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Simple Summary: Ant gardens (AGs) constitute a sophisticated example of mutualism between ants and plants (myrmecochory), characterized by intricate interspecific relationships with vascular epiphytes. Our main aim was to characterize the epiphytes and their associated ants in the Tingana Reserve in San Martín, situated at 800 m. a.s.l. This unique and humid ecosystem, distinguished by its altitude and microclimate, is home to a diverse array of plant species, including aguaje (Mauritia flexuosa). The area falls within the distribution range of Neotropical AGs, and our results highlight the ecological significance of ant specificity in seed dispersal among the epiphytes of the Mauritia flexuosa peat swamp forest in Peruvian ecosystems. Mutualisms characterized by reciprocal benefits between species are a fundamental relationship of tropical ecosystems. Ant Gardens (AGs) represent an interesting ant-plant mutualism, involving specialized interactions between vascular epiphytes and ants. While this relationship has been extensively studied in various tropical regions, the available information on Peruvian ecosystems is limited. The objective of this study was to identify the ant and epiphyte species that constitute AGs. From February 2023 to January 2024, a study was conducted on two 50 × 10 m transects within the Mauritia flexuosa peat swamp forest, located within the Water Association Aguajal Renacal del Alto Mayo (ADECARAM) Tingana in San Martín, Peru. A total of 69 ant gardens were documented, comprising 18 phorophyte species, 19 epiphyte species, and three ant species. The results demonstrated that neither the height nor the diameter at breast height (DBH) of phorophytes exhibited a statistically significant correlation with the number of AGs per host. However, a positive correlation was observed between the length and width of the AGs and the number of ants per AG. The findings of this study contribute to the understanding of AG mutualism in Peruvian ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Ongoing climate change has led to increased insect damage to maize and the mycotoxigenic fungal infestation and subsequent mycotoxin contamination of maize meant for food and feed. A field study was conducted in two regions in Kenya to see how different maize–legume cropping systems affect the arthropod taxa that were most prevalent on maize at the flowering and grain-filling stages, the arthropods that were most damaging, those that could potentially disperse mycotoxigenic fungi on pre-harvest maize, and the aflatoxin contamination of the grain. Our work revealed that the main herbivore in maize is the fall armyworm (FAW), which was prevalent in both regions but was significantly diminished by the push–pull cropping system. The presence of Aspergillus and Fusarium verticillioides on the exoskeleton of maize weevils, sap beetles, earwigs, and carpenter ants suggests a potential passive dispersal of the fungi in pre-harvest maize. The fungi have previously been isolated from maize from the two regions of Kenya. They are associated with the production of aflatoxins and fumonisins, which present a serious hazard to human and animal health. To reduce maize contamination with mycotoxigenic fungi, farmers can apply targeted insect management strategies, including intercropping and push–pull technology. Maize productivity has remained low and has worsened in the wake of a changing climate, resulting in new invasive pests, with pests that were earlier designated as minor becoming major and with pathogens being transported by pests and/or entering their feeding sites. A study was conducted in 2021 in the Kisumu and Makueni counties, Kenya, to determine how different maize cropping systems affect insect diversity, insect damage to maize, and insects' ability to spread mycotoxigenic fungi in pre-harvest maize. The field experiments used a randomized complete block design, with the four treatments being maize monocrop, maize intercropped with beans, maize–bean intercrop with the addition of Trichoderma harzianum at planting, and push–pull technology. The FAW, Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), was the most damaging pest in the two regions. The push–pull and the maize–bean intercropping technologies significantly reduced the maize foliage and ear damage caused by the FAW. Beetles passively spread mycotoxigenic Aspergillus spp. and Fusarium verticillioides on pre-harvest maize. Maize weevils, namely, Sitophilus zeamais Motschulsky, 1855 (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), and Carpophilus dimidiatus Fabricius, 1792 (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae), earwigs, namely, Forficula spp. L. (Dermaptera: Forficulidae), and carpenter ants, namely, Camponotus spp. L. (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) carried the highest number of spores on their exoskeletons. This study stresses the role of insects in the spread of fungi on pre-harvest maize and their possible control by intercropping and other cropping technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Ants are highly adaptable insects that thrive in a variety of climates and habitats worldwide. This study examines how climate and habitat influence the morphological traits of the ant species