Hanna Babik

How does a strip of clearing affect the forest community of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)?

Tlie species composition, nest density, structure and ecological profile of an ant community were studied within a transect encompassing the forest interior, forest edge and a belt-shaped clearing in a moist mixed pine forest habitat (Querco roboris-Pinetum) in the Kampinos Forest (Central Poland) in the context of direct and indirect human impact and the bioindicator importance of ants. Altogether, 19 ant species were found; the most abundant ones (in respect of number of nests) in the entire habitat under study were Temnothorax crassispinus (Karav.) and Myrmica rubra (L.). All analysed parameters of individual subcommunities, except for nest density (highest on the forest edge, lowest in the cleared belt), showed a gradient pattern of variability, with species richness and the index of general diversity increasing and the dominance index decreasing within the transect from the forest interior to the cleared belt. Differences between the two subcommunities from the forested area (forest interior and forest edge), both highly dominated by T. crassispinus, were, in every way, much smaller than those between either of them and the subcommunity from the cleared area, where M. rubra prevailed.

Performance of Myrmica ant colonies is correlated with the presence of social parasites

1. The performance of ant colonies depends on different factors such as nest site, colony structure or the presence of pathogens and social parasites. Myrmica ants host various types of social parasites, including the larvae of Maculinea butterflies and Microdonmyrmicae (Schönrogge) hoverfly. How these social parasites affect host colony performance is still unexplored.

Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of Chełmowa Góra in the Świętokrzyski National Park

Species composition, nest densities and ecological profiles o f ant communities in three main typical forest habitats o f Chełmowa Góra (Chelmowa Mount) in the Świętokrzyski National Park were studied: fertile Carpathian beech forest Dentario glandulosae-Fagetum, subcontinental linden-oak-hombeam forest Tilio-Carpinetum (marginal zone and interior), continental mixed pine forest Querco roboris-Pinetum (marginal zone and interior). Additionally, a moist rye-grass meadow Arrhenatheretum elatioris adjacent to the mixed pine forest was also surveyed. N est samples were collected by searching quadrats o f different sizes (1 m2, 10 m2, 100 m2). In total, 16 species were found. Ant communities o f the studied habitats differed from each other in their composition, abundance and structure. In respect o f nest density, M yrm ica ruginodis Nyl. dominated in Tilio-Carpinetum (in both forest zones) and in the interior o f Querco roboris-Pinetum, Form ica polyctena Fórst. in the marginal zone o f Querco roboris-Pinetum and in Dentario glandulosae-Fagetum, and Lasius niger (L.) in the meadow. The results are discussed in the contexts o f the former data from this region, and the possible community-forming impact o f the local ‘ supercolony ’ o f F. polyctena

Myrmica karavajevi (Arn.) (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) in Poland: a species not as rare as it is thought to be?

The ant Myrmica karavajevi is an extremely rarely found and poorly known workerless social parasite of ants of the Myrmica scabrinodis species group. Hereafter detailed information of its previously published findings from four geographical regions in Poland (Bieszczady Mts, Pieniny Mts, Pomeranian Lakeland and Mazovian Lowland) as well as data on three new records from the Roztocze Upland, Lubelska Upland and Krakowsko- Czestochowska Upland is given. The latter suggests higher than hitherto suspected degree of host species infestation by M. karavajevi. Use of M. rugulosa as a host by M. karavajevi is also discussed.

Ant communities and Solidago plant invasion: Environmental properties and food sources: Solidago invasion and ant communities

The invasion of Solidago is one of the main threats to the biodiversity of natural meadows, leading to changes in animal and plant communities, as well as soil features. We compared effects of soil microclimatic conditions (temperature and moisture) and the availability of potential protein sources (dry mass of epigean invertebrates) on ants between meadows invaded by Solidago altissima and S. canadensis and those uninvaded. Our results showed that the ant communities were different between the uninvaded and invaded meadows, with reduction of ant abundance and species richness in the latter. Myrmica spp. were abundant in the uninvaded meadows, whereas Lasius niger was the dominant species in the invaded ones. We found that the lower moisture negatively influenced the abundance of Myrmica species in the Solidago‐invaded meadows. Moreover, the epigean invertebrate dry mass, as an estimation of the availability of protein sources, varied between the two types of meadows, with a higher abundance in the uninvaded ones. The abundance of Myrmica ants with narrower ecological requirements showed a positive correlation with the invertebrate biomass in the invaded meadows. In contrast, the abundance of L. niger with broad ecological requirements was negatively correlated with the invertebrate biomass in the invaded meadows, possibly as a strategy to reduce interspecific competition. Our study showed that the invasion of Solidago plants caused changes in the abundance and species composition of ant communities through modification in microhabitat conditions, that is, decreasing soil moisture, reducing biomass and changing distribution of prey invertebrates.

New records of two alien mud daubers Sceliphron destillatorium (Ill.) and Sceliphron curvatum (Sm.) (Hymenoptera, Sphecidae) from Poland with comments on expansion of their ranges.

The paper presents information on two species of digger wasps, Sceliphron destillatorium (Illiger, 1807) and S. curvatum (Smith, 1870), alien for the fauna of Poland (within its present borders). Both species are presently spreading in the country. Sceliphron destillatorium, a South-Palaearctic species, has been observed in Poland since 1960. Sceliphron curvatum was introduced to Europe from Asia in the 1970s, and at present it is known from many South- and Central-European countries. The species was found for the first time in Poland in 2003. New localities of the two species in Poland are given and issues connected with their present distribution are discussed.