Comparison of ant community composition at Savanna River Site, SC from 1976 to present

Climate change and invasive species are important drivers of species loss, which can affect overall environmental health. Sampling indicator species is an effective method to monitor species loss and community shifts. Ants (Formicidae) are valuable indicators of environmental quality because they perform important ecological functions and are easily collected. However, invasive ant species often displace native arthropods, especially disrupting the native ant community. In this study we resurveyed ants in old field, lowland forest, oak scrub, swamp, and Carolina bay habitat types at Savannah River Plant, South Carolina, originally sampled by Van Pelt and Gentry (1985) in 1976. Results suggest major shifts in ant communities among the different habitats since Van Pelt and Gentry’s original work that showed S. invicta was previously absent. However, recent sampling of the sites indicated that S. invicta was present in all sites and is also a dominant species in the old field and Carolina bay sites. Species richness decreased in the old field and lowland forests sites from 1976 to present, while the species richness increased during the same time in the Carolina bay site. These changes could be attributed to the spread of invasive ants such as S. invicta and climate, but further examination of physical changes in the area is needed in order to affirm this assumption.