Drivers of deadwood colonization by ants in a temperate forest
• Wood diameter, hardness, and decay class strongly drive colonization probability; • Colony composition varies markedly across the 13 ant species recorded; • Slope aspect and east-facing exposure significantly shape community composition; • Artificial micro-openings (2 mm) increase ant colonization.
Authors
- Daniele Giannetti (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1622-1329)
- Silvia Gisondi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1260-582X)
- Enrico Schifani (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0684-6229)
- Alessandro Campanaro (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4043-6362)
- Emanuele Fior
- Antonio Verolino (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0003-1359-0599)
- Donato A. Grasso
- Giovanni Rabusin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0004-5012-1115)
- Nicola Rana
- Gloria Credali
- Gabriele Zanin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0001-8283-533X)
Institutions
- University of Parma (IT)
- Cereal Research Centre (IT)
- Institute for Biodiversity (DE)
- Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (ES)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Forest Ecology and Management
- Published
- 2026-05-23
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2026.123894
- Primary Topic
- Forest Ecology and Biodiversity Studies
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00