Packaging of offspring by nests of the ant,Leptothorax longispinosus: parent-offspring conflict and queen-worker conflict

Models of the packaging of offspring predict that parental fitness is maximized by following a set of rules, including the rule to invest the minimal amount in each offspring. Offspring can maximize their fitness by demanding more resources than the parent is selected to give, leading to parent-offspring conflict over packaging. Social insect nests may also experience queen-worker conflict over packaging. Experiments were conducted, using two populations of the ant Leptothorax longispinosus, in order to determine the role of both parent-offspring conflict and queen-worker conflict in packaging. Parent-offspring conflict over packaging was detected towards males and workers, but not to females. This may be because both parental and offspring fitness are maximized by investing as much in possible in females so both parties benefit by cooperating over packaging of females. Queen-worker conflict over packaging was detected for females, males, and workers. The direction taken by the queen-worker conflict is best explained by asymmetries in genetic relatedness among nestmates.     

Harvester ant seed removal in an invaded sagebrush ecosystem: Implications for restoration

A better understanding of seed movement in plant community dynamics is needed, especially in light of disturbance‐driven changes and investments into restoring degraded plant communities. A primary agent of change within the sagebrush‐steppe is wildfire and invasion by non‐native forbs and grasses, primarily cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum). Our objectives were to quantify seed removal and evaluate ecological factors influencing seed removal within degraded sagebrush‐steppe by granivorous Owyhee harvester ants (Pogonomyrmex salinus Olsen). In 2014, we sampled 76 harvester ant nests across 11 plots spanning a gradient of cheatgrass invasion (40%–91% cover) in southwestern Idaho, United States. We presented seeds from four plant species commonly used in postfire restoration at 1.5 and 3.0 m from each nest to quantify seed removal. We evaluated seed selection for presented species, monthly removal, and whether biotic and abiotic factors (e.g., distance to nearest nest, temperature) influenced seed removal. Our top model indicated seed removal was positively correlated with nest height, an indicator of colony size. Distance to seeds and cheatgrass canopy cover reduced seed removal, likely due to increased search and handling time. Harvester ants were selective, removing Indian ricegrass (Achnatherum hymenoides) more than any other species presented. We suspect this was due to ease of seed handling and low weight variability. Nest density influenced monthly seed removal, as we estimated monthly removal of 1,890 seeds for 0.25 ha plots with 1 nest and 29,850 seeds for plots with 15 nests. Applying monthly seed removal to historical restoration treatments across the western United States showed harvester ants can greatly reduce seed availability at degraded sagebrush sites; for instance, fourwing saltbush (Atriplex canescens) seeds could be removed in <2 months. Collectively, these results shed light on seed removal by harvester ants and emphasize their potential influence on postfire restoration within invaded sagebrush communities.     

土壤生物及其对土壤生态学发展的影响

土壤生物区系、土壤生物多样性和全球变化已成为土壤生态学研究的肖沿领域,土壤生物以不同的方式改变着土壤的物理、化学和生物学特性,某一等级层次上的土壤生物群落的组成和结构可以对其它等级层次上的资源空间异质性产生影响,而这种空间异质性受到许多生物圈层－－土壤功能区域所维持。本文评价了土壤生物区系在土壤生态系统过程中的作用,论述了土壤生物多样性与生态系统功能的关系,讨论了土壤生态系统对全球变化的影响。     

Effects of experimental small-scale grassland fragmentation on spatial distribution, density, and persistence of ant nests

Abstract.  1. Grassland fragmentation is expected to influence the abundance of different invertebrate species to a different extent. Fragmentation-related effects are of particular importance in species that interact with many other species.
2. The density and spatial distribution of nests of 15 ant species in experimentally fragmented calcareous grasslands at three sites in the Northern Swiss Jura mountains were examined. Fragments of different size (0.25 m², 2.25 m², and 20.25 m²) were isolated by a 5-m wide strip of frequently mown vegetation. Control plots of corresponding size were situated in adjacent undisturbed grassland.
3. Three years after initiation of the experiment, ant nest density did not differ between fragments and control plots. Six years after initiation of the experiment, however, ant nest density and forager abundance were higher in large fragments than in large control plots. Ant nests tended to occur more frequently along the edge of fragments than in the core area. Persistence time of nests of the most abundant species, Lasius paralienus , tended to be shorter in fragments than in control plots. Furthermore, persistence time was longer in nests situated close to the fragment edge than in nests in the core area.
4. Effects on nest density, edge effects on the spatial distribution of nests, and the relationships between nest density and environmental factors were more pronounced when only nests of L. paralienus were considered. The implications of these findings for plant and other invertebrate species are discussed.     