Camponotus japonicus across 22 sites in mainland China. These sites represent three climate zones and three habitat types. Our analysis shows that both climate and habitat significantly shape the ants' morphological traits. Specifically, ants in mid-temperate farmlands exhibit more constrained morphological traits, while those in sparse woodlands show greater variation. Urban parks present a stable environment with less morphological variation. Temperature, precipitation, humidity, and altitude were found to be closely linked to these morphological traits. This research enhances our understanding of how ants adapt to environmental changes through morphological variation and underscores their critical ecological roles in various ecosystems. Ants are a highly adaptable group of insects that have globally established themselves in diverse climates and habitats. This study investigates the influence of climate and habitat on the morphological traits of Camponotus japonicus across 22 sites in mainland China. These sites span three climate zones (mid-temperate, warm temperate, and subtropical) and three habitat types (urban parks, farmlands, and sparse woodlands). Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to determine the principal axis of morphological variation, while hypervolume analysis and centroid distance calculation were used to verify the environmental filtering hypothesis and the optimal transfer hypothesis. The results support both hypotheses showing that climate and habitat significantly affect the morphological space of C. japonicus workers. In particular, the morphological space is more constrained in mid-temperate farmlands, while workers in sparse woodlands exhibit greater morphological variation. In contrast, urban parks are characterized by higher stability and reduced morphological differences. Additionally, robust regression analysis reveals that environmental factors such as temperature, precipitation, humidity, and altitude are closely linked to the morphological traits of the workers. Understanding how ant morphology responds to external environmental changes enhances our understanding of their adaptability and their essential ecological roles across various ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Florida carpenter ants (Camponotus floridanus) live in colonies comprised of thousands of workers. The smallest workers, known as minors, engage in routine tasks such as nursing and foraging while the largest workers, known as majors, are thought to be soldiers specialized for defending the nest. How ant colonies allocate their workforce to address the dynamic and ever-changing needs of the colonies remains an open question in the field, but current evidence suggests that ant social behavior likely results from a combination of genetic/epigenetic, physiological, and systems-level processes. Here, we extend these studies by investigating the role of olfactory sensitivity in regulating ant behavior. Minor workers exhibited significant shifts in olfactory sensitivity and odor coding as they aged and switched tasks. The olfactory sensitivity of majors, however, remained relatively stable as they aged. From these studies, we also identified a single compound, 3-methylindole, which elicited significantly higher olfactory responses and aversive behavior in nurses compared to foragers, suggesting that this chemical may have a role in brood care. Overall, these studies support the hypothesis that changes in olfactory sensitivity play an important role in regulating social behavior in ants. Age-related changes in behavior and sensory perception have been observed in a wide variety of animal species. In ants and other eusocial insects, workers often progress through an ordered sequence of olfactory-driven behavioral tasks. Notably, these behaviors are plastic, and workers adapt and rapidly switch tasks in response to changing environmental conditions. In the Florida carpenter ant, smaller minors typically perform most of the work needed to maintain the colony, while the larger majors are specialized for nest defense and rarely engage in these routine tasks. Here, we investigate the effects of age and task group on olfactory responses to a series of odorant blends in minor and major worker castes. Consistent with their respective roles within the colony, we observed significant age-associated shifts in the olfactory responses of minors as they transitioned between behavioral states, whereas the responses of majors remained consistently low regardless of age. Furthermore, we have identified a unitary compound, 3-methylindole, which elicited significantly higher responses and behavioral aversion in minor nurses than in similarly aged foragers suggesting that this compound may play an important role in brood care. Taken together, our results suggest that age- and task-associated shifts in olfactory physiology may play a critical role in the social organization of ant colonies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Camponotus japonicus is a soil-dwelling ant species that is widespread in China and Southeast Asia. A mature nest consists of minor workers, major workers, gynes, males, and a queen. The original workers, which are raised by the queen during the early nest-building stage, are smaller than other castes. The Dufour's and venom glands