三江平原湿地蚁丘分布特征及对土壤物理性质的影响.DOC

Spatial distribution of ant mounds and effects on soil physical properties in wetlands of the Sanjiang plain, China. WU Haitao a, WU Donghui a, LU Xianguo a,*, Yin Xiaomin a,b aKey Laboratory of Wetland Ecology and Environment, Northeast Institute of Geography and Agricultural Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130012, China bGraduate University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100039, China Abstract Ants constitute a dominant element of soil mesofauna due to their biomass, abundance, richness of species and distribution within terrestrial ecosystems. They are important regulators of soil aggregate structure as they translocate large amounts of soil from the bottom to the soil surface. In doing so, they form biogenic structures (BS) made up of aggregates of different sizes and characteristics, i.e. ant mounds. These BS have varying characteristics according to the ant species and the soil where they carry their activities. Ants are considered soil engineers because of their effects on soil properties, availability of resource and flow of energy and nutrients in soil. Thus, it is important to gain information on their distribution and abundance. Relatively little is known about the spatial distribution of mounds and their role in the soil physical properties in wetlands of the Sanjiang plain, China. We conducted a survey of ant mounds and measured the density, height, and diameter and material composition of different ant mounds. The ecological characteristics of wetlands that ant mounds wide occurrence were also investigated, including soil type, hydrology characters and plant composition. Differences in soil particle composition, bulk density and soil moisture between ant mound and natural meadow were measured to assess the influences of ant mounds on soil physical properties. We also studied the effects of ant mounds on the microtopography of meadows. Ant mounds were found mainly in the transition zone between terrestrial and aquatic habitats