Does the decline of red wood ants after clear-cutting favour epigeic arthropods?

Abstract

Abstract. In forest ecosystems in the temperate and boreal zones in Europe, red wood ants (RWA, Formica rufa group) have a significant affect as predators and competitors in communities of ground-dwelling arthropods. Therefore, the spatiotemporal distribution and abundance of RWA affect the distribution of many other species. The hypothesis that a reduction in the abundance of RWA in clear-cut areas enables other arthropods to increase in abundance was tested. The study was conducted in NW Poland in 2007 and 2008. A total of 276 1×1 m plots were sampled and 1,696 individuals recorded. The probability of the occurrence of RWA decreased significantly towards the center of clear-cut areas and increased with increasing plant cover. The frequency of Lasius platythorax, Formica fusca and spiders in the plots significantly increased towards the edge of a clear-cut area. Moreover, the occurrence of L. platythorax was negatively associated with the presence of RWA, while that of the Myrmica species was positively associated. The effect of the distance to the edge of a clear-cut area seems to be much more pronounced than the effect of RWA. This suggests that the arthropods studied prefer habitats close to the edge that are utilized by RWA than RWA-free sites located in the centre of clear-cut areas.

The importance of diurnal and nocturnal activity and interspecific interactions for space use by ants in clear‐cuts

“…In clear‐cut areas, environmental conditions seem to be more important for the distribution of subordinate ants than the abundance of red wood ants (see Żmihorski, ; Neuvonen et al ., for similar results). The distance to the clear‐cut edge affected all of the studied species, and the time of day shaped the abundances of three of them.…”

Succession in ant communities (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in deciduous forest clear-cuts - an Eastern European case study

“…Effects of clearcutting of coniferous forests on ants have been studied at different levels: population (Zettler et al, 2004;Sorvari & Hakkarainen, 2005, 2007, 2009Żmihorski, 2010, 2011, community (Punttila et al, 1994;Czechowski et al, 1995;Markó, 1999;Palladini et al, 2007) and behaviour of individuals (Sorvari & Hakkarainen, 2004;Sorvari et al, 2008). Results from these studies show that red wood ants are particularly negatively affected ways that are briefl y discussed in the following section.…”

“…Logging enhanced the encapsulation reaction in gynes ("an unspecifi c, constitutive, cellular response that acts as defence for insects against multicellular pathogens such as nematodes, fungi, and parasitoids" - Gillespie et al, 1997), but decreased that of workers (Sorvari et al, 2008). In general, clear-cutting and deforestation affect red wood ants negatively as the area occupied by Formica species decreases following clear-cutting (Sorvari & Hakkarainen, 2005, 2007Żmihorski, 2010, 2011. The effects of clear-cutting of deciduous forest on ant communities, where wood ants (i.e.…”

The Red Wood AntFormica aquilonia(Hymenoptera : Formicidae) May Affect Both Local Species Richness and Composition at Multiple Trophic Levels in a Boreal Forest Ecosystem

“…Table 3): (a) sample plots in productive forest (n = 38), and (b) Vaccinium-Calluna sample plots (n = 27). Circles = plots without ant mounds, dots = plots with ant mounds depended on the taxonomic resolution (Halaj et al 1997, Lenoir 2003, Sanders & Platner 2007, Mihorski 2011, Mestre et al 2013.…”