Chemical properties of forest soils as affected by nests of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Myrmica ruginodis</Emphasis> (Formicidae) |
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Authors: | Adam Véle Jan Frouz Jaroslav Holuša Jiří Kalčík |
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Institution: | (1) Faculty of Forestry, University of Joensuu, P. O. Box 111, FI-80101 Joensuu, Finland;(2) Joensuu Research Unit, Finnish Forest Research Institute, P.O. Box 68, FI-80101 Joensuu, Finland;(3) School of Human Science and Environment, University of Hyogo, 1-1-12, Shinzaike-honcho, Himeji-shi 670-0092, Japan;(4) Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research, Zuercherstrasse 111, CH-8903 Birmensdorf, Switzerland;(5) Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Unit, Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 65, FI-00014 Helsinki, Finland |
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Abstract: | Chemical properties (total and available P concentration; oxidizable C concentration; available K, Na, and Ca concentration;
and pH) were quantified for 33 nests of the ant Myrmica ruginodis and in surrounding soil in young spruce forest stands. All properties, except total P, were significantly higher in the nests
than in the surrounding soil. Total P was not higher in nests than in surrounding soil across all nests because nests had
higher total P than surrounding soil if the soil contained low concentrations of total P but nests had lower total P than
surrounding soil if the soil contained high concentrations of total P. The effect of nests on total P in the surrounding soil
corresponded with effects of nests on oxidizable carbon (an indicator of organic matter) in the surrounding soil (concentrations
of oxidizable carbon and total P were closely correlated). Available P concentrations were much higher in nests than in surrounding
soil. Overall, the results indicated that two main processes explain the chemical changes of soil in the ant nests: (i) mixing
due to excavation of deeper soil layers and (ii) deposition of excreta and food residues. The effect of soil mixing (whereby
ants transport mineral soil from deeper layers to layers near the surface) is more pronounced in soils with high organic content
near the surface because mixing increases the proportion of mineral soil in the nest while decreasing the proportion of organic
matter and the concentration of total P. |
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