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占比，并在种子传播、土壤周转等一系列核心生态过程中发挥关键作用。铁杉球蚜的入侵会将晚演替铁杉林转变为早演替的阔叶-北美白松混交林，或是红枫湿地。明晰不同生境类型下蚂蚁群落的组成变化规律，可用于预测铁杉衰亡对蚂蚁群落组成的影响，进而对一系列生态过程产生效应。作为赛姆斯样地（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。