Contributions of ant mounds to soil carbon and nitrogen pools in a marsh wetland of Northeastern China

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• 作者：Haitao Wu ; Darold P. Batzer ; Xiumin Yan ; Xianguo Lu ; Donghui Wu
• 关键词：Biogenic structures ; Ecosystem engineers ; Heterogeneity ; Soil fauna ; Soil nutrient ; Wetland
• 刊名：Applied Soil Ecology
• 出版年：2013
• 出版时间：August, 2013
• 年：2013
• 卷：70
• 期：Complete
• 页码：9-15
• 全文大小：779 K

文摘

Ant mounds often occur at high densities in marsh wetlands. However, little information is available regarding their impacts on soil nutrient pools in these ecosystems. We studied C_org, dissolved organic carbon (DOC), total nitrogen (TN), NO₃^? and NH₄⁺ concentrations in above-ground ant mounds and in soils under mounds for three ant species (Lasius flavus, Lasius niger and Formica candida), and estimated their contribution to the total soil nutrient pools in a marsh wetland. Ant impacts were greatest in above-ground soils. All measured nutrient concentrations in above-ground mounds were significantly higher than the average values in reference soils (upper 25 cm). However, except for DOC, no significant differences for nutrient concentrations existed between soils under mounds and reference soils. The impacts of ant mounds on soil C and nutrient concentrations varied by ant species. L. niger above-ground mounds stored less C_org, TN and NO₃^? than F. candida and L. flavus mounds, or reference soils. At the ecosystem scale, soils in above-ground mounds and under ant mounds all contained less C_org per hectare than the reference soils. Total amounts in nutrient pools from mounds of the three ant species comprised from 5.3 % to 7.6 % of the total in natural marsh soils. More importantly, ant mounds increased the spatial heterogeneity of nutrient pools. Thus, ant mounds can be important to a fully integrated understanding of the structure and function of wetland nutrient cycles and balances.