The effects of urban or rural landscape context and distance from the edge on native woodland plant communities

The increasing rate of urban sprawl continues to fragment European landscapes threatening the persistence of native woodland plant communities. The dynamics of woodland edges depend on the characteristics of woodland patches and also on landscape context. Our aim was to assess the extent of edge influences on the understorey vegetation of small native woodlands in rural and urban landscapes. The study was carried out in two cities of north-western France. Ten comparable woodlands, each of about 1.5 ha, were surveyed; five were situated adjacent to crops and five adjacent to built-up land. Vascular plant species were recorded in 420 3 × 3 m plots placed at seven different distances from the edge (from 0 to about 45 m from the edge). Soil pH, light levels, level of disturbance and tree and shrub cover were also recorded. Plant species were first classified as non-indigenous or indigenous and then three groups of indigenous species were distinguished according to their affinity for forest habitat (forest specialists, forest generalists and non-forest species). We inferred certain ecological characteristics of understorey vegetation by using Ellenberg values. An inter-class correspondence analysis was carried out to detect patterns of variation in plant community composition. Linear mixed models were used to test the effects of adjacent land use, distance from the edge and their interactions on the species richness of the different groups and on the ecological characteristics of vegetation. Total species richness, richness of forest generalists and of non-forest species decreased from edge to interior in both urban and rural woodlands. The number of non-indigenous species depended mainly on urban–rural landscape context. Urban woodland edges were not as rich in forest specialists as rural edges. More surprisingly, the number of forest specialists was higher in rural edges than in rural interiors. Community composition was mainly affected by urban–rural context and to a lesser degree by the edge effect: the community composition of urban edges resembled that of urban interiors whereas in rural woodlands vegetation near edges (up to 10 m) strongly differed from interiors with a pool of species specific to edges. Urban woodland vegetation was more nitrophilous than rural vegetation in both edges and interiors. A major difference between urban and rural vegetation was the distribution of basiphilous species according to distance from the edge. Generally edge vegetation was more basiphilous than interior vegetation however the presence of basiphilous species fell off quickly with distance from the edge in rural woodlands (in the first 10–15 m) and more slowly (from 25 m onwards) in urban woodlands. This pattern was linked to variation in measured soil pH. As regards the conservation of flora in small native woodlands, it appeared that invasion of exotic and non-forest species was currently limited in both urban and rural landscape contexts but might pose problems in the future, especially in urban woodlands. Forest species were not negatively affected by the edge effect and indeed edges seemed to provide important habitats for this group. Hence conservationists should pay particular attention to the protection of edges in urban woodlands.     

Edge and shape effects on ant (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) species richness and composition in forest fragments

In this paper, we tested four hypotheses relative to edge and shape effects on ant communities: (i) forest edges have lower species richness than the remnant core; (ii) species richness increases with distance from the edge; (iii) irregularly shaped remnants have lower species richness than more regular remnants; (iv) there is a higher similarity of species composition between edge and core in irregular than in regular remnants. We sampled litter ant communities on the edge and core of ten remnants, in Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Species richness was larger at the forest core than at the edges, although did not increase with distance from the edge. Species richness did not vary with shape complexity. The similarity of species composition between edge and core showed a decreasing trend with remnant area, and did not vary with shape complexity. The observed differences of species richness between forest core and edge may be due to higher harshness of edges, caused by environmental changes. The absence of relationship between species richness and distance from the edge might indicate the range of edge effects, which would be smaller than the smallest distance of core sampled. Therefore, edges would affect litter-dwelling ant species richness in a distance smaller than 50 m. The observation of species composition allowed us to notice an effect of fragmentation that would not be noticed if we were considering only species richness. Edge may serve as step to generalist species, which may use it to colonise forest remnants. Furthermore, small remnants are more colonisation-prone by such species, and have a more homogeneous species composition than large remnants.     

Habitat differences and occurrence of native and exotic ants on Okinawa Island

Ant fauna on Mallotus japonicus, a shrub with extrafloral nectaries, was investigated in two types of habitat (the villages and the forest‐edges) on subtropical Okinawa Island, Japan. Twenty and 16 ant species were found, including 11 and 6 tramp species in the villages and in the forest‐edges, respectively. Occurrence of tramp species was higher in the villages than in the forest edges, supporting the idea that tramp species tend to dominate in disturbed habitats. Nevertheless, the richness of native ants was almost the same across the two habitat types. Consequently, the ant species diversity on M. japonicus appeared higher in the villages. However, monitoring has to be continued to determine whether the above findings represent a stable phenomenon of the community or just a temporary state.     

