Abstract
Olkhon region in East Siberia has abundant and unique vegetation and animal resource for its peculiar geographic location, including ants. Ant, recognized as ecosystem engineers, has an important role in ecosystem. In order to investigate the ecological role of mound-building ants in this region, we focused our attention on the correlation between the distribution of ant mounds and plant species. Five quadrats (5 m × 5 m) were set up in this region, each of which was then divided into twenty-five quadrats (1 m × 1 m). We collected the location of every Black Bog Ant (Formica candida) mound, the number and biomass of various plants in every small quadrat. Using matrices, we tested the distribution pattern of ant mound randomly. The correlation between plants and ant mound pattern was tested by correlation analysis and regression analysis. The result showed that the spatial distribution of ant mound was random. We also found that Artemisia frigida, Carexduriuscula and Oxytropis sylvesfris had a significant linear relationship with the spatial distribution of ant mound (P < 0.05), suggesting that the spatial distribution of ant mound was dependent on the spatial distribution of some plants. The underlying mechanism was further studied. We attributed this correlation to the feeding habits and foraging strategies of Black Bog Ant and tissue structure of these three plants. Our study figured out the interaction between Black Bog Ant and plant resource in Olkhon region, laying down the foundation for future study on the co-evolution of plant and animal resource in this unique ecosystem.
Highlights
Olkhon region, located on the western shore of Lake Baikal in East Siberia, has a combined climate pattern of continental climate and maritime climate due to the huge water body of Lake Baikal
We investigated the spatial distribution pattern of Black Bog Ant (Formica candida), the dominant ant species in Olkhon region, and the distribution structure of plant resources
Ant mounds are clustered on the scale of 0–1 m, but resign to random distribution on a broader scale
Summary
Olkhon region, located on the western shore of Lake Baikal in East Siberia, has a combined climate pattern of continental climate and maritime climate due to the huge water body of Lake Baikal. The foraging behavior of ants plays an important role in the food web and energy cycle It changes the flow of matter and energy - organic matter is buried deeper, small particles are brought to the surface, soil porosity is increased, moisture is dispersed and gas is released [1, 2]. The ant mounds surface is rich in C, N and other elements [3] These physical and chemical changes will affect the soil microenvironment and nutrient cycling, and affect the structure of plant resources. The reciprocal relationship between the ants and plants facilitates the restoration of natural communities, and promotes their evolution For these reasons, international studies have used ants as a biological indicator to detect environmental and biodiversity changes [5, 6]. Especially the correlation between their mound-building activities and plants are still very few
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