Are wood ants ecosystem engineers? Assessing impacts during range expansion

本项目将结合生物地球化学场数据和生态模型，量化和预测木蚁对区域森林土壤功能的影响。学生将喜欢与来自不同背景的学者和利益相关者互动，并希望将他们的科学训练应用于重要的应用问题。林业，主要是种植园，占英国土地面积的13%。英国林地的碎片化增加了进一步的挑战，特别是对当地分散的栖息地专家，如木蚁（木蚁群）。这些物种在整个欧洲受到威胁，是林地生态系统的关键组成部分。最近的研究表明，北约克摩尔的木蚁种群正在从古老的林地扩展到种植园。这种持续的扩展使我们能够探索蚂蚁行为对森林功能的影响，包括长期、近期和没有蚂蚁巢穴的森林。蚂蚁测绘数据，包括种群边缘3年的扩张数据，将用于确定采样点，在这些采样点将收集蚂蚁的行为和一系列土壤功能数据（例如-土壤pH值，微量气体通量，体积密度和养分负荷）。这些数据将用于量化蚂蚁对土壤质量和功能的影响，并可用于预测入侵影响。有一个重要的实地工作组成部分，将与大量的实验室分析相结合。目的：预测林地专家向新栖息地扩散对土壤功能的影响。在短期和长期尺度上对土壤化学/物理性质的影响。在短期和长期尺度上对土壤微生物群落的影响b)为森林管理者提供有关经营活动对生态和气候影响的建议。应用和效益学生将在具有强大研究背景和研究生指导经验的多学科导师团队的支持下接受全面的研究生培训。学生将获得生态研究技能，包括：经验领域技术；先进的实验室设备技术；空间分析方法。本研究将提供林地物种扩散影响的新数据，这将有利于生态学/进化学界、决策者和森林管理者。

This project will combine biogeochemical field data and ecological modelling to quantify and predict how wood ants affect regional forest soil function. Thestudent will enjoy interacting with academics and stakeholders from a range of backgrounds and want to apply their scientific training to an importantapplied question.Forestry, mainly plantations, occupies 13% of British land area. The fragmentation of British woodlands adds further challenges, particularly forlocally dispersing habitat specialists, e.g. wood ants (Formica rufa group). These species, threatened across Europe, are key components of woodlandecosystems. Recent work indicates wood ant populations in the North York Moors are expanding from ancient woodland into plantations. This ongoingexpansion allows us to explore the impact of ant behavior on forest function within forests with long-term, recent and no ant nest presence.Ant mapping data, including 3 years' expansion at population margins, will be used to identify sampling sites in which ant behavior and a range of soilfunctional data will be collected (e.g.- soil pH, trace gas fluxes, bulk density and nutrient loading). These data will be used to quantify the impact of ant presenceon soil qualities and function and this may be used to predict invasive impacts. There is a significant field work component that will be combined withsubstantial laboratory analyses.Objectivesa) To predict the impact on soil function of the spread into new habitat of a woodland specialistSpecifically to quantify:i. The impact on soil chemical/physical properties over short and longer-term time scalesii. The impact on soil microbial community over short and longer time scalesb) To provide advice for forest managers regarding ecological and climate impact of management activitiesApplications and benefitsThe student will receive thorough postgraduate training supported by a multidisciplinary team of supervisors with strong research backgrounds andexperience in postgraduate supervision. The student will gain ecological research skills including: empirical field techniques; cutting-edge laboratoryequipment techniques; spatial analysis methods. This study will provide novel data on dispersal impacts in woodland species: it will benefit the academicecology/evolution communities, policy-makers and forest managers.