are two important glands associated with the sting apparatus in female castes. Their secretions play significant roles in defense, reproduction, communication, and foraging in the social life of ants. However, the exact nature of their secretions and whether there are differences among castes remain unknown. In this study, we analyzed the secretions of these two glands using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry with two sample processing methods (hexane solution and solid-phase microextraction). The main secretion of the Dufour's gland is n-undecane, whose proportion significantly varies among castes. The main secretions of the venom gland are formic acid and n-undecane, and their proportions show obvious differences among castes. This study provides basic information to further understand the function of these two glands in the social life of ants. The Dufour's and venom glands are the most developed glands connected to the female reproductive organs, playing important roles in defense, foraging, information exchange, and reproduction in ants. The main chemical secretions of these glands vary among species and even among castes of the same species. In this study, we analyzed the chemical components of the Dufour's and venom glands in different castes of Camponotus japonicus (original worker, minor worker, major worker, gyne, and queen) using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) with two sample processing methods (hexane solution and solid-phase microextraction). The secretion of the Dufour's gland is characterized by a high ratio of alkanes, with n-undecane being the dominant secretion in all castes except the original workers. The venom gland's secretion mainly includes alkanes, acids, ketones, and alcohols, with formic acid and n-undecane being the dominant components. Additionally, the chemical composition and proportion of the main components vary significantly among castes, which may be closely related to the division of labor in their social life. This study provides basic information to further understand the function of these two glands in the social life of ants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Adhesive tapes are as effective as baits and pitfall traps in monitoring Solenopsis invicta and Tapinoma melanocephalum in urban areas in southern China. However, adhesive tapes detected less ants and fewer species of non-target ants than baits and pitfall traps. Our study demonstrated that tape-paving behavior can potentially be used in developing more specific monitoring methods for S. invicta and T. melanocephalum in urban areas in southern China. Our previous study discovered that two urban pest ants, red imported fire ants, Solenopsis invicta Buren (Formicidae: Myrmicinae), and ghost ants, Tapinoma melanocephalum (Fabricius) (Formicidae: Dolichoderinae), can pave viscose surfaces with particles to facilitate food search and transport. We hypothesize that this paving behavior can be applied to monitor S. invicta and T. melanocephalum. In the present study, 3998 adhesive tapes, each with a food source (sausage), were placed in 20 locations around Guangzhou, China (181–224 tapes per location), and their efficiency to detect S. invicta and T. melanocephalum was compared with two traditional ant-monitoring methods, baiting and pitfall trapping. Overall, S. invicta was detected by 45.6% and 46.4% of baits and adhesive tapes, respectively. In each location, the percentage of adhesive tapes detecting S. invicta and T. melanocephalum was similar when compared to baits and pitfall traps. However, significantly more non-target ant species showed up on bait and pitfall traps. Seven non-target ant species—Pheidole parva Mayr (Formicidae: Myrmicinae), Pheidole nodus Smith (Formicidae: Myrmicinae), Pheidole sinica Wu & Wang (Formicidae: Myrmicinae), Pheidole yeensis Forel (Formicidae: Myrmicinae), Carebara affinis (Jerdon) (Formicidae: Myrmicinae), Camponotus nicobarensis Mayr (Formicidae: Formicinae), and Odontoponera transversa (Smith) (Formicidae: Ponerinae)—also showed tape paving behavior, but they can be easily distinguished morphologically from S. invicta and T. melanocephalum. Our study showed that the paving behavior occurs in different subfamilies of ants (i.e., myrmicinae, dolichoderinae, formicinae, and ponerinae). In addition, paving behavior can potentially be used to develop more specific monitoring methods for S. invicta and T. melanocephalum in urban areas in southern China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Ant nests contain a multitude of resources which some organisms have evolved to exploit, living in close association with ants in order to prey on them, feed on their stored food, or simply in order to make use of their closely guarded fortresses as safe shelters. These organisms, known as myrmecophiles, have never been studied in much detail in the Maltese Islands—a small Mediterranean archipelago which, despite being one of the most densely populated countries in the world and facing enormous human pressures, has been shown to harbour a great diversity of insects, arachnids and crustaceans. In this study, we aimed to catalogue Maltese myrmecophile diversity and provide notes on the biology of all species encountered. As a result, we found at least thirty different species of