IMPACT OF FOREST AREA FRAGMENTATION ON ANT POPULATION

The paper presents an analysis of the impact of some morphological and ecological factors on the spatial distribution of 19 ant species populating a fragmented forest area within an urban territory. Twofold reduction of the species composition in the fragments (<5000 m(2)) of forest was shown. The largest total density of ant colonies under the high level of species diversity similar to that in the slightly fragmented territories was found in the forest territories with an average fragmentation from 10000 to 250000 m(2). The influence of the anthill construction variety and size of workers on the resistance of species to the area reduction was revealed. The species with the body of 3-5 mm long in workers that live in anthills both with and without above-ground structure were more tolerant to the fragmentation than the species with large workers (>8 mm long) living only in the anthills with the above-ground structure made of vegetable and mineral particles.