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    Egu2015 1070 3

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    Delia Plăcintă
    The document discusses how ants can modify soil acidity and particle size distribution through their nest building activities. Studies of ant nests in different locations in northern Russia found their particle size distribution and pH levels differed from the surrounding soils, showing ants engineer unique soil conditions. This increases the complexity of soil structure and environment for other organisms.

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    Egu2015 1070 3

    Uploaded by

    Delia Plăcintă
    10 views1 page
    The document discusses how ants can modify soil acidity and particle size distribution through their nest building activities. Studies of ant nests in different locations in northern Russia found their particle size distribution and pH levels differed from the surrounding soils, showing ants engineer unique soil conditions. This increases the complexity of soil structure and environment for other organisms.

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    EGU2015-1070-3

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    The document discusses how ants can modify soil acidity and particle size distribution through their nest building activities. Studies of ant nests in different locations in northern Russia found their particle size distribution and pH levels differed from the surrounding soils, showing ants engineer unique soil conditions. This increases the complexity of soil structure and environment for other organisms.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    10 views1 page

    Egu2015 1070 3

    Uploaded by

    Delia Plăcintă
    The document discusses how ants can modify soil acidity and particle size distribution through their nest building activities. Studies of ant nests in different locations in northern Russia found their particle size distribution and pH levels differed from the surrounding soils, showing ants engineer unique soil conditions. This increases the complexity of soil structure and environment for other organisms.

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    Geophysical Research Abstracts

    Vol. 17, EGU2015-1070-3, 2015


    EGU General Assembly 2015
    © Author(s) 2015. CC Attribution 3.0 License.

    Contribution of ants in modifying of soil acidity and particle size


    distribution
    Alexandra Morgun (1,2) and Maxim Golichenkov (2)
    (1) V.V. Dokuchaev Soil Science Institute, Moscow, Russian Federation (amorgun@outlook.com), (2) M.V. Lomonosov
    Moscow State University, Moscow, Russian Federation

    Being a natural body, formed by the influence of biota on the upper layers of the Earth’s crust, the soil is the
    most striking example of biogenic-abiogenic interactions in the biosphere. Invertebrates (especially ants that build
    soil nests) are important agents that change soil properties in well developed terrestrial ecosystems. Impact of soil
    microorganisms on soil properties is particularly described in numerous literature and concerns mainly chemical
    properties and general indicators of soil biological activity. Influence of ants (as representatives of the soil meso-
    fauna) mostly appears as mechanical movement of soil particles and aggregates, and chemical effects caused by
    concentration of organic matter within the ant’s nest. The aim of this research was to evaluate the effect of ants
    on physical and chemical soil attributes such as particle size distribution and soil acidity. The samples were taken
    from aerial parts of Lasius niger nests, selected on different elements of the relief (summit position, slope, terrace
    and floodplain) in the Arkhangelsk region (north of the European part of Russia) and compared with the specimens
    of the upper horizons of the reference soils. Particle size distribution was determined by laser diffraction method
    using laser diffraction particle size analyzer «Analysette 22 comfort» (FRITSCH, Germany). The acidity (pH) was
    determined by potentiometry in water suspension. Particle size distribution of the samples from the nests is more
    variable as compared to the control samples. For example, the content of 5-10 µm fraction ranges from 9% to 12%
    in reference soils, while in the anthill samples the variation is from 8% to 15%. Similarly, for 50-250 µm fraction
    – it ranges from 15% to 18% in reference soils, whereas in anthills - from 6% to 29%. The results of particle size
    analysis showed that the reference sample on the terrace has silty loam texture and nests soil L. niger are medium
    loam. The reference soil on the slope is characterized as medium loam, and ant’s nest material has silty loam tex-
    ture. The control samples of soil and ants nests on the summit position are similar and have medium loam texture.
    Generally we outline that the particle size distribution of anthill samples shows more variability. We assume that
    ants operate with small soil aggregates, in which fine fractions may link together coarser particles. pH measure-
    ments show that the reference soils have a strongly acidic reaction on the summit position (pH 4.6), slightly acidic
    on the slope (pH 5.5) and neutral on the terrace and on the floodplain (pH 7.2). While the material of the anthills
    tends to be slightly alkalinized on the summit (pH 4.8) and alkalinized on the slope (pH 7.2), but acidified to neu-
    tral on the floodplain and terrace (pH 6.4 and 5.7). Therefore, the ants form specific physico-chemical conditions
    that are different from the surrounding (native) soil, significantly increasing the complexity of soil cover structure.
    This is a clear example of ecosystem engineering functions of ants in nature. Increased complexity of soil pattern
    is the result of variations in pH and particle size distribution. Both cause the preconditions for the formation of new
    environmental niches and enhance biodiversity in natural ecosystems.

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