The Role of Red Wood Ants (Formica rufa Species Group) in Central European Forest Ecosystems—A Literature Review

Mikó, Ágnes és Csősz, Sándor és Paulin, Márton József és Csóka, György (2025) The Role of Red Wood Ants (Formica rufa Species Group) in Central European Forest Ecosystems—A Literature Review. INSECTS, 16 (5). ISSN 2075-4450

Szöveg insects-16-00518.pdf Download (1MB)

Absztrakt (kivonat)

Red wood ants (RWA), belonging to the Formica rufa species group, play a crucial and fascinating role in Central Europe’s forest ecosystems. They have a high variety of effects, which they exert around their nests. Their generalist feeding on prey in the canopies of trees lowers the frequency of defoliator outbreaks, as well as increases local biodiversity. Nearly half of their diverse diet is insects, including species considered harmful by foresters. They also have a mutualistic relation with honeydew-producing aphids and planthoppers, which connection has unclear effects on the forests. The habit of RWAs building nests could also positively influence soil composition, due to its structure and high amount of organic matter, which could potentially benefit tree growth. RWAs are also known to enhance the species richness of forests by supporting various myrmecophilous species associated with them. In this study, we review the role of RWAs in forest protection, drawing on the literature focusing on Hungary and Central Europe.

Tudományterület / tudományág

agrártudományok > erdészeti és vadgazdálkodási tudományok

Kar

Nem releváns

Intézmény

Soproni Egyetem

Mű tipusa:	Cikk
SWORD Depositor:	Teszt Sword
Felhasználó:	Csaba Horváth
A mű MTMT azonosítója:	MTMT:36173838
Dátum:	06 Jún 2025 10:36
Utolsó módosítás:	06 Jún 2025 10:36
URI:	http://publicatio.uni-sopron.hu/id/eprint/3637

Actions (login required)

Tétel nézet