ABSTRACT
Insects, as the most abundant invertebrate species on Earth, play crucial roles in ecosystems. Among them, ants stand out for their unparalleled diversity and ecological significance. However, there's a notable gap in research concerning the long-term effects of herbicide exposure on ant populations. This study aims to address this gap by exploring the dynamics of ant and plant populations in response to glyphosate-based herbicide (GBH) spray, a common practice in agroecosystems, over an extended period. Previous research has emphasized ants' sensitivity to environmental changes, positioning them as valuable indicators of ecosystem health. In this two-month study, we utilized pitfall traps to collect ants and belt transects to estimate plant cover percentages. Pre-spray, plant cover stood at 10.75%, with successive surveys indicating a rapid recovery, reaching cover estimates of 0.84%, 10.19%, 45.35%, 72.69%, 15.93%, and 4.13%. Conversely, the ant community experienced a decline in median species richness across all pitfall traps from 6.34 ± 0.29 prior to the spray in 2023 to 3.09 ± 0.2 in the subsequent month. However, an increase was observed in 2024, rising to 11.17 ± 0.68. Similarly, median Shannon_H indices of the ants decreased from 1.16 ± 0.08 and 1.22 ± 0.06 in the first and second month of 2023 to 0.89 ± 0.30 and 0.81 ± 0.30 in the subsequent months. Notably, in 2024, a significant increase from 0.76 ± 0.09 to 1.78 ± 0.13 was recorded. These findings highlight the critical need for re-evaluating herbicide usage in agroecosystems to mitigate unintended consequences and preserve ecosystem integrity. Ants, with their sensitivity to environmental changes, serve as invaluable indicators of environmental health in this context.
