Formica Lemani Research Articles

Temporal and spatial patterns of foraging in two syntopic ant species, Manica yessensis and Formica lemani, on Mount Fuji, Japan

AbstractSpatiotemporal characteristics of terrestrial foraging were studied in two ant species, Manica yessensis and Formica lemani, in a volcanic desert on the southeast slope of Mount Fuji, Gotenba, Japan. Both ants are common in this habitat, and they construct underground nests in this dry area with sparse vegetation. Nests of M. yessensis have multiple nest‐openings on the surface, whereas nests of F. lemani have very few openings, but their nesting and foraging areas overlap completely. A “mark‐and‐observe” method applied to M. yessensis demonstrated that worker ants of this species move between openings more than 3 m away. A study plot (6 m × 12 m quadrat) was set up, in which all nest‐openings of both species were mapped. Day‐long observations on numbers of foragers in this plot revealed that foraging M. yessensis are active in morning and evening, while F. lemani continues foraging all day, but both species cease activity at night. Associations between locations of foragers and nest‐openings differed significantly between the two species, that is, surface foraging of M. yessensis workers was largely confined to the vicinity of their nest‐openings, whereas foragers of F. lemani travelled far from their nest‐openings. The function of multiple nest‐openings in M. yessensis is discussed.

Préférences des fourmis en matière de type et de structure d’habitat : résultats sur quatre tourbières d’Auvergne (Hymenoptera : Formicidae)

Habitat type and structure preferences in ants: results from four peat bogs in Auvergne (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). - The link between habitats and ants was studied in the Parc naturel régional des Volcans d’Auvergne to understand better the ecological conditions favorable to the species. The study area was composed of four peat bogs in the Puy-de-Dôme. The method consisted in the description of the habitat (type and structure) and the inventory of ants by baits within 1149 plots of 16 m2. The analyses highlight links between habitat and myrmecofauna within these peat bogs. The species concerned are Formica picea Nylander, 1846, Formica lemani Bondroit, 1917, Lasius platythorax Seifert, 1991, Myrmica ruginodis Nylander, 1846 and Myrmica scabrinodis Nylander, 1846. The bibliographic elements concerning the ecological preferences of the different species are globally confirmed. Formica picea and Myrmica scabrinodis are particularly associated with raised bog habitats with a low vegetation structure. Formica lemani is found almost exclusively in mesophilic grasslands where it prefers higher vegetation. Lasius plathythorax is found in raised bog and low marsh habitats and transitional bogs in particular, with low vegetation. Only Myrmica ruginodis is favored by tall vegetation structures and preferentially frequents molinia and megaphorbia.

The Myrmecofauna (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Hungary: Survey of Ant Species with an Annotated Synonymic Inventory.

Simple SummaryAbundance is a hallmark of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). They are exceedingly common in both natural and artificial environments and they constitute a conspicuous part of the terrestrial ecosystem; every 3 to 4 out of 10 kg of insects are given by ants. Due to their key role in natural habitats, they are at the basis of any nature conservation and pest management policy. Thus, the first step in developing adequate management strategies is to build a precise faunistic inventory. More than 16,000 valid ant species are registered worldwide, of which 126 are known to occur in Hungary. Thanks to the last decade’s efforts in the Hungarian myrmecological research, and because of the constantly changing taxonomy of several problematic ant genera, a new checklist of the Hungarian ants is presented here. A comparison of the Hungarian myrmecofauna to other European countries’ ant fauna is also provided in this paper. The current dataset is a result of ongoing work on inventorying the Hungarian ant fauna, therefore it is expected to change over time and will be updated once the ongoing taxonomic projects are completed.Ants (Hymenoptera: Forimicidae) are exceedingly common in nature. They constitute a conspicuous part of the terrestrial animal biomass and are also considered common ecosystem engineers. Due to their key role in natural habitats, they are at the basis of any nature conservation policy. Thus, the first step in developing adequate conservation and management policies is to build a precise faunistic inventory. More than 16,000 valid ant species are registered worldwide, of which 126 are known to occur in Hungary. Thanks to the last decade’s efforts in the Hungarian myrmecological research, and because of the constantly changing taxonomy of several problematic ant genera, a new checklist of the Hungarian ants is presented here. The state of the Hungarian myrmecofauna is also discussed in the context of other European countries’ ant fauna. Six species (Formica lemani, Lasius nitidigaster, Tetramorium immigrans, T. staerckei, T. indocile and Temnothorax turcicus) have been reported for the first time in the Hungarian literature, nine taxon names were changed after systematic replacements, nomenclatorial act, or as a result of splitting formerly considered continuous populations into more taxa. Two species formerly believed to occur in Hungary are now excluded from the updated list. All names are nomenclaturally assessed, and complete synonymies applied in the Hungarian literature for a certain taxon are provided. Wherever it is not self-evident, comments are added, especially to explain replacements of taxon names. Finally, we present a brief descriptive comparison of the Hungarian myrmecofauna with the ant fauna of the surrounding countries. The current dataset is a result of ongoing work on inventorying the Hungarian ant fauna, therefore it is expected to change over time and will be updated once the ongoing taxonomic projects are completed.