绿洲-荒漠过渡带景观的植被与土壤特征要素的空间异质性分析

采用变异函数的理论和方法,通过空间异质性特征比较,研究了阜康绿洲-荒漠过渡带景观中的植被盖度和土壤环境因子的空间异质性、空间格局及其关系．在此基础上,应用Kriging局部块段插值法,以三维图形显示出各个要素的空间分布格局．结果表明,除土壤全盐量空间相关性较弱外,其他各要素具有中等程度以上的空间相关性,且空间变异主要发生在较小尺度上．其中,植被盖度的空间异质性程度较高,在3km的尺度内具有明显的空间格局．从空间分布格局看,植被盖度、土壤表层含水量和土壤pH值沿样带相邻点差异对比明显,高值区和低值区交错．草本盖度与土壤表层含水量、土壤pH间有相关关系,灌木平均盖度主要依靠深层次地下水维系．灌木和草本盖度的块金值具有明显差异,可能因为二者要求不同的生态条件,因而在同等尺度上具有不同的生态学过程．     

A simple and nondestructive method for estimation of worker population size in Myrmica ant nests

A method to estimate the number of workers in Myrmica ant nests on abandoned meadows was developed based on removal of workers. Ant workers have a tendency to climb up on wooden sticks put into their nests, therefore, assuming that the number of workers removed on sticks is related to the total number of workers within the nests, regression models for Myrmica rubra, M. ruginodis and M. scabrinodis may be built. We used a general regression model to perform a backward stepwise elimination of explanatory variables. These were the number of workers removed on sticks, temperature at the nest and site (a categorical variable). In case of each species the final model contained only the number of workers removed as a significant variable. The method is apparently non-destructive as we did not observe decreased survival of nests surveyed as compared to control nests. The method can be a very useful tool in population studies of ants as well as in biodiversity projects, where ants are used as bioinidcators. Received 10 February 2005; revised 4 August 2005; accepted 24 August 2005.     

土壤养分空间异质性与植物根系的觅食反应

植物在长期进化过程中,为了最大限度地获取土壤资源,对养分的空间异质性产生各种可塑性反应．包括形态可塑性、生理可塑性、菌根可塑性等．许多植物种的根系在养分丰富的斑块中大量增生,增生程度种间差异较大,并受斑块属性(斑块大小、养分浓度)、营养元素种类和养分总体供应状况的影响．植物还通过调整富养斑块中细根的直径、分枝角、节问距以及空间构型来实现斑块养分的高效利用．根系的生理可塑性及菌根可塑性可能在一定程度上影响其形态可塑性．生理可塑性表现为处于不同养分斑块上的根系迅速调整其养分吸收速率,从而增加单位根系的养分吸收,对在时间上和空间上变化频繁的空间异质性土壤养分的利用具有重要意义,可在一定程度上弥补根系增生反应的不足．菌根可塑性目前研究较少,一些植物种的菌根代替细根实现在富养斑块中的增生．菌根增生的碳投入养分吸收效率较高、根系增生对增加养分吸收的作用较复杂,取决于养分离子在土壤中的移动性能以及是否存在竞争植物;对植物生长(竞争能力)的作用因种而异,一些敏感种由此获得生长效益,而其它一些植物种受影响较小．植物个体对土壤养分空间异质性反应能力和生长差异,影响其在群落中的地位和命运,最终影响群落组成及其结构．     

Influence of the wood ant, Formica polyctena, on soil nutrient and the spruce tree growth

The effect of Formica polyctena ant nests on the distribution of soil nutrients, soil pH and the growth of Norway spruce trees was studied in the southern part of the Czech Republic. Soil nutrient content (exchangeable P, N, K and pH) and growth of mature spruce trees were measured at four distances from the nearest ant hill (0–1, 3–5, 10–50 and >200 m). Trees at all distances were visited by ants, except for those >200 m from the nearest nest. Soil pH and of P, K and NO₃ concentrations were higher near ant nests (<1 m), and pH and K at distances of 3–5 m, when compared with distances of 10–50 and >200 m from the nests, where no significant differences in these variables were detected. In contrast, tree ring analyses (1974–2004) showed that trees >200 m from the ant nests grew significantly faster than trees at other distances, followed by trees within 1 m of the nests. No growth differences were found between the growth of trees at 3–5 and 10–50 m from ant nests. We postulate that nutrient and carbohydrate removal of honeydew collected by ant‐tended aphids are slowing growth of tree. However, trees may partly compensate for this depletion by having access to a larger supply of soil nutrients near ant nests.     

