxicity on ant communities is poorly understood. This work examined the relationship between ant species diversity and heavy metal pollution at 16 meadow and forest sites along a metal contamination gradient in a mining and smelting region near Olkusz, Poland. Menhinick's index was used to estimate species richness. Pielou's index of evenness (J), Simpson's index of diversity (D) and the slopes of rank-abundance curves were used to estimate of species evenness. Regardless of species composition differences between forest and meadow, the increase in species diversity with increasing metal pollution was very clear in both ecosystems. The more polluted the site, the more species were detected and the more similar in relative abundance they were. Consequently, the extent to which one or a few species dominated a community decreased. This result can be explained by indirect effects of metal pollution, that is, changes in species interactions rather than by changes in abiotic conditions.