The Plesiobiontic Association of Formica lemani Bondroit with Lasius flavus (Fabricius) (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) in Norway

Three compound nests of Formica lemani Bondroit, 1917 and Lasius flavus (Fabricius, 1782) are reported from Lygra, Western Norway. This is the first plesiobiontic relationship reported for F. lemani and the 9th for L. flavus. Behavioural and landscape ecological traits associated with plesiobiosis are discussed.

New insights on the phylogeny and biology of the fungal ant pathogen Aegeritella

This paper evaluates the phylogenetic position of the ectoparasitic fungus Aegeritella tuberculata Bałazy & Wiśniewski, and broadly discusses its presence on ants in southern Poland. Field work was conducted in the Silesian Beskid Mountains in 2011–2013. The fungus was found on four species of ants: Lasius niger L., Lasius brunneus Latr., Formica lemani Bondr. and Formica fusca L. The first three species have not been noted previously in the literature as hosts of Aegeritella fungi. The infection rate ranged from 1% for Formica lemani to 21% for L. brunneus. Molecular analysis based on ITS and SSU rDNA sequences revealed close relationships between Aegeritella and Trichosporon isolates. We conclude that the genus Aegeritella-inceratae sedis until now, should be placed within the fungal group Basidiomycota, Tremellomycetes, Tremellomycetidae, Tremellales, Trichosporonaceae.

Cold-hardiness of the phoretic mites Anoetus myrmicarum (Acariformes, Anoetidae) from the ants Formica lemani (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) in the Kolyma Highland

In the sparse larch forests of the upper Kolyma River, hypopi of the mite Anoetus myrmicarum (Scheucher, 1957) were found in several nests of the ant Formica lemani Bondroit, 1917. These mites were not found in hundreds of nests of the other 10 ant species examined in northeastern Asia. A possible ecological and physiological conditionality of the restricted distribution of phoretic mites was analyzed. For this purpose, coldhardiness of mites and their ant hosts, the biotopic distribution and the structure of nests, and the temperature conditions of overwintering were examined. At the stage of hypopus, the mites overwintered on ants in the overcooled stage; their mean supercooling temperatures (SCP) varied from −25.8 ± 0.3°C to −27.7 ± 0.4°C (min −32.2°C, n = 157). These values were by 0.1 to 7.0°C lower than the mean SCP of the ants from 8 tested nests of F. lemani (−20.7 ± 0.5°C to −25.7 ± 0.8°C). The soil temperatures at the level of winter chambers varied from −12°C to −15°C. Scarcity of findings of Anoetus myrmicarum in the Kolyma Highland is not associated with the limited cold-hardiness of the examined stages, but is most probably determined by interrelations between mites and ants.

The seed bank in soil from the nests of grassland ants in a unique limestone grassland community in Ireland

The seed content of nest soil of four species of ants Myrmica sabuleti, Lasius flavus, L. niger and Formica lemani was investigated in the semi-natural limestone grassland of the Burren, western Ireland. On-nest and off-nest soil samples were compared to determine whether ants promote plant species richness. Samples were collected, monthly, from May to September 2006 from the top 50mm of soil from 10 nests of each species, and from adjacent off-nest grassland soil (total 400 samples). After collection a total of 42 seed species were germinated and identified. L. flavus (both on-nest and off-nest samples) had the highest seed species richness of which 10 species had a high seedling representation (% affinity) for the nest of this species. Persicaria maculosa and Viola tricolour had a high percent affinity for the nests of L. niger, and these were significantly higher on the nest compared to the off-nest samples. Anagallis arvensis and Cerastium holosteoides also had significantly higher percent affinity for the nests of F. lemani. No species was associated with M. sabuleti. The high richness of seedling species associated with Lasius nests may be due to the specialised vegetation on the nest or ant activity. Since L. niger, F. lemani and M. sabuleti nest under stones it is likely that the seeds may be collected by ant activity. Although previously reported for L. flavus, the unique seed banks of the ant nests can account for localised mosaic patches of different vegetation.

