Abstract:
Most ant colonies live in a single nest (monodomy) or a group of nests (polydomy). However, the length of time for which
nests are inhabited varies significantly between different species. Although colonies of some species frequently move nest
sites, in others, colonies inhabit the same nest or group of nests for many years. Similarly, in some species foraging and
resource-sharing trails are highly dynamic, while in other species trails are used for years. Wood ants are a group of keystone
species that inhabit many northern hemisphere woodlands, where they are important predators of invertebrates and indirectly
act as herbivores through the farming of aphids. Wood ant colonies exhibit both monodomy and polydomy, and can inhabit
nests for many years. Trails in wood ant colonies are also thought to be relatively stable. However, information about colony
dynamics is mostly anecdotal as, until now, no longitudinal datasets have been collected. In this study, we collected data
from ten polydomous wood ant colonies annually for 8 years and a subset of four colonies 16 times over 2 years. We found
that most polydomous wood ant nests are abandoned in the first 2 years after being constructed and are more likely to be
abandoned in the latter part of the active season. However, the rate of nest abandonment decreases after 2 years and is lower
in larger nests. We also found that wood ant trails are relatively static within an active season and become more static later
in the season as trails become established.
