by Madison Sankovitz, Ph.D. Student
Twitter: @MSankovitz
Ants are some of the most widespread and numerous insects on Earth, making up an estimated 15-20% of all terrestrial animal biomass. Along with their dominance of so many different habitats, ants contribute significantly to the modification and maintenance of ecosystems. Ants are considered ‘ecosystem engineers’, which means that they change the biological, chemical, and physical properties of the habitats in which they live. Many ants nest in soil, which they modify through foraging and nutrient cycling, as well as nest excavation. We know that ants modify the soil in and around their nests, but not the extent to which this occurs in different ecosystems.
I am a Ph.D. student and I’m interested in how physical factors that vary between ecosystems, like temperature and precipitation, play a role in how ants interact with the soil of those ecosystems. To investigate this, I’m conducting a study with data from two California mountain ranges: San Jacinto and Sierra Nevada.
Twitter: @MSankovitz
Ants are some of the most widespread and numerous insects on Earth, making up an estimated 15-20% of all terrestrial animal biomass. Along with their dominance of so many different habitats, ants contribute significantly to the modification and maintenance of ecosystems. Ants are considered ‘ecosystem engineers’, which means that they change the biological, chemical, and physical properties of the habitats in which they live. Many ants nest in soil, which they modify through foraging and nutrient cycling, as well as nest excavation. We know that ants modify the soil in and around their nests, but not the extent to which this occurs in different ecosystems.
I am a Ph.D. student and I’m interested in how physical factors that vary between ecosystems, like temperature and precipitation, play a role in how ants interact with the soil of those ecosystems. To investigate this, I’m conducting a study with data from two California mountain ranges: San Jacinto and Sierra Nevada.