Presentation Year

2019

Depreciated Participant

Adrien BouissouBiological SciencesUndergraduate Student,Ian CullimoreBiological SciencesUndergraduate Student

College or Department

Short Description of your Research or Creative Project (700 characters or less)

Western thatching ant (Formica obscuripes) mounds are a conspicuous feature in the coastal beach pine forests of the local Lanphere and Ma-le’l Dunes. We explored the mounds’ size and spatial distributions, and tested whether their mound-forming behaviors could impact soil nutrient conditions. In a 3-km segment, we found 346 mounds generally situated along the sand–forest interface. Furthermore, from soil samples of seven of the mounds, we found that the ants significantly concentrated the soils with nutrients necessary for plant growth. These findings suggest that the ants could have important implications for supporting plant populations in this nutrient-poor environment.

Permission to Publish Work

Yes

Node ID

730

Page Classification