INFLUENCE OF THE CEMENT DUST ON ANTS GROUPING (HYMENOPTERA, FORMICIDAE)

Abstract

Introduction. Industrial emissions affect the impoverishment of insect fauna not only by reducing their species composition but also by reducing the abundance of dominant species.Aim. Therefore, the goal of the research was to investigate how the cement dust affects species diversity of ants, density and types of anthills.Methods. Investigation of the effect of cement dust on mirmecofauna was carried out on the territory of village Yamnytsia, Tysmenytsia district, Ivano-Frankivsk region and its vicinity, near the cement plant of PJSC «Ivano-Frankivskcement». Meadows and deciduous forests were studied within the village of Yamnytsia, which are located at different distances from the source of cement dust (0; 0.5 km; 1 km; 5.5 km) and 30 km from the village boundary (control). To quantify the species composition of Formica ants, the methods of K. V. Arnoldi were used. Counting of anthills and sampling of ants was performed according to the method of G. M. Dlussky. Anthills were described by the standard method, the account of the building material of the nests was carried out visually, the material was not selected.Results. Analyzing the distribution of ants genera and species on the experimental meadows, we found a direct correlation between the number of ants and the distance from the sources of cement dust (r=0.87 at p<0.05). The largest number of the ant species was observed in the area of influence from the genus Lasius. Myrmica nests are found not closer than 1 km from PJSC «Ivano-Frankivskcement», Formica nests are only in the control. With a decrease in the pollution degree, the proportion of underground nests increases (r=0.90 at p<0.05), the proportion of the dome nests decreases (r=-0.94 at p<0.05). At the same time, the size of dome on average decreases when the distance from the source of pollution grows. All anthills registered in the most polluted zone consist of a mixture of cement dust and earth up to 45 cm high. About 75 % of all nests found were heavily overgrown. Adaptation of the ants to the influence of cement dust differs from other types of impact and is expressed in the fact that in technogenic territories anthills are more often dome-shaped, of smaller diameter and considerably higher than those located in the control zone. This is because the soil near PJSC «Ivano-Frankivskcement» is covered with a layer of the lime dust which reaches 5 cm. Lasius niger is resistant to various forms of the anthropogenic influence, which can be explained by the adaptive features of the anthill forms.Conclusion. Under the influence of emissions from PJSC «Ivano-Frankivskсement», the anthill density of Formica genera is greatly reduced and is dominated by ants of the genera Lasius and Myrmica. The height of the L. niger anthill is inversely proportional to the distance to the source of industrial emissions, and the frequency of occurrence of underground nests of most species is directly proportional to the degree of anthropogenic impact.Keywords: ants; anthropogenic influence; cement dust; Lasius; Myrmica.