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Ants Have Big Impact on Environment as "Ecosystem Engineers"
Research by the University of Exeter has revealed that ants have a big impact on their local environment
as a result of their activity as"ecosystem engineers"and predators.The study,published in the Journal of
Animal Ecology,found that ants have two distinct effects on their local environment.
Firstly,through moving the soil by nest building activity and by collecting food they affect the level of
nutrients in the soil.This can indirectly impact the local populations of many animal groups,from decomposers
to species much higher up the food chain.
Secondly,they prey on a wide range of other animals,including larger prey which can be attacked by
vast numbers of ant workers.
Dirk Sanders,an author of the study from the university's Centre for Ecology and Conservation,said,
"Ants are very effective predators which thrive in huge numbers.They're also very territorial and very
aggressive,defending their resources and territory against other predators.All of this means they have a strong
influence on their surrounding area."
"In this research,we studied for the first time how big this impact is and the subtleties of it.What we
found is that despite being predators,their presence can also lead to an increase in density and diversity of
other animal groups.They genuinely play a key role in the local environment,having a big influence on the
grassland food web,"Sanders said.
The study,carried out in Germany,studied the impact of the presence of different combinations and
densities of black garden ants and common red ants,both of which can be found across Europe,including the
UK. It found that a low density of ants in an area increased the diversity and density of other animals in the
local area,particularly the density of herbivores and decomposers.At higher densities ants had no or the
opposite effect,the predation counteracting the positive influence.
Dr Frank van Veen,another author on the study,said:"What we find is that the impact of ants on soil
nutrient levels has a positive effect on animal groups at low levels,but as the number of ants increases,their
predatory impacts have the bigger effect一thereby counteracting the positive influence via ecosystem engineering."
Ants are important components of the ecosystem not only because they constitute a great part of the
animal biomass but also because they act as ecosystem engineers.Ant biodiversity is incredibly high,and
these organisms are highly responsive to human impact,which obviously reduces its richness.However,it is
not clear how such disturbance damages the maintenance of ant services to the ecosystem.Ants are important
in below ground processes through the alteration of the physical and chemical environment and through their
effects on plants,microorganisms,and other soil organisms.
What still remains unclear about ants,according to the last paragraph?
A:What roles ants play in the ecosystem in which they live.
B:How ants affect the animal diversity in a given ecosystem.
C:How human activities affect ants' influence on a given ecosystem.
D:How ants alter the physical and chemical environment.
