Ants as Indicators of Restoration Success: Relationship with Soil Microbial Biomass in the Australian Seasonal Tropics

• Published in: Restoration ecology Vol. 5; no. 2; pp. 109 - 114
• Main Authors: Andersen, Alan N., Sparling, Graham P.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.06.1997; Blackwell
• Subjects: Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Applied ecology; Biological and medical sciences; Conservation, protection and management of environment and wildlife; Environmental degradation: ecosystems survey and restoration; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Australia; Northern Territory; Oceania; Formicidae; Mining zone; Insecta; Tropical zone; Biological indicator; Formicoidea; Microbial biomass; Soils; Arthropoda; Ecological monitoring; Ecological recovery; Hymenoptera; Invertebrata; Species richness; Aculeata; Environment quality

Ants are widely used as bioindicators in Australian land assessment and monitoring programs, particularly in relation to ecosystem restoration following mining. Little is known, however, about the relationship between ant community development and key ecological processes such as nutrient cycling. W...