![]() ![]() ![]() In this way, she could study how the ant mound affected the soil, roots and wildlife both above and below the mound. Whenever she came across an ant mound, she took out her spade and dug a deep hole right next to the ant mound. This is a small ant that builds its nest from mineral soil on heathlands. And mounds belonging to the yellow meadow ant. However, instead of pine needles, narrow-headed ants use leaves from heather and grass. Those belonging to the narrow-headed ant, which look almost identical to the ant mounds you see in Danish forests. The heat and the nutrients create unique conditions that allow certain plant species that don't otherwise thrive on heathland to thrive on the ant mound," she says.Įquipped with a spade, Rikke Reisner Hansen went to the heath to study the role of ant mounds in heathland wildlife. The ant mound moreover warms up the surrounding ground, and in springtime, adders, lizards and beetles like to rest near ant mounds for warmth. "The ants drag dead animals back to the ant mound, and this adds carbon and other important nutrients to the surrounding soil. With colleagues from the Department of Ecoscience at Aarhus University, Rikke Reisner Hansen has studied ant mounds on Danish heathlands to discover their importance for other insects and for plants. But perhaps we should leave the ants be? Because they are hugely beneficial for biodiversity, a new study shows. Most garden owners will therefore do everything they can to get rid of ant colonies in their garden. ![]()
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