Specific ant-pollination in an alpine orchid and the role of floral scent in attracting pollinating ants

Several studies have recently shown that floral scent can deter ants from flowers. However, when ants serve as reliable pollen vectors, for example in harsh, windy habitats, were flying insects are less active, plants should have evolved floral signals to attract them to the flowers. We tested this hypothesis in the alpine orchid, Chamorchis alpina. C. alpina was found to be predominantly ant pollinated, with some occasional pollination by ichneumonid wasps. In all three investigated populations, only two species of ants, Formica lemani and Leptothorax acervorum visited the flowers and removed pollinaria. These two pollinator ants were found to be among the most common ant species in all habitats, but other, non-pollinating ants were also frequently found, suggesting a factor that mediates specific pollination. Floral morphology was found to be compatible with at least one of the common non-pollinator ants. Floral scent consistently comprised five terpenoid compounds, β-phellandrene, 1,8-cineole, linalool, α-terpineol, and β-caryophyllene. A synthetic blend of these five compounds emitting from rubber septa, was found to be attractive to one pollinator ant-species, F. lemani, in the field. The floral scent of C. alpina, through attracting only specific ants, may thus play a role in filtering floral visitors.

Unexpected Benefit of a Social Parasite for a Key Fitness Component of Its Ant Host

Numerous invertebrates inhabit social insect colonies, including the hoverfly genus Microdon, whose larvae typically live as brood predators. Formica lemani ant colonies apparently endure Microdon mutabilis infections over several years, despite losing a considerable fraction of young, and may even produce more gynes. We present a model for resource allocation within polygynous ant colonies, which assumes that whether an ant larva switches development into a worker or a gyne depends on the quantity of food received randomly from workers. Accordingly, Microdon predation promotes gyne development by increasing resource availability for surviving broods. Several model predictions are supported by empirical data. (i) Uninfected colonies seldom produce gynes. (ii) Infected colonies experience a short-lived peak in gyne production leading to a bimodal distribution in gyne production. (iii) Low brood : worker ratio is the critical mechanism controlling gyne production. (iv) Brood : worker ratio reduction must be substantial for increased gyne production to become noticeable.

Unique soil microbial assemblages associated with grassland ant species with different nesting and foraging strategies

Ants are important ecosystem engineers and can be abundant in extensively managed grassland ecosystems. Different ant species create nests varying in structure and size, and tend to have a variety of feeding strategies. Differences in food imported to the nest and contrasting nesting behaviour may control soil microbial community structure in nest soil, with cascading effects on nutrient cycling, but this has not been tested in grassland ants. Soil and ants were sampled from nests of three ant species: two formicines; Lasius flavus (aphid farmer/scavenger, mound builder) and Formica lemani (scavenger/hunter, non-mound builder), and a myrmicine; Myrmica sabuleti (hunter/scavenger, non-mound builder), in an extensively grazed temperate grassland and compared to similar soils without ants. Microbial assemblages were determined using molecular approaches (terminal restriction length polymorphism and automated ribosomal intergenic spacer analysis). Both aboveground (vegetation diversity) and belowground (soil physico-chemical properties) components were measured to assess the potential of the different ant species to modify the environment. Stable isotope ratios (δ13C and δ15N) of ant tissues and nest soil organic matter confirmed differences in trophic distances. Significant changes in soil pH, moisture content, total C and total N, and in vegetation composition, demonstrated ant ecosystem engineering effects. In turn, nests of L. flavus, M. sabuleti and F. lemani had different microbial activities and harboured significantly different microbial assemblages (total bacteria, total fungi, ammonia-oxidising bacteria and nitrogen-fixing bacteria), but the diversity was similar. These findings suggest that grassland ants can control microbial assemblages via changes in physical and biological soil characteristics in their nests, and as such, different ant species harbour unique microbial assemblages in nests.

