Líffræðifélag Íslands - biologia.is
Líffræðiráðstefnan 2023
Höfundar / Authors: Andreas Guðmundsson, Marco Mancini og Arnar Pálsson
Starfsvettvangur / Affiliations: 1. Háskóli Íslands
Kynnir / Presenter: Andreas Guðmundsson
Ants are highly diverse and one of the most widely distributed groups of insects on Earth. In addition to natural distributions, the transport of goods and people across continents and oceans has provided certain ant species routes for colonisation across great distances. Iceland has no native ant species, but in the last half-century, 25 species have been found, of which five species have established populations. The most common of these is Hypoponera ergatandria (ísl. Húsamaur), which has become relatively well known due to colonies established in houses and basements in the Capital Region. Less understood are species that survive outside the urban environment. Interestingly, H. ergatandria is also found in some geothermal areas along with a related species, Hypoponera eduardi (ísl. Hveramaur), which has never been found in urban areas. The main questions we have sought to answer are: i) What is the extent of Hypoponera spp. distribution around Iceland? ii) What effect do the ants have on the fauna in geothermal areas? iii) Does ant distribution or activity vary by season in geothermal areas? To address these questions, we surveyed numerous geothermal areas across Iceland during winter and summer and conducted some preliminary genetic analysis. Here, we will present results from these studies, provide hypotheses on how the ants have spread across a large part of the island, and discuss whether they could threaten Icelandic biodiversity.