insect, arachnid and crustacean which live exclusively inside ant nests in the Maltese Islands, four of which had never been known to inhabit this archipelago. An aphid-ant and a spider-ant association also appear to be previously unknown. We also discuss how the nests of Messor harvester ants may be important biodiversity hotspots due to these ants' nests being suitable homes for many different species when compared to the nests of other types of ant. The intranidal myrmecophilous arthropod fauna of the Maltese Islands is reviewed. Thirty species from nine orders are found to be obligate myrmecophiles, of which four species are recorded from the Maltese archipelago for the first time: Phrurolithus sp. (Araneae: Phrurolithidae), Pogonolaelaps canestrinii (Berlese, 1904), Gymnolaelaps messor Joharchi, Halliday, Saboori & Kamali, 2011 and G. myrmecophilus (Berlese, 1892) (Mesostigmata: Laelapidae). Phrurolithus also represents the first record of the family Phrurolithidae in Malta. Notes on the biology and local distribution of each species are provided, including ant-myrmecophile associations, of which two appear to be previously unknown: the occurrence of Smynthurodes betae Westwood, 1849 (Hemiptera: Aphididae) in the nest of Plagiolepis pygmaea (Latreille, 1798) and Phrurolithus in the nest of Pheidole pallidula (Nylander, 1849). Fourteen additional species are found to be either only occasionally myrmecophilic, accidental ant-guests or potentially myrmecophilous, the latter remaining ambiguous due to a lack of knowledge of their biology. Of these, the family Caeculidae (Arachnida: Trombidiformes) represents a new record for the Maltese Islands, on the basis of Microcaeculus sp. occurring in a nest of Camponotus barbaricus Emery, 1905. Preliminary results indicate that Messor nests may be repositories of considerable myrmecophile diversity, with the most unique symbionts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: As one of only eight species of pangolin, the Chinese pangolin (Manis pentadactyla) of Nepal inhabits forests, agricultural lands, and grasslands. Its population is declining due to hunting and habitat loss, and it is listed as critically endangered. Accurate information on its habitat and diet can aid in the development of site-specific management plans. Habitat characteristics such as forest canopy cover, slopes, and distance to agricultural lands and the nearest ant nests are important factors influencing the occurrence of the Chinese pangolin. Fecal analysis revealed that the ant species Aphaenogaster symthiesii, Camponotus sp., Monomorium sp., and Pheidole sp. were the dominant prey in the Chinese pangolin's diet. This study provides baseline information to aid Chinese pangolin conservation in Nepal. The Chinese pangolin (Manis pentadactyla) is a myrmecophagous, nocturnal mammal species that occurs in forests, agricultural lands, and grasslands. It is critically endangered due to illegal hunting and habitat loss. Characterizing the Chinese pangolin's habitat and diet could improve our knowledge of the conditions necessary for species persistence; however, limited information is available. We investigated the habitat and diet of Chinese pangolins in the Chandragiri Municipality, Kathmandu, Nepal from November 2021–March 2022. We identified foraging burrows within plots established along 20 transects, collected scats opportunistically at these burrows, and used a generalized linear model to assess the site-level habitat characteristics related to burrow occurrence. We recorded 88 foraging burrows which occurred in forests with 50–75% canopy closure at 1500–1700 m elevation with 20–40° slopes. The probability of detecting a Chinese pangolin foraging burrow was greater with the increasing slope gradient and decreased with increasing distance to agricultural lands and ant nests or termite mounds. The analysis of 10 scats revealed that Aphaenogastersymthiesii, Camponotus sp., Monomorium sp., and Pheidole sp. were the dominant ant prey species; no termites were detected. Baseline data from this study could be used for ex-situ conservation and the captive breeding of Chinese pangolins as well as aiding site-specific management plans in Nepal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite its cultural and nutritional importance for local Aboriginal people, the unusual insect honey produced by Western Australian honeypot ant (Camponotus inflatus) has to date been rarely investigated. This study reports on the honey's physicochemical properties, its total phenolic, major sugars and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural contents, and its antioxidant activities. The honey's color value is 467.63 mAU/63.39 mm Pfund, it has a pH of 3.85, and its electric conductivity is 449.71 µSiemens/cm. Its Brix value is 67.00, corresponding to a 33% moisture content. The total phenolics content is 19.62 mg gallic acid equivalent/100 g honey. Its antioxidant activity measured using the DPPH* (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) and FRAP (ferric reducing–antioxidant power) assays is 1367.67 µmol Trolox/kg and 3.52 mmol Fe+2/kg honey, respectively. Major sugars in the honey are glucose and fructose, with a fructose-to-glucose ratio of 0.85. Additionally, unidentified sugar was found in minor quantities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Grooming