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Ant species

Atta robusta is considered since 2003 as endangered by the Brazilian laws and is on the National List of Endangered Species of Brazilian Fauna but there is no evaluation by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). This leaf-cutting ant endangered has only 22 records on Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). We considered those species as critically endangered due to its reduced distribution area and threats to their habitat. This species is endemic to the restingas in the Brazilian states of Rio de Janeiro and Espírito Santo, a habitat characterized by having sandy soils covered with herbaceous and shrub-arboreal vegetation located in coastal lowlands. In these environments, A. robusta has an important role in seed dispersal of dozens of plant species, decreasing the germination time of plants that grow on the nests, as the nests have higher concentrations of nutrients than the surrounding soil. Its restricted geographic distribution and the accelerated decline of its populations are a consequence of anthropogenic changes in vegetation structure of the restingas. This is because restingas are areas of coastal vegetation inserted in the Atlantic Forest biome and have high human density, which led a constant process of modification of the habitat and generate large annual ecological losses of these unique habitats.

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The Atta robusta project is totally funded for 2023-2024 by the The Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation

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