Natural vegetation cover in the landscape and edge effects: differential responses of insect orders in a fragmented forest

Human activities have led to global simplification of ecosystems, among which Neotropical dry forests are some of the most threatened. Habitat loss as well as edge effects may affect insect communities. Here, we analyzed insects sampled with pan traps in 9 landscapes (at 5 scales, in 100–500 m diameter circles) comprising cultivated fields and Chaco Serrano forests, at overall community and taxonomic order level. In total 7043 specimens and 456 species of hexapods were captured, with abundance and richness being directly related to forest cover at 500 m and higher at edges in comparison with forest interior. Community composition also varied with forest cover and edge/interior location. Different responses were detected among the 8 dominant orders. Collembola, Hemiptera, and Orthoptera richness and/or abundance were positively related to forest cover at the larger scale, while Thysanoptera abundance increased with forest cover only at the edge. Hymenoptera abundance and richness were negatively related to forest cover at 100 m. Coleoptera, Diptera, and Hymenoptera were more diverse and abundant at the forest edge. The generally negative influence of forest loss on insect communities could have functional consequences for both natural and cultivated systems, and highlights the relevance of forest conservation. Higher diversity at the edges could result from the simultaneous presence of forest and matrix species, although “resource mapping” might be involved for orders that were richer and more abundant at edges. Adjacent crops could benefit from forest proximity since natural enemies and pollinators are well represented in the orders showing positive edge effects.     

Edge effect in different groups of organisms: vascular plant, bryophyte and fungi species richness across a forest-grassland border

Six transects were established on the edges of two deciduous forests near Krosno (Carpathian Foothills) to compare the species richness pattern of vascular plants, bryophytes and fungi. The transects had the shape of a cross with one arm 10 m along the forest edge and the other across the edge, 50 m into the forest interior and 12 m into the grassland. They consisted of 2×2 quadrats. The strongest edge effects were recorded for bryophyte, shrub and tree species richness, the weakest for herbaceous plant species richness. Overall vascular plant species richness and herbaceous species richness were higher in grassland than in the forest and peaked in grassland, 3 m from the forest edge. The shrub species richness was highest 1 m from the edge (in the forest) and the tree species richness 3 m from edge. Bryophyte species richness had roughly the same level across the grassland and within the first several meters of the forest, except for the 2 m zone on the edge itself where species richnes was as low as in the forest interior. Fungi species richness was low in the grassland and on the forest edge and rose dramaticaly a few meters from the edge, ramaining at the same level within the forest. The species composition across the forest-grassland border was analysed using detrended correspondence analysis. It revealed that in the case of bryophytes the increase in species richness did not correspond to a change in species composition, such as might have been caused by a general increase in bryophyte density.     

Cutting More from Cut Forests: Edge Effects on Foraging and Herbivory of Leaf-Cutting Ants in Brazil

Edge-mediated changes in species composition are known to result in modified species interactions. Because of the crucial trophic position of herbivores and their far-reaching impact on plant communities, it is important to understand how edge influences herbivory. In the present paper, we investigated whether and how leaf-cutting ant foraging is altered in the forest edge, as this habitat is characterized by an increased proportion of pioneer species. We assessed basic foraging data as well as the herbivory rate ( i.e. , the proportion of the leaf material harvested by a colony in relation to the available leaf area in the foraging area) of Atta cephalotes colonies at the edge versus interior sites of a large remnant of the Atlantic forest in Northeast Brazil. Our results indicated clear edge effects on leaf-cutting ants: equally sized A. cephalotes colonies located at the forest edge removed about twice as much leaf area from their foraging grounds than interior colonies (14.3 vs. 7.8%/col/yr). This greater colony-level impact within the forest edge zone was a consequence of markedly reduced foraging areas (0.9 vs. 2.3 ha/col/yr) and moderately lower leaf area index in this habitat, whereas harvest rates were the same. Our results suggest that forest edges induce increased leaf-cutting ant herbivory, probably via the release of resource limitation. Together with the increase of leaf-cutting ant populations along forest edges, this may amplify environmental changes induced by habitat fragmentation.     

