Abstract
Red wood ants (RWAs) play an important role as predators and competitors in invertebrate communities in forest ecosystems. The abundance of RWAs in managed forest clear-cut areas was investigated in 2007 in Western Poland. The ants were counted in 1 × 1 m squares along transects that led from the edge to the centre of clear-cut areas. Squares that contained RWAs were located significantly closer to the edge as compared with squares without ants. The RWA density decreased significantly from the edge to the centre of clear-cut area. The pattern of the decrease of RWAs towards the clear-cut area centre may have serious consequences for ant-sensitive invertebrates. It can be expected that species richness and species diversity of invertebrates will be affected by forest clear-cut areas, which generate ant-free conditions.
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