Hábitat y densidad de nidos de la hormiga escamolera (liometopum apiculatum mayr) en una uma de Zacatecas, Mexico

In order to determine the habitat variables that explain the presence of nesting sites of Liometopum apiculatum Mayr, as well as the density of nests in an Environmental Management Unit (Unidad de Manejo Ambiental, UMA), 80 circular plots of 20 m diameter (ant nests) were evaluated with Canfield Lines. The density was estimated using five transects of 700100 m, and analyzed through Poisson Regression (PRA) and Principal Components Analysis (PCA), in addition to the Simple Correspondence Analysis (SCA). The PRA showed that nine variables of the habitat have a greater effect on the nesting sites. The PCA explained 70.5 % of the variability present between the habitat variables and nesting sites. The SCA showed the association between the nesting sites and habitat variables evaluated in the UMA, recording a nest density of 3.8 nests ha1 with a minimum of 2.7 and a maximum of 5.5 (0.05) and variation coefficient of 16.3%. The results suggest that the conditions are adequate for nesting of the escamolera ant in degraded sites of the area studied, and that it is necessary to carry out actions for livestock management (respecting load capacity) and habitat improvement.