Effects of wind erosion on the spatial heterogeneity of soil nutrients in two desert grassland communities

Wind is known to affect the spatial heterogeneity of soil resources in arid and semiarid systems, but multi-year, quantified observations are largely absent. We studied the effects of wind erosion on the spatial distribution of soil organic carbon (SOC) and other soil nutrients at the Jornada Experimental Range, in southern New Mexico. Enhanced wind erosion was encouraged by grass cover reduction in a Sporobolus-mesquite dominated site (SM) and a Bouteloua-mesquite dominated site (BM). The scale and magnitude of spatial dependence for the soil analytes were quantified using geostatistical analyses. Results of this study show that soil organic matter related analytes such as SOC, TN, N_avail, and SO₄ ^2- are among the first to be eroded and redistributed; cations such as Ca²⁺ and Mg²⁺ may not be removed and redistributed significantly; and other ions such as K⁺, Na⁺ and Cl⁻ showed no discernible pattern of change. Geostatistics show that wind appeared to increase the scale of spatial autocorrelation, but decrease the scale of spatial dependence of most soil analytes over 2–3 windy seasons. In the wind enhanced plot of the SM site, up to 99% of the spatial dependence of SOC was autocorrelated at the distance of 1.45 m before the initiation of wind erosion, but the spatial dependence dropped significantly to only 60% at a larger autocorrelation distance of 2.76 m after three windy seasons. Similar but less significant changes were observed for SOC in the BM site. Despite the differential effects of wind on the soil analytes, we conclude that the overall results of wind on the grass cover reduction plots are the disappearance of small, strong fertile islands, which may be related to grasses; and the reinforcement of large fertile islands, which are likely related to mesquite shrubs. In addition, the change of the spatial patterns of SOC and other soil nutrients induced by enhanced wind erosion may persist and reinforce soil islands associated with shrubs, thus allowing a positive feedback for further desertification in this arid grassland.     

Asymmetrical competition and amensalism through soil dumping by the ant, Myrmicaria natalensis

ABSTRACT.

• 1 Myrmicaria natalensis (Smith) (Hym: Formicidae) is a large, predaceous ant that excavates large amounts of soil during nest construction.
• 2 During the winter, 25% of its nests went extinct through resistance and aggression from allospecific ants. The remaining 75% thrived, although one nest was forced to move, but did not go extinct, through intense competition.
• 3 The surviving fifteen M.natalensis nests obliterated forty-one allospecific nests by covering them with excavated soil.
• 4 During spring, M.natalensis nests expanded rapidly and none went extinct, so there was no longer asymmetrical competition but total amensalism in favour of M.natalensis.
• 5 Implications for ant management are that control by trunk banding of honeydew-seeking ants will increase asymmetry towards M.natalensis through positive feedback. This is desirable in that M.natalensis is a highly predaceous ant of pests such as lepidopteran larvae.

     

Sampling spatial and temporal variation in soil nitrogen availability

There are few studies in natural ecosystems on how spatial maps of soil attributes change within a growing season. In part, this is due to methodological difficulties associated with sampling the same spatial locations repeatedly over time. We describe the use of ion exchange membrane spikes, a relatively nondestructive way to measure how soil resources at a given point in space fluctuate over time. We used this method to examine spatial patterns of soil ammonium (NH⁺ ₄) and nitrate (NO⁻ ₃) availability in a mid-successional coastal dune for four periods of time during the growing season. For a single point in time, we also measured soil NH⁺ ₄ and NO⁻ ₃ concentrations from soil cores collected from the mid-successional dune and from an early and a late successional dune. Soil nitrogen concentrations were low and highly variable in dunes of all ages. Mean NH⁺ ₄ and NO⁻ ₃ concentrations increased with the age of the dune, whereas coefficients of variation for NH⁺ ₄ and NO⁻ ₃ concentrations decreased with the age of the dune. Soil NO⁻ ₃ concentration showed strong spatial structure, but soil NH⁺ ₄ concentration was not spatially structured. Plant-available NH⁺ ₄ and NO⁻ ₃ showed relatively little spatial structure: only NO⁻ ₃ availability in the second sampling period had significant patch structure. Spatial maps of NH⁺ ₄ and NO⁻ ₃ availability changed greatly over time, and there were few significant correlations among soil nitrogen availability at different points in time. NO⁻ ₃ availability in the second sampling period was highly correlated (r = 0.90) with the initial soil NO⁻ ₃ concentrations, providing some evidence that patches of plant-available NO⁻ ₃ may reappear at the same spatial locations at irregular points in time. Received: 20 February 1998 / Accepted: 23 November 1998     

