The environmental heterogeneity and the ant fauna of
Tehuacán Valley, Puebla, Mexico

Leticia Rios Casanova
Instituto de Ecología
Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México

     The Tehuacán Valley is the southern arid zone in North America, and it is characterized by a high heterogeneity represented by the presence of different types of vegetation as a consequence of their soils and geomorphology. Although plants and other groups of animals have an amazing diversity as well as a big number of endemisms, the ant fauna has never been studied.

The aims of this project are:

1) to know the ant species inhabiting this area,
2) to know the relation between environmental heterogeneity and some patterns
of ant diversity in this zone,
3) to know the role of environmental heterogeneity on the interactions between a harvester ant and their resources.



Leticia Rios Casanova
Instituto de Ecología
Lab. Ecologia de Comunidades
Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México
Ap. Postal 70-275 Coyoacán
C.P. 04510, México, D.F.
Tel. (5) 622 90 10
Fax (5) 616 19 76
(5) 622 89 95