02462naa a2200217 a 450000100080000000500110000800800410001902200210006002400390008110000230012024501580014326000090030152017580031065000150206865300210208370000240210470000190212870000220214770000190216977300560218820956262018-11-08       2018    bl uuuu     u00u1 u    #d  ae-ISSN 1678-47667 aDOI 10.1590/1678-4766e20180092DOI1 aOLIVEIRA, M. V. DE  aNinhos de Atta sexdens (HymenopterabFormicidae) podem afetar a estrutura da assembleia de artrópodes do solo na Mata Atlântica?h[electronic resource]  c2018  aCan nests of Atta sexdens (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) affect the structure of soil arthropods assemblage in Atlantic Forest? Leafcutting ants are considered dominant herbivores in the Neotropical region and, therefore, the studies about their multiple effects on other organisms and ecosystem process are relevant. The present study aims to determine if Atta sexdens (Linnaeus, 1758) nests can affect the soil arthropods assemblage structure in an Atlantic forest fragment. Also, so as to determine the probable mechanisms that explain a possible modification in the arthropods fauna structure were tested two hypothesis: I) Litter Hyphotesis: A. sexdens reduce the litter availability in the nest proximities; II) Abiotic Factors yphotesis: A. sexdens modifies the microclimatic conditions around of its nidification site, producing a increasing of temperature and luminosity and reduction in relative air humidity. The study was conducted at the Reserva Ecológica de Guapiaçu, near Rio de Janeiro city, Brazil. We collected litter samples, at intervals of eight meters from edge of A. sexdens nests, along a linear transect of 32 meters, for the extraction of arthropods assemblage and to study the litter structure. We also measured the air and soil temperature, the luminosity and the air relative humidity where we collected the litter samples. We didn?t detect any effect of nest presence on richness, abundance and composition of soil arthropods in the forest fragment studied. Probably, these result was influenced because of A. sexdens nests studied don?t affect the litter availability and the microclimatic conditions around them. Thus, we conclude that the multiple effects that leaf-cutting ants can have on forest may be species dependent.  aSoil fauna  aLeafcutting ants1 aFRANÇA, E. C. D de1 aFEITOSA, R. M.1 aCORREIA, M. E. F.1 aQUEIROZ, J. M.  tIheringia, Série Zoologiagv. 108, e2018009, 2018.