Wood Ant Ecology and ConservationJenni A. Stockan, Elva J. H. Robinson Wood ants play an ecologically dominant and conspicuous role in temperate boreal forests, making a keystone contribution to woodland ecosystem functions and processes. Wood ant taxonomy and global distributions set the scene for this text's exploration of wood ants as social insects, examining their flexible social structures, genetics, population ecology, and behaviour, from nest-mate recognition to task allocation. Wood ants' interactions with their environment and with other organisms are essential to their success: competition, predation and mutualism are described and analysed. Bringing together the expertise of ecological researchers and conservation practitioners, this book provides practical and theoretical advice about sampling and monitoring these insects, and outlines the requirements for effective conservation. This is an indispensable resource for wood ant researchers, entomologists, conservationists and ecological consultants, as well as anyone interested in social insects, keystone species and the management and conservation of forest ecosystems. |
Contents
Wood ants and their interaction with other | 8 |
christian bernasconi | 37 |
Population genetics of wood ants | 51 |
Centre of Excellence in Biological Interactions Department | 78 |
Where and why? Wood ant population ecology | 81 |
Colony and species recognition among | 106 |
Interspecific competition and coexistence | 123 |
Wood ant foraging and mutualism with aphids | 145 |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
Annales Zoologici Fennici ants Formica rufa ants Hymenoptera aphids beetles behaviour Bernasconi Biology boreal forests Chapter Chapuisat Cherix competition conservation dispersal distribution dominant dominant wood Domisch Donisthorpe 1927 ecosystem effects Entomology Eurasian Evolution Figure Finland foraging Formica ants Formica aquilonia Formica lugubris Formica polyctena Formica rufa group Formicidae Fortelius Frouz Frufa fusca gene flow genetic Gibb gland Goropashnaya Gyllenstrand gynes habitat Hölldobler honeydew Horstmann host Hymenoptera inbreeding Insectes Sociaux interactions invertebrates Journal Kilpeläinen males mating monogynous myrmecophiles Myrmica nest mounds Niemelä North American nutrient Oecologia Päivinen Palearctic Pamilo paralugubris pheromones Picea abies polydomous polygynous prat pratensis predation Punttila queens red wood ants relatedness reproductive Robinson Rosengren Seifert Seppä setae social insects social parasitism Sociobiology soil strategy structure Sundström supercolonies temporary social parasitism thermoregulation trails trees Wellenstein Wellenstein 1952 wood ant colonies wood ant Formica wood ant mounds wood ant nests wood ant species workers