How forest edge-center transitions in the herb layer interact with beech dominance versus tree diversity

Aims Forest fragmentation and the associated augmentation of forest edge zones are increasing worldwide. Forest edges are characterized by altered plant species richness and community composition. As the tree layer and its species composition has been shown to influence herb layer composition, changes in tree species composition or richness may weaken or strengthen edge effects in forest ecosystems. We studied effects of the edge–center transition, tree species composition and their potential interaction on the understory vegetation in the Hainich National Park, Germany's largest connected deciduous forest, allowing to cover large edge–center transects.Methods We established 12 transects in an area of 75 km 2 of continuous forest, 6 beech-dominated and 6 in multispecies forest stands. Each transect reached from the forest edge up to 500 m into the forest interior. Vegetation relevés were conducted in regular, logarithmic distances along each transect.Important findings Herb species richness was influenced by an interaction of edge effects and tree diversity level. With increasing distance from the forest edge, herb species richness remained constant in multispecies forest stands but rapidly decreased in beech-dominated forest stands. Further, herb richness was higher in the interior of multispecies forest stands. Percent forest specialists increased and percent generalists decreased with distance from the edge and this contrasting pattern was much more pronounced in beech-dominated transects. By using structural equation modeling, we identified litter depth mediated by tree species composition as the most important driver of herb layer plant species richness.     

Response of the ant community to attributes of fragments and vegetation in a northeastern Atlantic Rain Forest area, Brazil

The objective of this study was to determine the effects of forest fragmentation on ant richness in a landscape of Atlantic Forest in Northeast Brazil. More specifically, the ant richness was related to the attributes of fragments (area and distance from the fragment central point to the edge), landscape (forest cover surrounding the fragments), and tree community (plant density, richness, and percentage of shade tolerant species). The surveys were carried out in 19 fragments located in Alagoas State from October 2007 to March 2008. Samples were collected through a 300 m transect established in the center of each fragment, where 30 1-m2 leaf litter samples were collected at 10 m intervals. A total of 146 ant species was collected, which belonged to 42 genera, 24 tribes and nine subfamilies. The attributes of fragments and landscape did not influence ant richness. On the other hand, tree density explained ca. 23% of ant richness. In relation to functional groups, both density and richness of trees explained the richness of general myrmicines (the whole model explained ca. 42% of the variation in this group) and percentage of shade tolerant trees explained the richness of specialist predator ants (30% for the whole model). These results indicate that ant fauna is more influenced by vegetation integrity than by fragment size, distance to edge or forest cover surrounding fragments.     

The Seedling Community of Tropical Rain Forest Edges and Its Interaction with Herbivores and Pathogens1

Edge effects alter biotic interactions and forest regeneration. We investigated whether edge creation affected the seedling community and its interactions with herbivores and leaf‐fungal pathogens. In forest edges and interior sites in Chiapas, Mexico, we counted all woody seedlings and species (10–100 cm tall) present in 1‐m² plots, measured their size (height and leaf number), and examined them for the occurrence of herbivory and pathogen damage. We investigated relationships between levels of damage and size, species richness and density. Species composition and biotic damage varied greatly among sites and habitats (edge vs interior). Late‐successional species dominated the community, but richness was lower in interior sites and species similarity was greater among edges than among interiors. Nearly all species (95%) present at edges and interiors showed herbivory damage, whereas 76 percent of the species in edge plots and 68 percent in interior plots showed pathogen damage. Although leaf area damaged by herbivores was similar between habitats (average 9.2%), pathogen damage was three times greater in edge plots (1.85%) than in interior plots (0.57%). Size was positively related to biotic damage at both habitats. Relationships between herbivory and pathogen damage and between pathogen damage and leaf number were significant only for edges. Biotic damage was not related to density or species richness. Overall, plant community structure was similar between habitats, but biotic damage was enhanced at edges. Thus, disease spread at edges may arise as a threat to tropical rain forest vegetation.     

Do lianas shape ant communities in an early successional tropical forest?

