Ant Assemblages in Hemlock Removal Experiment at Harvard Forest since 2003

Ants comprise a considerable amount of animal biomass in terrestrial ecosystems and play major roles in ecological processes ranging from seed dispersal to soil turnover. Invasion by the hemlock woolly adelgid will transform late-successional hemlock forests into earlier successional mixed hardwood - white pine forests or red-maple wetlands. Understanding how ant assemblages vary in different habitat types allows for predictions of how hemlock decline could alter the composition of ant assemblages, with implications for a wide range of ecosystem processes. As part of the Hemlock Removal Experiment at the Simes Tract, we annually monitor ant species composition and abundance.

蚂蚁在陆地生态系统中占据可观的动物生物量份额，并在从种子传播到土壤周转的一系列生态过程中发挥关键作用。铁杉球蚜（Hemlock woolly adelgid）的入侵会将晚演替铁杉林转变为早演替的硬阔-白松混交林或红枫湿地。厘清不同生境类型下蚂蚁群落的变化规律，可用于预测铁杉衰亡对蚂蚁群落组成的改变，这对诸多生态过程均具有重要影响。作为赛姆斯地块（Simes Tract）铁杉移除实验的一部分，我们每年对蚂蚁的物种组成与种群丰度进行监测。