Interactions of ants-soil-plants: How grassland plants cope with heterogeneous environments due to mounds of the terricolous ant Lasius flavus

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Contents

Interactions of ants-soil-plants: How grassland plants cope with heterogeneous environments due to mounds of the terricolous ant Lasius flavus 

Lasius flavus at pastures of the Slovenské Rudohorie Mts. 

Lasius flavus at pastures of the Slovenské Rudohorie Mts. 

Study site: Grasslands in different state of abandonment 

Why is it interesting? 

Lasius flavus: Basic biological facts for botanists

Aims 

Aims 

Patterns in vegetation 

Patterns in vegetation 

Patterns in vegetation 

Patterns in vegetation 

Aims 

Change through succession 

Change through succession to forest 

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Aims 

Does mound history affect its current state?

Does mound history affect its current state?

Aims 

Soil change with depth

Soil change with depth

Soil change with depth

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Is the mound soil favourable for plant growth? A phytometric experiment 

Is the mound soil favourable for plant growth? 

Aims 

How plants live on a mound and respond to continuous burial

Belowground plant biomass: change with depth

Belowground plant biomass: Rhizome architecture of Agrostis tenuis

Belowground plant biomass: Rhizome architecture of Agrostis tenuis

Aims 

Response to burial of the dominant species (Agrostis tenuis) 

Are there genets adapted to continuous burial: garden experiment

Are there genets adapted to continuous burial: garden experiment

Are there genets adapted to continuous burial: garden experiment

Aims 

Dominant species (Agrostis tenuis): Do number of genets differ between mounds and the rest (different seedling establishment)? 

Clonal growth and number of genets: sampling design

Number of genets in microhabitats

Distance between ramets of the same genet

Fitting the Harada et al. function to determine seed recruitment

Estimated seed recruitment as a function of mother-offspring distance in clonal growth

Summary

Acknowledgements: Anthill working group

Ferda the Ant

Author: Tomas Herben