Bioturbation by the Fungus-Gardening Ant, Trachymyrmex septentrionalis.

ABSTRACT: Soil invertebrates such as ants are thought to be important manipulators of soils in temperate and tropical ecosystems. The fungus gardening ant, Trachymyrmex septentrionalis, is an important agent of biomantling, that is, of depositing soil excavated from below onto the surface, and has been suggested as an agent of bioturbation (moving soil below ground) as well. The amount of bioturbation by this ant was quantified by planting queenright colonies in sand columns consisting of 5 layers of different colored sand. The amount of each color of sand deposited on the surface was determined from April to November 2015. In November, colonies were excavated and the color and amount of sand deposited below ground (mostly as backfill in chambers) was determined. Extrapolated to one ha, T. septentri

SUBMITTER: Tschinkel WR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4938500 | biostudies-literature | 2016

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature