Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42188171›Full record

ArticleInsects2026

Land Use Shapes Ant Communities: Functional and Compositional Differences Between Oak Forests and Chestnut Orchards in Mediterranean Mountain Landscapes of Northern Portugal.

Camila Lourenço-Lima, Fátima Gonçalves, María Villa

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Insects, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

Camila Lourenço-LimaCIMO, LA SusTEC, Instituto Politécnico de Bragança, Campus de Santa Apolónia, 5300-253 Bragança, Portugal.ORCID 0009-0001-5820-1433
Fátima GonçalvesCentre for the Research and Technology of Agro-Environmental and Biological Sciences-CITAB, Inov4Agro, Universidade de Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro-UTAD, Quinta de Prados, 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal.ORCID 0000-0001-7770-4477
María VillaCIMO, LA SusTEC, Instituto Politécnico de Bragança, Campus de Santa Apolónia, 5300-253 Bragança, Portugal.ORCID 0000-0001-8353-5438

Funding

Foundation for Science and Technology LA/P/0007/2020Foundation for Science and Technology LA/P/0126/2020Foundation for Science and Technology UID/04033/2025Foundation for Science and Technology UIDB/00690/2020Foundation for Science and Technology UIDP/00690/2020
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Ants are widely used as bioindicators because of their sensitivity to environmental change and their functional roles in ecosystems. This study presents the first comparative analysis of ant communities in two habitats, an agricultural system and a semi-natural forest, within the Natural Park of Montesinho (northeastern Portugal). From May to October 2022, four plots were sampled per habitat: (i) semi-natural oak forest and (ii) chestnut orchard under human management, using five pitfall traps in each plot. A total of 1969 ants were captured, representing 32 species and 15 genera. Traditional chestnut orchards supported more exclusive species and greater functional diversity, dominated by generalist and thermophilic taxa. In contrast, oak forests hosted more specialist and cold-adapted species, which may reflect a higher structural stability. Seasonal variation was more pronounced in chestnut orchards, consistent with disturbance-driven dynamics. The functional composition also differed: chestnut orchards favoured granivores and scavengers, while oak forests supported predators and mutualists. These findings highlight the value of ant communities as sensitive indicators of land use and ecosystem condition in Mediterranean mountain systems.

Indexed as

agroforestry systemsAtlantic biogeographical regionforest ecosystemsFormicidaeland useMediterranean biogeographical regionnatural protected areas

Identifiers

PMID42188171
PMCPMC13207051

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.