Trophic relationships of grassland ants based on stable isotopes

As keystone species in many ecosystems, ants are important predators of insects and other invertebrates, which are fed mainly to the ant larvae. Honeydew is important in the diet of adult worker ants and some ant species collect seeds as food items. Differences in the natural abundance ratios of the stable isotopes of carbon and nitrogen were used to investigate the trophic relationships of eight species of ants in limestone grassland near Limerick, mid-west Ireland. During July 2005, samples of adult workers and larvae were collected from ten nests of each of eight sympatric species ( Myrmica ruginodis , M. scabrinodis , M. sabuleti, M. schencki, Leptothorax acervorum, Lasius flavus , L. niger , and Formica lemani) and analysed using Elemental Analysis–Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometry (EA–IRMS). Myrmica ruginodis workers had the highest δ 15 N, and M. schencki the lowest δ 15 N. The δ 15 N spacing between these two species was 2.6‰, which represents a difference of almost one trophic level. High δ 15 N values for adult Lasius flavus were unexpected as they suggest a more predatory diet for L. flavus workers than is implied in the literature, or possibly a diet including Collembola which can have higher δ 15 N values than herbivorous arthropods. The results for Formica lemani indicate that its diet is more generalist than field observations and the literature suggest. The larvae of L. acervorum had the lowest values for δ 15 N and δ 13 C (probably reflecting a high lipid content) and the values for the workers were also low, suggesting that the food sources of this species, which are little known, are different from those of the other co-occurring ant species in the study.

Host propagation permits extreme local adaptation in a social parasite of ants

The Red Data Book hoverfly species Microdon mutabilis is an extreme specialist that parasitises ant societies. The flies are locally adapted to a single host, Formica lemani, more intimately than was thought possible in host-parasite systems. Microdon egg survival plummeted in F. lemani colonies > 3 km away from the natal nest, from c. 96% to 0% to < 50%, depending on the hoverfly population. This is reflected in the life-time dispersal of females, measured at < 2 m, resulting in oviposition back into the same ant nests for generation after generation. To counter destabilizing effects on the host, Microdon manipulates the social dynamics of F. lemani by feeding selectively on ant eggs and small larvae, which causes surviving larvae to switch development into queens. Infested colonies rear double the number of new queens, thus propagating the vulnerable local genotype and compensating for damage to the host colonies. The consequences of such extreme host specificity for insect conservation are discussed.

Ant (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) communities in reclaimed and unreclaimed brown coal mining spoil dumps in the Czech Republic

Summary Ant communities were investigated in brown coal mining spoil dumps, and in the surrounding landscape by hand collecting in 100 m2 quadrats, during spring 2001. Two transects of pitfall traps were also set up, from the base to the peak of spoil mounds (one each in forest and open habitats), and were sampled from May 1998 to May 2001 in order to investigate the composition of resident (workers) and colonizing (virgin queen) ants in the community. The overall numbers of species recorded on the dumps and in the surrounding landscape were comparable, which may result from both the higher number of sites sampled, as well as the higher diversity of sites in dump habitats. The dumps were mostly colonized by species common to the surrounding semi-natural habitats. However, two mountain species, absent from the surrounding landscape, Formica lemani and Manica rubida, were recorded on the dumps. Ant communities in forest plantations on spoil dumps were dominated by Myrmica rubra and Myrmica ruginodis. Lasius niger was locally abundant in the forest plantation and was the most common species of the non-forest dump habitats. Lasius flavus, Myrmica rubra, M. ruginodis and M. scabrinodis were common species in surrounding meadows but rare on the spoil. We postulate that the absence of Lasius flavus on spoil results from its low migration and colonization abilities. In the case of Myrmica rubra, its absence from open dumps probably resulted from environmental constrains of the habitat. The redundancy analysis (RDA) indicated two groups of factors critical for ant community composition. The first group (plot age, depth of humus and fermentation layers, cover of bare soil and soil substrate) corresponded to the successional age of the plot and to the development of the soil. The second group of parameters (tree cover and presence of Salix caprea shrubs) characterized a gradient between forests and open habitats.

