Space, Habitat and Isolation are the Key Determinants of Tree Colonization by the Carpenter Ant in Plantation Forests

Adam Véle,Jakub Horák

doi:10.3390/f10080630

Abstract

Forest plantations are still often considered the antithesis of real nature. However, plantations can host many organisms. The problem is that some of the hosted species are regarded ad hoc as pests. The main aim of our paper was to study the carpenter ant (Camponotus ligniperdus) in windstorm habitats. We studied forests in East Bohemia, Czech Republic, and focused on the spatial distribution of snapped trees and the influence of selected forest characteristics on the incidence of ant nests. We found that the nests in the study area mainly occurred in Norway spruce, which is the most commercially important tree in the majority of Central Europe. More than one quarter of the snapped trees were inhabited by the ants. We found that nests exhibited a spatially autocorrelated pattern that differed on spatial scales. The most important characteristic of the host tree for determining carpenter ant nests was the presence of brown rot, and the majority of tree nests were isolated from forest openings. The presence of carpenter ants in forest plantations is, therefore, not harmful. Their presence could be used by forest managers as an indication of unsuitable stand conditions for the successful growth of the Norway spruce and other coniferous plantation trees.

Highlights

Forest plantations are often grown as monocultures, with clear cut harvest as the dominant management type
We found 34 snapped trees that were inhabited by the carpenter ant, representing 26.15% of all
We found 34 snapped trees that were inhabited by the carpenter ant, representing 26.15% of all snapped trees found

Summary

Introduction

Forest plantations are often grown as monocultures, with clear cut harvest as the dominant management type. In addition to the composition of one dominant, often non-indigenous tree species, this forest land use type can negatively influence soil chemistry, moisture, and physical attributes, together with vegetation. It can influence other abiotic factors such as solar radiation, air, and soil temperatures [1,2,3]. The dominant tree species in plantation forests in Central Europe is the Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.). This tree is highly susceptible to the attack of spruce bark beetles, drought, and wind. Current research has indicated that the protection of forests against such pests is a complex issue

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