Urbanization is one of the main processes driving environmental transformation, altering the structure and functioning of biological communities across multiple spatial scales. In this study, we evaluated the effects of local and landscape variables on the taxonomic and functional composition of ants in different types of urban green spaces in the city of Salvador, Brazil. A total of 62 sampling points were surveyed across forest fragments, squares, streets medians, and vacant lots, using specific methods for both ground-dwelling and arboreal strata. We recorded 93 ant species distributed among 20 functional groups. Our results indicated that, at the local scale, leaf litter depth was the primary explanatory factor for both taxonomic and functional richness, as well as for functional composition. At the landscape scale, human population density and vegetation cover surrounding the sampling points influenced the distribution of species and functional groups, revealing contrasting patterns between specialist and generalist species. While arboreal, hypogeic, and fungivorous ants were more dependent on structurally complex and conserved habitats, epigeic, omnivorous, and some predatory species were favored in more simplified and heterogeneous environments. These findings highlight that biodiversity conservation in urban areas depends on integrated strategies across multiple scales, encompassing management practices that ensure local structural complexity alongside planning that promotes habitat heterogeneity at the landscape level. Overall, the study demonstrates that the arrangement and quality of urban green spaces play a central role in maintaining both taxonomic and functional diversity of ant communities in tropical cities.
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RBINS Staff Publications 2026
The coupled effects of climate change, sea-level rise, and land sinking in estuaries/alluvial plains prone to inundation and flooding mean that reliable estimation of land movements/subsidence is becoming more crucial. During the last few decades, land subsidence has been monitored by precise and continuous geodetic measurements either from space or using terrestrial techniques. Among them, the Persistent Scaterrer Interferometry (PSInSAR) technique is used on the entire Belgian territory to detect, map and interpret the identified ground movements observed since 1992. Here the research focuses on one of the biggest cities in Belgium that became the second European harbour with giant docks and the deepening of the Scheldt river allowing the navigation of the largest container vessels. The areas along the embankments of the Scheldt river and the harbour facilities are associated to Holocene fluviatile deposits overlain by recent landfills. These sedimentary deposits and human-made landfills are affected by important and ongoing land subsidence phenomena. The land subsidence process is highlighted by an annual average Line of Sight (LOS) velocity of about −3.4 mm/year during the years 1992–2001 (ERS1/2 datasets), followed by an annual average LOS velocity of about −2.71 mm/year and −2.11 mm/year, respectively, during the years 2003–2010 (ENVISAT) and 2016–2019 (Sentinel 1A). The Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) imagery data indicate a progressive decrease in the average annual velocities on a global scale independently of important local variations in different districts along the Scheldt river. On the contrary, the city centre and the old historic centre of Antwerp are not affected by negative LOS velocities, indicating stable ground conditions. A geological interpretation of this difference in settlement behaviour between the different areas is provided.
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RBINS Staff Publications 2021
