TITLE:
Micro-Arthropods in the Surroundings of Nests of Messor arenarius Ants in the Negev Desert in Israel
AUTHORS:
Ittai Warburg, Yosef Steinberger
KEYWORDS:
Ants, Arid Region, Harvesters, Micro-Arthropods
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Ecology,
Vol.14 No.7,
July
22,
2024
ABSTRACT: The present research investigated a segment of the micro-arthropod populations residing within nests of Messor arenarius ants in the Negev Desert of Israel. The total frequencies of micro-arthropods in the chaff of those ants’ nests were found to be higher than in the surrounding soil of the same nests. Acari (mites) were observed to be more abundant during the spring season, whereas their presence decreased during the summer months. Springtails (Collembola) were found to follow the Acari pattern, commonly found within the nests of those ants during spring but were absent during summer. Psocoptera order inhabiting soil habitats were infrequently encountered during spring, but their prevalence increased significantly during summer, particularly within the chaff of the ants’ nests, suggesting that chaff is their primary food source in the Negev Desert. Our research suggests that shifts in seasonality have important consequences on the distribution of soil invertebrate communities with implications on nutrient cycling.