Abstract Wood ants (Formica rufa group) are widely distributed in the northern hemisphere and have an important effect on ecosystem processes. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the relationship between F. rufa and the soil biological quality and microarthropod diversity in a semi-arid black pine forest. Microarthropod sampling was conducted for 2 years, from October 2014 to September 2016, at four ant nest mounds of similar size. A total of 288 soil cores were sampled bimonthly, near the nests (designated as the adjacent zone) and at a distance of 10 m away from the nests (designated as the distant zone) during the study period. The results were evaluated by the mean density, QBS-ar index, and Shannon diversity index scores. The mean density of the microarthropods in the adjacent zone (32,797 ind m–2) was lower than the mean density observed in the distant zone (44,462 ind m–2). The Shannon diversity index values were insensitive to differences in microarthropod density, as affected by wood ants, between the adjacent and distant zones, but the QBS-ar values were significantly different between the zones. This suggested that the QBS-ar index may be advantageous in monitoring the impact of wood ants on soil microarthropods in a semi-arid pine forest. Overall, this study reveals that F. rufa may have a significant impact on soil microarthropods in semi-arid forest ecosystems.

中文翻译：

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半干旱松林木蚁（Formica rufa）丘对土壤生物质量（QBS-ar）的影响

摘要 木蚁（Formica rufa group）广泛分布于北半球，对生态系统过程具有重要影响。本研究的目的是评估 F. rufa 与半干旱黑松林土壤生物质量和微节肢动物多样性之间的关系。从 2014 年 10 月到 2016 年 9 月，在四个类似大小的蚁巢丘上进行了为期 2 年的微节肢动物采样。在研究期间，在靠近巢穴（指定为相邻区域）和距巢穴 10 m 距离处（指定为远处区域），每两个月对总共 288 个土芯进行采样。结果通过平均密度、QBS-ar 指数和香农多样性指数得分进行评估。相邻区域中微节肢动物的平均密度 (32, 797 ind m-2) 低于在远处区域观察到的平均密度 (44,462 ind m-2)。香农多样性指数值对微节肢动物密度差异不敏感，受木蚁影响，相邻和远距离区域之间的 QBS-ar 值显着不同。这表明 QBS-ar 指数可能有利于监测半干旱松林中木蚁对土壤微节肢动物的影响。总体而言，这项研究表明 F. rufa 可能对半干旱森林生态系统中的土壤微节肢动物产生重大影响。但 QBS-ar 值在区域之间有显着差异。这表明 QBS-ar 指数可能有利于监测半干旱松林中木蚁对土壤微节肢动物的影响。总体而言，这项研究表明 F. rufa 可能对半干旱森林生态系统中的土壤微节肢动物产生重大影响。但 QBS-ar 值在区域之间有显着差异。这表明 QBS-ar 指数可能有利于监测半干旱松林中木蚁对土壤微节肢动物的影响。总体而言，这项研究表明 F. rufa 可能对半干旱森林生态系统中的土壤微节肢动物产生重大影响。