---
DOAJ_listed: '1'
OA_place: publisher
OA_type: gold
PlanS_conform: '1'
_id: '23093'
abstract:
- lang: eng
  text: Land-use change, such as the transformation of woody ecosystems into open
    pastures, acts as a strong ecological filter, favouring some species while excluding
    others according to differences in ecological niche breadth. Understanding how
    differences in niche breadth influence species responses under anthropogenic filters
    is crucial to anticipate their persistence or displacement. In this study, we
    quantified realized niche breadth in two sympatric ecosystem engineers, the Neotropical
    leaf-cutter ants Atta cephalotes and Atta laevigata, to test whether breadth differences
    are consistent with specialist and generalist ecological strategies. We characterized
    realized niche breadth across fine-scale environmental gradients by integrating
    hemispherical photography, microclimatic data, mound architecture, and edaphic
    profiles from 114 colonies across a regional transect in the Colombian Andes,
    alongside macroclimatic data from Copernicus. Principal Component Analysis (PCA)
    and PERMANOVA identified canopy openness and bushes- and tree-type vegetation
    density as the principal axes of interspecific niche partitioning. The observed
    differences in realized niche breadth were consistent with specialist and generalist
    ecological strategies. A. laevigata was predominantly associated with open-canopy
    areas, warmer micro- and macroclimatic conditions, and narrower edaphic dispersion.
    In contrast, A. cephalotes occupied a wider range of microhabitat conditions.
    This broader realized niche breadth is compatible with previous reports of A.
    cephalotes occurring in urban areas. Together, these findings suggest that niche
    breadth may influence how Neotropical leaf-cutter ants respond to habitat transformation,
    helping to understand the ecological consequences of land-use change.
acknowledgement: I  am profoundly grateful to my parents, María Cristina Castillo
  Sandoval and Víctor Ángel García Aguillón, whose invaluable support made this research
  possible. Their endurance and dedication during the fieldwork were essential for
  the successful collection of the colony samples. Furthermore, our endless discussions
  regarding the natural history and behaviour of these ecosystem engineers deeply
  shaped the conceptualization of this study; this manuscript is a testament to their
  lifelong support of my academic journey. I am also sincerely grateful to my sister,
  Francy Alejandra García Castillo, for generously providing measurement equipment
  essential for our field data collection. I sincerely thank Alejandro Mejía for his
  invaluable local knowledge and field assistance in locating Atta colonies in Grima
  Baja and for providing information that guided us to the sampling area in Choro
  Bajo. I also thank Rosina Soler for her expert professional advice in curating the
  environmental variable matrix during the fieldwork planning phase, as well as for
  her insightful feedback during the elaboration of this manuscript.
article_processing_charge: Yes
article_type: original
author:
- first_name: Diego Fernando
  full_name: Garcia Castillo, Diego Fernando
  id: ae681a14-dc74-11ea-a0a7-c6ef18161701
  last_name: Garcia Castillo
citation:
  ama: 'Garcia Castillo DF. Generalism vs. specialization: Does niche breadth influence
    species responses to anthropogenic land-use change in Neotropical leaf-cutter
    ants? <i>Plos One</i>. 2026;21(10):e0351518. doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0351518">10.1371/journal.pone.0351518</a>'
  apa: 'Garcia Castillo, D. F. (2026). Generalism vs. specialization: Does niche breadth
    influence species responses to anthropogenic land-use change in Neotropical leaf-cutter
    ants? <i>Plos One</i>. Public Library of Science. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0351518">https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0351518</a>'
  chicago: 'Garcia Castillo, Diego Fernando. “Generalism vs. Specialization: Does
    Niche Breadth Influence Species Responses to Anthropogenic Land-Use Change in
    Neotropical Leaf-Cutter Ants?” <i>Plos One</i>. Public Library of Science, 2026.
    <a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0351518">https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0351518</a>.'
  ieee: 'D. F. Garcia Castillo, “Generalism vs. specialization: Does niche breadth
    influence species responses to anthropogenic land-use change in Neotropical leaf-cutter
    ants?,” <i>Plos One</i>, vol. 21, no. 10. Public Library of Science, p. e0351518,
    2026.'
  ista: 'Garcia Castillo DF. 2026. Generalism vs. specialization: Does niche breadth
    influence species responses to anthropogenic land-use change in Neotropical leaf-cutter
    ants? Plos One. 21(10), e0351518.'
  mla: 'Garcia Castillo, Diego Fernando. “Generalism vs. Specialization: Does Niche
    Breadth Influence Species Responses to Anthropogenic Land-Use Change in Neotropical
    Leaf-Cutter Ants?” <i>Plos One</i>, vol. 21, no. 10, Public Library of Science,
    2026, p. e0351518, doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0351518">10.1371/journal.pone.0351518</a>.'
  short: D.F. Garcia Castillo, Plos One 21 (2026) e0351518.
corr_author: '1'
das_tickbox: '0'
date_created: 2026-10-11T22:02:05Z
date_published: 2026-10-01T00:00:00Z
date_updated: 2026-10-12T11:43:26Z
day: '01'
ddc:
- '570'
department:
- _id: NiBa
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0351518
external_id:
  pmid:
  - '42821535'
file:
- access_level: open_access
  checksum: 06ccc9f8806de407b21a168525e324de
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  creator: dernst
  date_created: 2026-10-12T11:42:06Z
  date_updated: 2026-10-12T11:42:06Z
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  file_size: 1166607
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file_date_updated: 2026-10-12T11:42:06Z
fulldoi: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0351518
has_accepted_license: '1'
intvolume: '        21'
issue: '10'
language:
- iso: eng
month: '10'
oa: 1
oa_version: Published Version
page: e0351518
pmid: 1
publication: Plos One
publication_identifier:
  eissn:
  - 1932-6203
publication_status: published
publisher: Public Library of Science
quality_controlled: '1'
researchdata_availability: no
scopus_import: '1'
status: public
supplementarymaterial: yes
title: 'Generalism vs. specialization: Does niche breadth influence species responses
  to anthropogenic land-use change in Neotropical leaf-cutter ants?'
tmp:
  image: /images/cc_by.png
  legal_code_url: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode
  name: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Public License (CC-BY 4.0)
  short: CC BY (4.0)
type: journal_article
user_id: 2DF688A6-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87
volume: 21
year: '2026'
...