Yellow Meadow Ants: An Important Contributor To Biodiversity In Grasslands

Yellow Meadow Ants: An Important Contributor To Biodiversity In Grasslands
Dr Tim King
05 Dec 2023
The subterranean Yellow Meadow Ant (Lasius flavus) dominates the soil of many old grasslands; their long-lived mounds gain volume with time and their underground influence extends as adjacent colonies coalesce. The mounds often support a different plant community from the surrounding grassland and plant species lacking elsewhere. The ants support many specialist aphids on underground roots, the warm bare soil provides oviposition sites, and several specialist invertebrates live with the ants or prey on them. The sides of the convex mounds facing north, south, east and west considerably increase the range of microhabitats. Much of the surrounding grassland was ex-anthill.
Dr Tim King, based in Oxford, has been accumulating information on the yellow meadow ant for over 55 years. Originally he was interested in the reasons why the mounds have a distinct plant community. Recently he has spent much time in investigating associated invertebrates, examining whether mounds can be used to age grasslands, reading the literature and spreading the word to conservationists about the role of this important, but neglected, ant species.
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[@sarahive9521]

Fantastic video although those mites are pretty horrifying!

[@thebeekeepers7170]

They remind me a bit of Braula mites on honey bees.