Research by the University of Exeter1 has revealed that ants have a big impact on their local environment as a result of their activity as ecosystem engineers and predators(食肉动物). The study, published in the Journal of Animal Ecology, found that ants have two distinct(显著的)effects on their local environment.
Firstly, through moving of soil by nest building2 activity and by collecting food they affect the level of nutrients(营养物)in the soil. This can indirectly impact the local populations of many animal groups, from decomposers(腐生物,分解体)to species much higher up the food chain.
Secondly, they prey on a wide range of other animals, including larger prey which can be attacked by vast numbers of ant workers.
Dirk Sanders, an author of the study from the universitys Centre for Ecology and Conservation, said: Ants are very effective predators which thrive in huge numbers. Theyre also very territorial3 and very aggressive, defending their resources and territory against other predators. All of this means they have a strong influence on their surrounding area.
In this research, we studied for the first time how big this impact is and the subtleties of it. What we found is that despite being predators, their presence can also lead to an increase in density and diversity of other animal groups4. They genuinely play a key role in the local environment, having a big influence on the grassland food web, Sanders said.
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