Effect of harvester ants of the genus Pogonomyrmex on the soil seed bank around their nests in the central Monte desert,Argentina

1. The abundance and composition of soil seed banks is a key determinant of plant community structure. Harvester ants can remove huge quantities of preferred seeds close to the nest affecting composition and spatial distribution of plants. 2. In the central Monte desert (Argentina) ants of the genus Pogonomyrmex have high seed removal rates, especially of the five main grasses. The aim of this study was to establish if their foraging activity affects spatial patterns of the soil seed bank around their nests. Our hypotheses were: (1) removal by ants decreases seed abundance of preferred species in the soil; and (2) the effect varies in time. 3. Soil seed abundance was assessed at different distances from Pogonomyrmex nests in the litter and in bare soil at the beginning, the middle, and the end of the season (late spring‐early autumn). 4. A lower seed abundance of preferred species was observed close to the nest in the litter at the end of the season. Non‐preferred species showed no distance gradient. 5. The lower foraging activity and seed consumption at the beginning of the season could explain the temporal variation of the spatial effect. This was only observed in the litter, probably because of the higher removal frequency in this substrate. 6. Colonies of Pogonomyrmex spp. could enhance the heterogeneity of soil seed banks in the central Monte desert from the summer to the beginning of the autumn. Implications for vegetation dynamics depend on the degree to which seed density limits perennial grasses recruitment after ant activity season.     

沙坡头人工固沙植被土壤水分空间异质性

利用传统统计学和地统计学相结合的方法对沙坡头人工固沙植被区0～200 cm 之间的各层土壤水分的空间变异性进行研究.结果表明,1）土壤水分相对变异较大的层是在160～180 cm层和180～200 cm层,变异系数分别为0.72和0.73.表层0～5 cm层的相对变异也较大,变异系数为0.662）半方差函数分析结果表明,各层土壤水分均具有明显的空间变异性,各层土壤水分自相关部分的空间异质性占总空间异质性的程度很高,所占比例在87.7%～99.9%范围内.各层土壤水分的有效变程大小有较大差异,最小值出现在60～80 cm层(7.04 m),最大值出现在20～40 cm层(19.71 m),土壤水分有效变程从表层到深层没有明显的变化规律;3）土壤水分插值图反映出0～140 cm之间相邻各层土壤水分变化较大,140～200 cm各层土壤水分变化较小;4）土壤水分在0°、45°、90°、135°四个方向的半方差函数基本上是一条直线,表明在这四个方向上半方差和距离的相关性较低,土壤水分变化是独立、随机的,是同质性的.     

保安湖—湖湾大型水生植物群落格局的研究

用地质统计学中的半方差和双对数半方差图对保安湖-湖湾(黄风口)的大型水生植物群落格局进行了研究,在不同的尺度上对群落及其主要组成种类的空间异质性进行了定量的描述。结果表明:保安湖黄风口大型水生植物群落的双对数半方差图存在线性区域,群落具有分形特征(自相似性).在不同的尺度下,群落和各组成种类空间格局具有不同的分形维数值,异质性程度存在差异。但其异质性程度不高,建议进行群落调查时,样方尺度应取520m;单一种群调查时的样方尺度取380m.       

Disturbance, biological legacies and community development in stream mesocosms

Disturbances reduce the biota in stream ecosystems, and leave biological legacies, including remnant species, which potentially influence post-disturbance community development but are poorly understood. We investigated whether three remnant species, the snail Radix peregra, the mayfly Serratella ignita and the freshwater shrimp Gammarus pulex, affected community development in mesocosms that mimicked disturbed habitat patches in streams. Following 21 days of colonisation, we found that the occurrence of legacy effects depended on the identity of the remnant species. Radix had the strongest effect. By bulldozing epilithon, the snails acted as ecological engineers that promoted settlement of filter feeders (Simuliidae) and invertebrate predators (especially Pentaneura and Aphelocheirus) and strongly deterred settlement of non-predatory chironomids (e.g. Heterotrissocladius and Microtendipes). Gammarus increased in density (by 665%) where remnant, probably through rapid reproduction. Baetis and Pentaneura were scarce, and Asellus absent, in remnant Gammarus treatments, as a consequence of interference and/or predation by the amphipods. In contrast, Serratella tolerated the colonisation of immigrant species and did not affect the structure of the developing benthic community. Despite the observed effects on the presence and abundance of benthos, remnant fauna had no significant effect on assemblage taxon richness, or that of any specific trophic group. The contrasting effects of remnant species on immigrant colonisation echoed differences in their life-history traits and foraging behaviours. Our results indicate that biota can generate spatial patchiness of epilithon and benthic invertebrates in stream ecosystems.Electronic Supplementary Material Supplementary material is available for this article at and is accessible for authorized users.     