Almost half of lowland tropical forests are at various stages of regeneration following deforestation or fragmentation. Changes in tree communities along successional gradients have predictable bottom‐up effects on consumers. Liana (woody vine) assemblages also change with succession, but their effects on animal succession remain unexplored. Here we used a large‐scale liana removal experiment across a forest successional chronosequence (7–31 years) to determine the importance of lianas to ant community structure. We conducted 1,088 surveys of ants foraging on and living in trees using tree trunk baiting and hand‐collecting techniques at 34 paired forest plots, half of which had all lianas removed. Ant species composition, β‐diversity, and species richness were not affected by liana removal; however, ant species co‐occurrence (the coexistence of two or more species in a single tree) was more frequent in control plots, where lianas were present, versus removal plots. Forest stand age had a larger effect on ant community structure than the presence of lianas. Mean ant species richness in a forest plot increased by ca. 10% with increasing forest age across the 31‐year chronosequence. Ant surveys from forest >20 years old included more canopy specialists and fewer ground‐nesting ant species versus those from forests <20 years old. Consequently, lianas had a minimal effect on arboreal ant communities in this early successional forest, where rapidly changing tree community structure was more important to ant species richness and composition.     

Plant–frugivore networks are less specialized and more robust at forest–farmland edges than in the interior of a tropical forest

Forest fragmentation and local disturbance are prevailing threats to tropical forest ecosystems and affect frugivore communities and animal seed dispersal in different ways. However, very little is known about the effects of anthropogenic forest edges and of local disturbance on the structure and robustness of plant–frugivore networks. We carried out focal tree observations to record the frugivore species feeding on eight canopy tree species in the forest interior and at forest–farmland edges in a little and a highly disturbed part of a Kenyan rain forest. For each frugivore species, we recorded its body mass and its forest dependence. We examined how forest edge and local disturbance affected the abundance, the richness and the composition of the frugivore community and tested whether forest edge and local disturbance affected plant frugivore networks. Abundance and species richness of frugivores were higher at edges than in the forest interior. Forest visitors and small‐bodied frugivores increased, while forest specialists decreased in abundance at forest edges. The changes in frugivore community composition resulted in plant–frugivore networks that were more connected, more nested and more robust against species extinctions at forest–farmland edges than in the forest interior. Network specialization was lower at forest edges than in the forest interior because at the edges plant specialization on frugivores was very low in small‐fruited species. In contrast, small‐fruited plants were more specialized than large‐fruited plants in the forest interior. Our findings suggest that forest‐visiting birds may stabilize seed‐dispersal services for small‐fruited plant species at rain forest margins, while seed‐dispersal services for large‐fruited plant species may be disrupted at forest edges due to the decrease of large‐bodied frugviores. To assess the ultimate consequences of bird movements from farmland to forest edges for ecosystem functioning, future studies are required to investigate the seed‐dispersal qualities provided by forest‐visiting bird species in the tropics.     

Dirt roads and fire breaks produce no edge effects on litter-dwelling arthropods in a tropical dry-forest: a case study

Edge effects threaten organisms and ecological processes in habitat remnants, but they have been poorly studied in non-humid forests such as cerradão, a tropical dry forest sometimes derived from fire-suppressed savanna in Brazil. The diverse ecosystem functions performed by arthropods may be disrupted by edge effects, and there is pressing need for more studies on this subject. We sampled fragments of cerradão facing either a road or fire breaks, assessing edge effects in: beta diversity and community composition of epigaeic (litter-dwelling) arthropod orders, ant species, and ant functional groups; ant species richness and diversity; leaf litter depth; and colony residence time of a predatory ground-dwelling ant, Odontomachus chelifer (Ponerinae). None of the variables measured differed between edge and interior of the sites sampled. Dry forests have high micro-climatic variations caused by discontinuities in the canopy cover and, as such, changes in abiotic variables in cerradão edges might not be as clear as those observed in tropical rainforests. Our study demonstrates that edge effects may not be so prevalent in cerradão facing roads or fire breaks, which possibly increases the chances of survival of a higher fraction of the original arthropod fauna compared to rainforest fragments.     

Forest–farm edge effects on communities of ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) under different landscape structures

In fragmented landscapes, ecological processes may be significantly influenced by edge effects, but few data are available for edge effects across forest–farmland edges. We investigated patterns of species richness, abundance, and species composition in ground beetles across forest–farm edges in two different agro-forest landscapes in Korea. Nine and five sites were selected from Hwaseong, a fragmented landscape, in 2011 and 2012, respectively, while eight sites were selected from Hoengseong, a relatively well-protected landscape, in 2012. Ground beetles were collected by pitfall trapping. Species richness was higher in the surrounding habitat than in the forest interior or edge in both Hwaseong and Hoengseong. However, in Hwaseong, species richness of the forest edge was similar to that of the forest interior, while in Hoengseong forest edge species richness was intermediate between that of the forest interior and surrounding areas. In addition, non-metric multidimensional scaling based on the combined data of both locations showed that the species composition of ground beetles in the forest edge was more similar to that of the forest interior than the surrounding areas, although some open-habitat species occurred at the forest edges. Three characteristic groups (forest specialists, edge-associated species, and open-habitat species) of ground beetle species were detected by indicator value analysis. In our study, ground beetle assemblages differed in the forest edges of two agro-forest landscapes, suggesting that the edge effect on biota can be influenced by landscape structure.     