Bracken, ants and extrafloral nectaries. III. How insect herbivores avoid ant predation

Abstract. 1. Ants (Myrmica spp. and Formica lemani) visiting the extrafloral nectaries of bracken, Pteridium aquilinum, imposed heavy mortality on caterpillars of a novel moth species experimentally introduced onto bracken fronds. However, the exclusion of ants from bracken fronds had no significant effect on adapted bracken‐feeding herbivores in Britain.2. The feeding stages of British bracken‐feeding insects are immune to, or can largely avoid, predation by ants in a variety of ways. Gall formers and miners cannot be attacked by these ants. Two other species hide, one inside tied leaves, the other in a mass of ‘spittle’. Another group of species jumps away from, or falls off the plant when touched by ants. Sawfly caterpillars in the genera Strongylogaster, Aneugmenus and Tenthredo have viscous, distasteful haemolymph that repels ants.3. No species of bracken herbivore has an absolute temporal refuge from ants; during their development they all overlap with ants to some degree.4. Ant predation appears to have played a significant role in determining the contemporary structure of British bracken‐feeding insect communities. Distasteful haemolymph in sawfly caterpillars may have evolved in response to selection from ant predation. Other species may fortuitously possess characteristics, evolved in response to a variety of selective forces, that also reduce the impact of ants; without such characteristics, however, we postulate that they would be unable to live on this plant. An absence of external, foliage feeding Lepidoptera early in the spring, a high proportion of sawfly species, and a high proportion of gall‐formers and miners may all be characteristics of the bracken herbivore community which have been influenced by ant predation.

Les peuplements de Fourmis et les peuplements d’ Acridiens du Mont Ventoux. II. Les peuplements de Fourmis

The composition of the ant communities and the relative frequency of each species are described, as well as their ecological and altitudinal amplitudes. The richness and/or the composition of the communities differs from one vegetation zone to another. All the communities show a very hierarchical structure. The Shannon eaver index of evenness is roughly equal in all communities. The communities are very varied, but three species are predominant over the mountain : Lasius niger, Tetramorium caespitum and Formica lemani. Of the environmental features, temperature is the most important, producing a marked altitudinal zonation of species and communities. The effects of aridity are important among certain species, leading to vertical discontinuities in their ranges. The vegetation cover affects species dependant on particular plants ; these species have been considerably affected by reafforestation, especially on the lower parts of the southern slopes, leading to a notable increase in L. niger. At the summit, the main limiting factor is temperature on the northern slope ; and the dessicating effects of the winds on the southern slopes.

The effect of tunnel depth and of working in pairs on the speed of excavation in ants ( Formica lemani bondroit)

The time taken to transport spoil in longer tunnels significantly reduced the speed at which tunnels deeper than 8 mm were extended by single ants. The number of loads removed however was not significantly affected because ants removed fewer loads from the ends of deep tunnels. When ants worked in pairs the tunnels were extended significantly more slowly than by a single ant at the same depth. The number of loads was not significantly less than with single ants; either of the ants might work at the end of the tunnel while its fellow worked higher up. Group working need not be in all ways less efficient than single working. This finding is discussed in relation to ‘social facilitation’.

Specific patterns of excavation in isolated ants

The tunnels dug by isolated worker ants [Myrmica ruginodis Nylander,M. scabrinodis Nylander,Formica lemani Bondroit,F. fusca L. andLasius niger (L.)] have been studied photographically. Although there was much variation within species, certain interspecific differences in tunnel shape appeared. The tunnels ofL. niger are more spreading, longer and more convoluted than those of the other species, and often branch beneath the surface. The tunnels ofM. scabrinodis show the same features to a smaller degree. The tunnels ofF. fusca andF. lemani are straight, unbranched and vertical.

The response of isolated digging worker ants [Formica lemani bondroit andLasius niger (L.)] to tunnels

1. In laboratory experimentsF. lemani andL. niger preferred to begin tunnels where moist sand met a solid surface. 2. Both species were, however, attracted to dig in artificial tunnels (made by pushing a wire into the sand). The effect of these was greater onF. lemani than onL. niger. 3. The tunnels whichL. niger dug, starting from an artificial tunnel, were usually at an angle to it; those ofF. lemani in line with it. 4. Where an ant was digging in two tunnels during a given period it was more likely to make two successive trips to the same tunnel than was expected. 5. About half the total of digging acts were not made at the end of the tunnel. The proportion of these «deficit» grabs did not differ between species. 6. The distance from the tunnel end at which «deficit» grabs were made was greater inL. niger than inF. lemani. 7. There was no evidence that this distance depended on the length of the tunnel. 8. The dispersion of grabs in a line at right-angles to the tunnel length was greater inL. niger than inF. lemani. 9. These differences may explain the differences in tunnel form between these species.