Foraging behavior and morphology: seed selection in the harvester ant genus, Pogonomyrmex

Optimally foraging animals can be behaviorally or morphologically adapted to reduce the energetic and time costs of foraging. We studied the foraging behavior and morphology of three seed harvester ant species, Pogonomyrmex barbatus, P. desertorum, and P. occidentalis, to determine the importance of behavioral strategies and morphological features associated with load carriage in reducing the costs of foraging. We found that none of five morphological features we measured had a significant impact on seed selection. Also, body size did not influence running speed, an important variable in time costs of foraging. Temperature had the largest effect on running speed in these species. Our results show that these species have foraging strategies which minimize the time costs of traveling with seeds. We also describe a pattern where the running speed in individual-foraging species is less affected by increasing seed size than in trunk-trail foragers, when temperature and body mass are held constant. These results support previous work which showed that time costs are most important in seed selection for Pogonomyrmex, and suggest that central place foraging theory may need to accommodate variation in foraging strategy to more accurately predict optimal seed size selection in harvester ants. Received: 16 June 1997 / Accepted: 15 December 1997     

Male size, sperm transfer, and colony fitness in the western harvester ant, Pogonomyrmex occidentalis

Mating success in the western harvester ant, Pogonomyrmex occidentalis, increases with male size. We tested the hypothesis that increased mating success increases male fitness and the fitness of colonies that make large males by comparing the sperm content of males prior to and at the conclusion of the mating swarm. The number of sperm a male initially possesses is a function of male size, and large males transfer a greater proportion of their sperm than do small males. For colonies, the payoff per unit of investment is an increasing function of male size, and investment in large males is not equivalent to investing in a larger number of small males. Allocation ratios in species that show size variation in reproductives may need to be modified by the individual fitness functions.     

The Old Ladies of the Seed Harvester ant Pogonomyrmex Rugosus: Foraging Performed by Two Groups of Workers

We examined temporal polyethism in Pogonomyrmex rugosus, predicting a pattern of decreasing age from foragers to nest maintenance workers to individuals that were recruited to harvest a temporary food source. Nest maintenance workers were younger than foragers, as indicated by their heavier mass and lower mandibular wear. In contrast, recruited foragers were similar in mass to foragers but they displayed higher mandibular wear, suggesting that they were at least as old as foragers. Longevity estimates for marked individuals of these two latter task groups showed mixed results. Higher mandibular wear of recruited foragers suggests that they did not follow the normal sequence for temporal polyethism, but rather that they functioned as seed-millers, which should more quickly abrade their dentition. This would be the first demonstration of specialist milling individuals in a monomorphic seed-harvester ant.     

Introduced earthworms in agricultural and reclaimed land: their ecology and influences on soil properties, plant production and other soil biota

Accidental and deliberate introductions of earthworms into agricultural and reclaimed land are natural experiments that provide opportunities to understand the attributes of successful invaders and their impacts on local biota and ecosystem processes. We consider various case studies (e.g., earthworm invasions in agricultural soils in Australia and Brazil) and deliberate introductions of earthworms into reclaimed mine sites, landfills and cutaway peat in the U.K. and Ireland. Invasions of exotic earthworms, such as European Lumbricidae in Australia, have been geographically extensive, but remain very patchy at regional and field scales. Their impacts on soil properties, plant production and other biota are therefore also likely to be patchy. Various methods have been developed to deliberately inoculate exotic earthworms into disturbed lands, with varying degrees of success. The factors controlling success are, in general, poorly understood. A broad range of impacts of invasive earthworms on soil properties (e.g., soil structure, nutrient availability, burial of surface materials, incidence of root diseases) and plant yield and quality have been reported. Less is known of the impacts of invasive earthworms on other soil fauna, but they are likely to occur due to alterations in food availability and habitat structure. Influences on other biota are likely to extend to aboveground communities as well as those belowground. Introductions of earthworms to disturbed lands can yield substantial benefits in agricultural productivity and amelioration of soil degradation. However, the potential impact of the promotion or control of such introductions on non-target biota and ecosystem processes in pristine ecosystems nearby should be considered.