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The Role of Wood Ants (Formica Rufa Group) in the Arctic Tundra and How Climate Change May Alter This Role

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The Role of Wood Ants (Formica Rufa Group) in the Arctic Tundra and How Climate Change May Alter This Role The role of wood ants (Formica rufa group) in the Arctic tundra and how climate change may alter this role Michael Meijer Master’s Degree Thesis in Biology 60 ECTS Department of Ecology and Environmental Science, Umeå University, SE- 901 87 Umeå, Sweden Supervisor: Micael Jonsson Front cover: Michael Meijer, Abisko, Sweden. Cite as: Meijer, M. 2020. The role of wood ants (Formica rufa group) in the Arctic tundra and how climate change will alter this role. M.Sc. Thesis. Department of Ecology and Environmental Science, Umeå University, Sweden Abstract In the Arctic tundra, wood ants play an important ecological role in aerating the soil, cycling nutrients, for seed dispersal and, as biological control by preying on forest pest insects during outbreaks. The increase in temperature, caused by climate change, is positively associated with ant abundance. This could accelerate the wood ants’ effects on the ecosystem, with potentially dramatic consequences for associated taxa. It is, however, still unclear to what extent the ants influence the vegetation and arthropod community. The aim of this study is to investigate the effects ants have on the Arctic tundra ecosystem and how climate change may modify these effects. The study was conducted in Abisko national park, north Sweden, were two study sites were selected: one at low altitude and one at high altitude. I found that wood ants had a substantial effect on the vegetation community close to the mound, with a positive effect on different kind of vascular plant species, and a negative effect on rushes, mosses, and lichens. All the arthropods taxonomic orders and most of the families were positively affected by the presence of ant mounds. Ant mound abundance and volume were positively related with annual insolation and GPP, which indicates that climate change will increase ant abundance in the Arctic tundra. Thus, my results suggest that future climate change will have significant effects on Arctic tundra vegetation and arthropod communities, via positive effects on ant abundance. Table of content Abstract ...................................................................................................................................... 3 1 Introduction ............................................................................................................................ 1 1.1 Wood ant interaction.................................................................................................................. 1 1.2 Objective ...................................................................................................................................... 2 2 Method .................................................................................................................................... 3 2.1 Study area .................................................................................................................................... 3 2.2 UAV data ..................................................................................................................................... 3 2.3 Ant nest abundance ................................................................................................................... 4 2.4 Arthropods communities .......................................................................................................... 4 2.5 Vegetation communities ........................................................................................................... 4 2.6 Data analyses .............................................................................................................................. 5 3 Results ..................................................................................................................................... 8 3.1 Ant mound inventory UAV ....................................................................................................... 8 3.2 NMDS arthropod community ................................................................................................ 10 3.3 Influence of ant mounds on vegetation ................................................................................ 12 3.3.1 Vegetation on top of ant mounds ........................................................................................ 13 3.4 GLM models ant mound abundance and volume ............................................................... 15 4 Discussion ............................................................................................................................. 17 4.1 Influence of wood ants on the vegetation ............................................................................. 17 4.2 Wood ants’ interaction with arthropod community ........................................................... 17 4.3 Influence of climate change on the wood ants ..................................................................... 18 4.4 Vegetation on the mound ....................................................................................................... 19 4.5 Methodology ............................................................................................................................. 19 4.6 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................ 19 Acknowledgement .................................................................................................................... 21 References ................................................................................................................................ 22 Appendix I: Study sites Appendix II: Equations for distance to ant mound to vegetation Appendix III: Output from SIMPER Appendix IV: Average values nest material between groups Appendix V: Fixed vectors for nest material Appendix VI: Invertebrate abundance and biomass for both sites 1. Introduction Ants (Formicidae) are important ecosystem engineers that play key roles in shaping the community structure in terrestrial ecosystems (Jones et al., 1994; Folgarait, 1998). Many studies have investigated the local diversity and abundance of ants and their effect on the ecosystem in different types of habitats all over the world (Fowler & Claver, 1991; Brener & Ruggiero, 1994; Samson et al., 1997). However, one biome where effects of ant populations are not so well studied, compared to the other biomes, is the Arctic tundra. The Formicidae species in the Arctic tundra consist of a small number of species, compared to other biomes, and thus has not received a lot of attention by researchers (Gregg, 1972; Francœur, 1983; Nielsen, 1987). Nevertheless, in the Arctic , ants occur locally in high densities, suggesting that they play an important ecosystem role in aerating the soil, cycling nutrients, as biological control agent by preying on forest insect pests, and for seed dispersal (Nielsen, 1987; Folgarait, 1998; Jones et al., 1994; Kovář et al., 2013). One of the most abundant ant species that colonize the northern hemisphere is the wood ant (Formica rufa group). Wood ants build large and long-lasting nest mounds, that can stay in place for decades. Constructing and maintaining the nest and colony cost a considerable amount of energy and material. During the construction, ants modify the soil by turning and aerating the soil, allowing oxygen and water to be absorbed by plant roots (Denning et al., 1977; Gotwald, 1986; Majer et al., 1987; Cherrett, 1989). By foraging on food and plant material and moving it to a central location, they do not only influence the availability of nutrients in the ant mound, but also in the surrounding (Petal, 1978; Mandel & Sorenson, 1982; Ohashi et al., 2007; Kilpeläinen et al., 2007). For example, nutrients that are released from the organic material of the nest remain near the ant mound, creating nutrient rich hot spots that benefit certain plant species (Lenoir et al., 2001). Also, old ant mounds that are abandoned contribute to ecosystem heterogeneity (Carlson & Whitfold, 1991). 1.1 Wood ant interaction Ants can have a strong influence on the composition of entire arthropod communities. Wood ants will prey on different arthropods depending on how available they are as potential prey (Horstmann, 1972). Wood ants’ colonies also change arthropod communities by excluding competing predators, such as spiders, harvestmen, and beetles (Skinner, 1980; Brüning, 1991; Halaj et al., 1997; Hawes et al., 2013; Reznikova & Dorosheva, 2004). Further, aphids and lepidoptera caterpillars can have mutualistic relationships with ants (Dolling, 1991; Auclair, 1963; Resh, 2009). In exchange of honeydew the ants protect aphids and lepidopterans against predators, and this relationship is called trophobiosis (Hölldobler & Wilson, 1990; Fielder, 1991). In Europe, lepidopterans that have a trophobiosis relationship with ants belong to the family of Lycaenidae, with around 75% of the species of this family exhibiting a positive relationship with ants (Eliot, 1973). On the other hand, there are also many arthropods specialized in exploiting recourses of ant colonies and that benefit from ant activity. This relationship is called myrmecophily (Oliver et al., 2008). Some myrmecophilic species can disguise themselves and enter the nest unnoticed, and thereby they can then use the food resources and benefit from the indirect protection of the colony (Kronauer & Pierce, 2011). Integration into the colony is either through producing soothing agents, chemical camouflage, or chemical mimicry
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