The role of wood ants (Formica rufa group) on decomposition process: preliminary result

Abstract

Wood ants (Formica rufa group) are dominating ecosystem elements in coniferous forests of the temperate region. They build the large nests on aboveground with organic material and resin collected from the forest floor. These mounds have higher temperature and lower water content than the surrounding forest floor. We studied how these peculiar environmental conditions affected litter mass loss and carbon (C), nitrogen (N), potassium (K), phosphor (P), manganese (Mn), iron (Fe) and aluminium (Al) mineralisation of organic matter. The study conducted in temperate Black pine (Pinus nigra Arnold.) forest stands in Çankırı Karatekin University Faculty of Forestry Research Forest using the litterbag technique. Black pine needle litter was incubated in adjacent the wood ant nest and 10 m away from the nest edge.

While we expected decomposition to be slow due to the dryness of the mounds and effect of wood ants, the ant nests were not found to have a significant effect on the temporal variation of mass loss, carbon, nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus in the process of litter decomposition. However, the release of manganese, aluminium and iron is slower in ant nests compared to forest soil.

Keywords

• black pine,plant nutrition,Carbon,nitrogen,litter,decomposition,plant nutrition

Ayrışma Sürecinde Orman Karıncalarının (Formica rufa grup) Rolü: İlk Yıl Sonuçları

Öz

Orman karıncaları (Formica rufa grup) ılıman kuşaktaki ibreli ormanlarda baskın olarak bulunan karınca grubudur. Toprak üstündeki büyük yuvalarını orman tabanından topladıkları organik materyal ve reçine ile inşa ederler. Bu yuvalar yüksek sıcaklık ve düşük nem içeriği bakımından çevrelerinden farklılık gösterirler.  Bu çalışmada bu özel çevresel şartların, ölüörtünün kütle kaybı ile karbon (C), azot (N), potasyum (K), fosfor (P), mangan (Mn), demir (Fe) ve alüminyum (Al)’u ayrışma sürecinde nasıl etkilediğine bakılmıştır. Çalışma Çankırı Karatekin Üniversitesi Orman Fakültesi Araştırma ve Uygulama Ormanında saf karaçam (Pinus nigra Arnold.) ormanında, ölüörtü kese yöntemi kullanılarak yürütülmüştür. Karaçam ibreleri karınca yuvalarının hemen kenarına ve yuvadan 10 m uzağa konulmuştur.

Karıncaların etkisi ve kurak yuva şartları nedeni ile ayrışmanın yavaş olmasını beklerken, karınca yuvalarının, karaçam ibrelerinin ayrışma sürecinde, kütle kaybı, karbon, azot, potasyum ve fosfor’un zamansal değişimi üzerinde istatistiksel olarak fark yaratacak etkiye sahip olmadığı belirlenmiştir. Fakat mangan, alüminyum ve demir gibi elementlerin zamansal değişiminde karınca yuvalarının, orman toprağına kıyasla bu elementlerin toprağa girişinde yavaşlatıcı etkiye sahip oldukları bulunmuştur.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• ölü örtü,bitki besin maddeleri,Karbon,azot,karaçam,ayrışma,bitki besin maddeleri

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