Ant coexistence in a spatially heterogeneous region in Central Florida

In this dissertation I examine how spatial and environmental context alter the processes promoting coexistence among ant species spanning a spatially heterogeneous region in Florida. At the regional scale, ants partition between shrub and forest habitats. This observed spatial partitioning likely results from a process of environmental filtering; I provide initial evidence for links between the physiological and morphological traits of ants and their distributions along environmental gradients. Thus trait variation among ants interacts with environmental heterogeneity to supplement ant coexistence at the regional scale.