Edge effects on ant community structure and species richness in an agricultural landscape

The effect of sharp edges between three different types of land use on the species richness and structure of ant communities was examined in an agricultural landscape within Central Hesse, Germany. Species richness and nest densities of ants at the centres and the edges of meadows, crop fields, and fallow land were recorded by hand sampling during 1997 and 1998. Edges between different land-use types did not increase ant species richness at the landscape scale, nor were they unique habitats for a specialised ant fauna. Nonetheless, most species shared ecotonal effects in the way that their relative abundance either decreased (e.g. Myrmica scabrinodis) or increased (e.g. Lasius niger, Lasius flavus) at the edges, resulting in different community structure between edges and centres of the land-use types. This was influenced by two major factors: (i) the boundary contrast between the neighbouring habitats (i.e. in terms of disturbance caused by agricultural practices), and (ii) the response of different species to changing abiotic conditions. High nest densities of aggressive species with large colonies occurred along edges. We hypothesise that this can significantly reduce edge permeability for surface-dwelling arthropods.     

Forest remnants contribute to parasitoid conservation: experimental evaluation of parasitism on a leafminer host

Worldwide, intense forest fragmentation has resulted in mosaic landscapes in which biodiversity and a number of important ecological processes are threatened. Insect parasitism is a vital component of herbivore population regulation, hence the study of parasitism and parasitoid richness in fragmented forests embedded in an agricultural matrix is relevant from conservation and management perspectives. Here, we investigated through experimental field exposure of the leafminer Liriomyza commelinae (Diptera: Agromyzidae) the effects of forest remnant size and edge/interior location on parasitism, species richness and parasitoid community composition. Two consecutive experiments were performed in which pots with mined plants were placed in remnants of Chaco Serrano forests in Central Argentina. Parasitism levels (on average above 50 %) and number of parasitoids species (in total, 20 species) were independent of forest remnant size. However, higher parasitism and species richness were found at the forest edge compared with the interior although the differences in species richness failed to reach statistical significance. Parasitoid community composition was not related to forest size whereas assemblages from interior habitats showed closer similarity than those from the edges. The results suggest forest remnants could play an important role as reservoirs of parasitoids with potential to control crop pests, a possibility heightened by the positive edge effects which could facilitate the transfer of this valuable ecosystem service to the adjacent cultivated land.     

Forest edges have high conservation value for bird communities in mosaic landscapes

A major conservation challenge in mosaic landscapes is to understand how trait‐specific responses to habitat edges affect bird communities, including potential cascading effects on bird functions providing ecosystem services to forests, such as pest control. Here, we examined how bird species richness, abundance and community composition varied from interior forest habitats and their edges into adjacent open habitats, within a multi‐regional sampling scheme. We further analyzed variations in Conservation Value Index (CVI), Community Specialization Index (CSI) and functional traits across the forest‐edge‐open habitat gradient. Bird species richness, total abundance and CVI were significantly higher at forest edges while CSI peaked at interior open habitats, i.e., furthest from forest edge. In addition, there were important variations in trait‐ and species‐specific responses to forest edges among bird communities. Positive responses to forest edges were found for several forest bird species with unfavorable conservation status. These species were in general insectivores, understorey gleaners, cavity nesters and long‐distance migrants, all traits that displayed higher abundance at forest edges than in forest interiors or adjacent open habitats. Furthermore, consistently with predictions, negative edge effects were recorded in some forest specialist birds and in most open‐habitat birds, showing increasing densities from edges to interior habitats. We thus suggest that increasing landscape‐scale habitat complexity would be beneficial to declining species living in mosaic landscapes combining small woodlands and open habitats. Edge effects between forests and adjacent open habitats may also favor bird functional guilds providing valuable ecosystem services to forests in longstanding fragmented landscapes.     

