Date of Award
Spring 2019
Document Type
Open Access Thesis
Degree Name
Undergraduate
Department
Honors
First Advisor
Joseph Staples, PhD
Second Advisor
Meg Hausman, PhD
Third Advisor
Rebecca Nisetich, PhD
Keywords
soil composition, ants, ground nesting ants, Formicidae, Honors, Biology
Abstract
Ants are keystone organisms and engineers in many ecosystems, playing an important role in nutrient cycling and rearrangement of organic and inorganic materials through foraging, waste management and, in subterranean species, nest construction and maintenance. In this study, I conducted elemental analysis of soils for calcium, copper, iron, potassium, manganese and zinc in and around the colonies of subterranean nesting ants. The two-step analysis used in this study utilizes the efficiency of X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) Spectrometry to look for overall trends in elemental composition followed by Flame Atomic Absorbance (AA) to achieve higher resolution of select elements of interest as justified in XRF results. No relationships were found between concentration of elements with depth nor distance. Additional observations made throughout this research revealed significant taxon-specific differences in elemental concentrations.
Recommended Citation
Depner, Haley H., "An Evaluation of Elemental Composition of Soils Associated with Ground Nesting Ants in the Family Formicidae in Somerset County, Maine" (2019). All Student Scholarship. 374.
https://digitalcommons.usm.maine.edu/etd/374
