Effects of Formica ants on soil fauna-results from a short-term exclusion and a long-term natural experiment

Lenoir, Lisette; Bengtsson, Jan; Persson, Tryggve

doi:10.1007/s00442-002-1143-x

Cited by 34 publications

(30 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…However, to date most studies have not provided any evidence of interactions between spiders and ants aVecting population densities (Otto 1965;van der Aart and de Wit 1971;Brüning 1991;Lenoir et al 2003;Gibb 2003). Our results provide experimental evidence for negative interactions between ants and spiders in a grassland (Fig.…”

Section: Intraguild Interactionssupporting

confidence: 72%

“…However, the authors concluded that not direct predation but the disturbance of spiders by ants was important. In contrast, such eVects could not be demonstrated in other studies (Otto 1965;van der Aart and de Wit 1971;Brüning 1991;Gibb 2003;Lenoir et al 2003). Brüning (1991) tested the eVects of Formica polyctena on spiders in a forest ecosystem without Wnding any diVerence in the density or composition of the spider community neither inside nor outside the hunting area of ants.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 57%

“…The density of spider webs in the herb layer was also signiWcantly lower in plots with ant colonies, indicating a lower activity of web-building spiders. Lenoir et al (2003) found a similar negative eVect of Formica rufa on the activity of Linyphiidae on the forest Xoor after excluding ants from their usual food sources in the tree canopy and thus forcing them to forage on the ground. In our experiment the eVects of ants on web-building spiders were stronger in samples from soil cores than in suction samples, indicating that ants had a greater impact on ground-dwelling spiders than on those in higher strata of the herb layer.…”

Section: Intraguild Interactionsmentioning

confidence: 70%

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Intraguild interactions between spiders and ants and top-down control in a grassland food web

2006

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In most terrestrial ecosystems ants (Formicidae) as eusocial insects and spiders (Araneida) as solitary trappers and hunters are key predators. To study the role of predation by these generalist predators in a dry grassland, we manipulated densities of ants and spiders (natural and low density) in a two-factorial field experiment using fenced plots. The experiment revealed strong intraguild interactions between ants and spiders. Higher densities of ants negatively affected the abundance and biomass of web-building spiders. The density of Linyphiidae was threefold higher in plots without ant colonies. The abundance of Formica cunicularia workers was significantly higher in spider-removal plots. Also, population size of springtails (Collembola) was negatively affected by the presence of wandering spiders. Ants reduced the density of Lepidoptera larvae. In contrast, the abundance of coccids (Ortheziidae) was positively correlated with densities of ants. To gain a better understanding of the position of spiders, ants and other dominant invertebrate groups in the studied food web and important trophic links, we used a stable isotope analysis ((15)N and (13)C). Adult wandering spiders were more enriched in (15)N relative to (14)N than juveniles, indicating a shift to predatory prey groups. Juvenile wandering and web-building spiders showed delta(15)N ratios just one trophic level above those of Collembola, and they had similar delta(13)C values, indicating that Collembola are an important prey group for ground living spiders. The effects of spiders demonstrated in the field experiment support this result. We conclude that the food resource of spiders in our study system is largely based on the detrital food web and that their effects on herbivores are weak. The effects of ants are not clear-cut and include predation as well as mutualism with herbivores. Within this diverse predator guild, intraguild interactions are important structuring forces.

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Section: Intraguild Interactionssupporting

confidence: 72%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 57%

Section: Intraguild Interactionsmentioning

confidence: 70%

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Intraguild interactions between spiders and ants and top-down control in a grassland food web

2006

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“…Therefore, this study did not provide evidence for a negative effect of RWA on the epigeic invertebrate community. This is surprising in the light of former investigations indicating a strong effect of RWA on epigeic invertebrates (Kajak et al, 1972;Niemelä et al, 1992;Laakso, 1999;Hawes et al, 2002;Reznikova & Dorosheva, 2004;Dorosheva & Reznikova, 2006; but see also Lenoir et al, 2003). It is possible that specific abiotic factors of clear-cut areas (e.g.…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 39%

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

Żmihorski¹

2011

Eur. J. Entomol.

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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.

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“…Ants prey upon soil-and litter-dwelling invertebrates, and, at least in come cases, affect the abundance of particular soil taxa and the composition of soil communities (Wagner et al 1997, Laakso 1999, Laakso and Setala 2000, Lenoir et al 2003, Wilson 2005, MoyaLorano and Wise 2007, Wardle et al 2011, Sanders and Frank van Veen 2011. Ants may indirectly influence soil nutrients by suppressing populations of microbe-feeding mites and Collembolans.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The mixed effects of experimental ant removal on seedling distribution, belowground invertebrates, and soil nutrients

Zelikova

Sanders²,

Dunn

2011

Ecosphere

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Abstract. Ants are ubiquitous members of most forest communities, where they disperse seeds, prey on other species, and influence the flow of nutrients. Their effects are often described as substantial, but few studies to date have simultaneously examined how the presence of ants affects both above and belowground processes. In this study, we experimentally reduced ant abundance in a suite of deciduous forest plots in northern Georgia, USA to assess the effects of ants on the spatial distribution of a common understory plant species, Hexastlylis arifolia, the structure of soil mesofaunal communities, and soil nitrogen dynamics. Over the course of several years, the removal of ants led to significant spatial aggregation of H. arifolia seedlings near the parent plant, most likely due to the absence of the keystone seed dispersal species, Aphaenogaster rudis. Seedling emergence was higher in ant removal plots, but seedling aggregation did not affect first or second year seedling mortality. Ammonium concentrations were 103 higher in ant removal plots relative to control plots where ants were present in the first year of the study, but this increase disappeared in the second and third years of the study. The effects of ant removal on the soil mesofauna were mixed: removal of ants apparently did not affect the abundance of Collembola, but the abundance of oribatid mites was significantly higher in ant removal plots by year two of the study. Taken together, these results provide some of the first experimental evidence of the diverse direct and indirect effects of ants on both above and belowground processes in forest ecosystems and demonstrate the potential consequences of losing an important seed dispersing ant species for the plants they disperse.

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Effects of Formica ants on soil fauna-results from a short-term exclusion and a long-term natural experiment

Cited by 34 publications

References 35 publications

Intraguild interactions between spiders and ants and top-down control in a grassland food web

Intraguild interactions between spiders and ants and top-down control in a grassland food web

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

The mixed effects of experimental ant removal on seedling distribution, belowground invertebrates, and soil nutrients

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