Influence of habitat,litter type,and soil invertebrates on leaf-litter decomposition in a fragmented Amazonian landscape

Amazonian forest fragments and second-growth forests often differ substantially from undisturbed forests in their microclimate, plant-species composition, and soil fauna. To determine if these changes could affect litter decomposition, we quantified the mass loss of two contrasting leaf-litter mixtures, in the presence or absence of soil macroinvertebrates, and in three forest habitats. Leaf-litter decomposition rates in second-growth forests (>10 years old) and in fragment edges (<100 m from the edge) did not differ from that in the forest interior (>250 m from the edges of primary forests). In all three habitats, experimental exclusion of soil invertebrates resulted in slower decomposition rates. Faunal-exclosure effects were stronger for litter of the primary forest, composed mostly of leaves of old-growth trees, than for litter of second-growth forests, which was dominated by leaves of successional species. The latter had a significantly lower initial concentration of N, higher C:N and lignin:N ratios, and decomposed at a slower rate than did litter from forest interiors. Our results indicate that land-cover changes in Amazonia affect decomposition mainly through changes in plant species composition, which in turn affect litter quality. Similar effects may occur on fragment edges, particularly on very disturbed edges, where successional trees become dominant. The drier microclimatic conditions in fragment edges and second-growth forests (>10 years old) did not appear to inhibit decomposition. Finally, although soil invertebrates play a key role in leaf-litter decomposition, we found no evidence that differences in the abundance, species richness, or species composition of invertebrates between disturbed and undisturbed forests significantly altered decomposition rates.     

Fuelling the biodiversity crisis: species loss of ground-dwelling forest ants in oil palm plantations in Sabah,Malaysia (Borneo)

Oil palm plantations today cover large areas of former tropical lowland rain forest in Southeast Asia and are rapidly expanding on the island of Borneo. Study of the community of ground-dwelling ants in different plantations in Sabah, Malaysia, over 2 years using tuna baiting, revealed that the oil palm plantation ground ant community was severely reduced in species richness in comparison to the forest interior, regardless of age, undergrowth cover, or proximity to neighbouring forest. The results indicate that oil palm plantation habitats, now covering more than 15% of Sabah’s land area, can sustain only about 5% of the ground-dwelling ant species of the forest interior. Nine of the 23 ant species baited in the plantations were never recorded inside forest. All numerically dominant ants were non-forest species. The most common species was Anoplolepis gracilipes, an invasive species present at 70% of all bait sites and known to cause ‘ecological meltdowns’ in other situations. The low frequency and species number of forest ground ants indicates that oil palm plantations act as effective dispersal barriers leading to community isolation in rain forest remnants. The replacement of natural forests with oil palm plantations poses a serious threat to the conservation of biodiversity on Borneo if similar results are confirmed in other taxa.     

Extrafloral nectar as a driver of arboreal ant communities at the site‐scale in Brazilian savanna

Despite years of study, it remains unclear if and to what extent the effects of extra‐floral nectaries (EFNs) on arboreal ants observed on individual trees scale up to larger spatial scales. Here, we address this issue in Brazilian savanna and tested three predictions: (i) Trees with EFN have higher richness of arboreal ant species than trees without; (ii) Arboreal ant species richness increases with the proportion of total EFN‐bearing trees at the site scale, due to a higher occurrence of non‐core ant species; (iii) Ant species composition changes with the proportion of EFN‐bearing trees at the site scale. We sampled arboreal ants in 32 plots with EFN‐bearing trees ranging from 0% to 60% of all trees. We sampled 72 ant species, from which 17 (mostly belonging to Camponotus, Cephalotes and Crematogaster) were identified as core species in at least one of the ant‐EFN networks in the 32 plots. Ant species richness was significantly higher on EFN‐bearing trees. We identified 11 ant species that preferentially occurred on EFN‐bearing trees, all of which were core partners in networks. Species richness at the site scales increased with the proportion of EFN‐bearing trees, regardless of tree density and richness; this pattern was due to a higher occurrence of non‐core ant species. Finally, species composition also varied with the proportion of EFN‐bearing trees. Therefore, we found that the presence of EFNs not only influences arboreal ants on individual trees but also has a substantial effect on the ant‐EFN network on a broader community scale. The increase in non‐core species site scale reveals that this interaction is unlikely to result in substantially enhanced protection services for EFN‐bearing plants.