is a common behavior in animals. It serves the function of removing foreign materials and excessive amounts of self-secreted materials from the body's surface. Social insects, such as honeybees or ants, use various types of pheromones, some of which propagate information about the environment to conspecific individuals, for chemical communication. The individuals that receive such information can respond with suitable behaviors to protect themselves and their society. Hence, grooming is important for the maintenance of the correct performance of their sensory organs on antennae for pheromone perception. Here, we experimentally limited self-grooming of the antennae in workers of the Japanese carpenter ant (Camponotus japonicus) by removing a pair of antennal cleaning apparatuses from the forelegs and investigated their behavioral change in response to exposure to the alarm pheromone or to encounters with nestmates or non-nestmates. Comparisons between self-grooming-nonlimited and self-grooming-limited ants showed that the self-grooming-limited ants gradually exhibited decreased locomotion activity in their fight-or-flight response to the alarm pheromone and experienced increased failure in nestmate and non-nestmate discrimination. Thus, the results of the present study suggest that antennal sensory system maintenance supports social communication, which is indispensable not only to the individual workers but also to the survival of their society. Self-grooming of the antennae is frequently observed in ants. This antennal maintenance behavior is presumed to be essential for effective chemical communication but, to our knowledge, this has not yet been well studied. When we removed the antenna-cleaning apparatuses of the Japanese carpenter ant (C. japonicus) to limit the self-grooming of the antennae, the worker ants demonstrated the self-grooming gesture as usual, but the antennal surface could not be sufficiently cleaned. By using scanning electron microscopy with NanoSuit, we observed the ants' antennae for up to 48 h and found that the antennal surfaces gradually became covered with self-secreted surface material. Concurrently, the self-grooming-limited workers gradually lost their behavioral responsiveness to undecane—the alarm pheromone. Indeed, their locomotive response to the alarm pheromone diminished for up to 24 h after the antenna cleaner removal operation. In addition, the self-grooming-limited workers exhibited less frequent aggressive behavior toward non-nestmate workers, and 36 h after the operation, approximately half of the encountered non-nestmate workers were accepted as nestmates. These results suggest that the antennal sensing system is affected by excess surface material; hence, their proper function is prevented until they are cleaned. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Carpenter ants are important to ecosystem services as they assist in the breakdown of course woody debris when excavating wood for nests. Feeding on a variety of carbohydrate and protein sources, they have an infrabuccal filter that limits passage of large food particles to their gut. A variety of yeasts have been found associated with the infrabuccal pocket and the nests of these ants. The yeast Schwanniomyces polymorphus is associated with the carpenter ant Camponotus vicinus. To examine a possible nutritional association between this yeast and ant, we reared small sub-colonies of defaunated and non-defaunated C. vincus brood on several artificial diets where various nutritional components were removed. Part of the testing involved exposure of brood to these diets and cells of S. polymorphus. Dietary treatments that were augmented with yeast generally had deleterious effects on brood development compared to diets without yeast. However, increased brood weight and increased number of adult ants from initial brood was observed in non-defaunated ants fed a diet where B vitamins and sterols were absent, but augmented with live yeast. The results suggest a supplemental role for this yeast in ant nutrition and development. The yeast Schwanniomyces polymorphus is associated with the infrabuccal pocket in the carpenter ant Camponotus vicinus (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), but its role in ant development is poorly defined. The potential effects of this yeast on brood development were examined on sets of larval groups and workers over a 12 week period. Worker–larval sets were fed variations of a completely artificial, holidic diet and exposed or not exposed to live S. polymorphus. Worker–larval sets in half of the experiment were defaunated using a two-step heat and chemical process. Brood development and number of adult ants produced were significantly affected by the heat/chemical defaunation process. Compared to worker–larval groups fed a basal, complete diet, all treatments resulted in no or deleterious larval development. Brood weights and number of worker ants produced from the original larval sets at initiation were significantly higher in non-defaunated ant groups fed a diet lacking both B vitamins and cholesterol and exposed to live S. polymorphus. We propose that this yeast may help ants to more efficiently assimilate nutrients when fed nutrient-deficient diets, particularly those deficient in sterols. