erinhilbrands
Ant Hill
This photo was taken on the UNCW campus on April 11, 2017. This is an ant hill made out of soft, fine sand and soil. Ants are important ecosystem engineers, meaning that they alter the structure of their environment and have a large affect on other species in that environment. Ant hills are made from the fine soil and sand particles that worker ants bring out of the tunnels they dig and deposit at the entrance. Through the creation of tunnels, ants benefit the soil by mixing soil horizons and creating pathways for gas and water exchange. These pathways also increase the amount of nutrients that can reach plant roots. Ants are part of many food chains as predators and prey and they are decomposers as well. Some species feed on organic waste.
Source: onsnetwork.org/mayonotebook/2015/05/07/ants-as-ecosystem-...
Ant Hill
This photo was taken on the UNCW campus on April 11, 2017. This is an ant hill made out of soft, fine sand and soil. Ants are important ecosystem engineers, meaning that they alter the structure of their environment and have a large affect on other species in that environment. Ant hills are made from the fine soil and sand particles that worker ants bring out of the tunnels they dig and deposit at the entrance. Through the creation of tunnels, ants benefit the soil by mixing soil horizons and creating pathways for gas and water exchange. These pathways also increase the amount of nutrients that can reach plant roots. Ants are part of many food chains as predators and prey and they are decomposers as well. Some species feed on organic waste.
Source: onsnetwork.org/mayonotebook/2015/05/07/ants-as-ecosystem-...