Ant fauna as ecological indicator in parmesan agro-ecosystem

Ants can be informative ecological indicators also in ecosystems where the human impact can limit the number of available indicators, as in the agro-ecosystems. Ants are a very important component of several ecosystems because they can be dominant in term of biomass and abundance and they can act as ecological engineers, keystone species or, negatively, as invasive species. Moreover, their ecology is well studied, mainly in term of modification of ant community structure due to factors as stress, disturbance and behavioural dominance. Finally, their sampling is relative low cost and low time consuming. For all these reasons, ants are included in environmental monitoring programs in many regions as the Australian continent or North America. However, the use of these insects as ecological indicators is poorly widespread in the Palaearctic area. The aim of this research was to verify the value of ants as ecological indicators in Italian agro-ecosystems. Sampling areas were selected inside the Regional Fluvial Park of Taro River (Parma, Northern Italy). In particular, the ant community structure was studied and compared between cultivation practices for the production of fodder for dairy cow involved in the production of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese: lucerne monocultures and permanent grasslands. Data from pitfall sampling were analysed through the Indicator Species Analysis. The interpretation of results using the Functional Group approach shows that the different human impact associated with the two cultures affects the composition of ant community structure. In conclusion, this preliminary research suggests that ants can be useful indicators of environmental quality also in Italian agro-ecosystems