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antibiotics produced by symbiotic microorganisms were previously shown to be of crucial importance for ecological communities, including ants. Previous works on ant–actinobacteria symbiosis are mainly focused on farming ants, which use antifungal microbial secondary metabolites to control pathogens in their fungal gardens. In this work, we studied microorganisms associated with carpenter ant Camponotus vagus. Pronounced antifungal activity of isolated actinobacteria strain A10 was found to be facilitated by biosynthesis of the antimycin A complex, consisting of small hydrophobic depsipeptides with high antimicrobial and cytotoxic activity. The actinomycete strain A10 was identified as Streptomyces albidoflavus. We studied the antagonistic activity of strain A10 against several entomopathogenic microorganisms. The antifungal activity of this strain potentially indicates a defensive symbiosis with the host ant, producing antimycins to protect carpenter ants against infections. The nature of this ant-microbe association however remains to be established. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ants deposit trail pheromones that guide nestmates to food sources. We tested the hypotheses that ant community members (Western carpenter ants, Camponotus modoc; black garden ants, Lasius niger; European fire ants, Myrmica rubra) (1) sense, and follow, each other's trail pheromones, and (2) fail to recognize trail pheromones of allopatric ants (pavement ants, Tetramorium caespitum; desert harvester ants, Novomessor albisetosus; Argentine ants, Linepithema humilis). In gas chromatographic-electroantennographic detection analyses of a six-species synthetic trail pheromone blend (6-TPB), La. niger, Ca. modoc, and M. rubra sensed the trail pheromones of all community members and unexpectedly that of T. caespitum. Except for La. niger, all species did not recognize the trail pheromones of N. albisetosus and Li. humilis. In bioassays, La. niger workers followed the 6-TPB trail for longer distances than their own trail pheromone, indicating an additive effect of con- and hetero-specific pheromones on trail-following. Moreover, Ca. modoc workers followed the 6-TPB and their own trail pheromones for similar distances, indicating no adverse effects of heterospecific pheromones on trail-following. Our data show that ant community members eavesdrop on each other's trail pheromones, and that multiple pheromones can be combined in a lure that guides multiple species of pest ants to lethal food baits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ants often tend and protect the larvae of various myrmecophilous lycaenid species, which influences the fitness of butterflies by altering their growth and developmental time. Tending produces diverse effects depending on lycaenid sex and the lycaenid/ant species combination. Effects are widely variable, especially in facultatively myrmecophilous lycaenids such as Plebejus argyrognomon praeterinsularis, because they are associated with several ant species and can survive without any ant tending. We studied the effects of ant tending on the adult body mass and larval developmental time of P. argyrognomon praeterinsularis. Female larvae grew significantly heavier as adults when tended by Camponotus japonicus rather than by either Lasius japonicus or no ant species. Ant tending did not affect the body mass of adult males or the developmental time of either male or female larvae. Thus, tending by C. japonicus could increase the fitness of P. argyrognomon praeterinsularis by increasing the mass of females without prolonging the duration of vulnerable immature stages, because larger females generally lay more eggs. This means that even facultatively myrmecophilous lycaenids might gain fitness benefits from particular ant species, which could be important in the conservation and management of at-risk species of facultatively myrmecophilous lycaenids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forest plantations are still often considered the antithesis of real nature. However, plantations can host many organisms. The problem is that some of the hosted species are regarded ad hoc as pests. The main aim of our paper was to study the carpenter ant (Camponotus ligniperdus) in windstorm habitats. We studied forests in East Bohemia, Czech Republic, and focused on the spatial distribution of snapped trees and the influence of selected forest characteristics on the incidence of ant nests. We found that the nests in the study area mainly occurred in Norway spruce, which is the most commercially important tree in the majority of Central Europe. More than one quarter of the snapped trees were inhabited by the ants. We found that nests exhibited a spatially autocorrelated pattern that differed on spatial scales. The most important characteristic of the host tree for determining carpenter ant nests was the presence of brown rot, and the majority of tree nests were isolated from forest openings. The presence of carpenter ants in forest plantations is, therefore, not harmful. Their presence could be used by forest managers as an indication of unsuitable stand conditions for the successful growth of the Norway spruce and other coniferous plantation trees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]