Ecology of African army ants under global change: a macroecological and community-level perspective

• Applicant: Privatdozent Dr. Marcell Peters
• Subject Area: Ecology and Biodiversity of Animals and Ecosystems, Organismic Interactions
• Term: since 2024
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 553103119

Despite being prime invertebrate predators, little is known about the vulnerability of African army ants (ant subfamily Dorylinae) to drivers of global change. Making use of the vast climatic gradients in East Africa, this project aims at understanding the effects of land use and climate, and of climate-land use interactions (e.g. stronger effects of temperature in agricultural land than in natural habitats) on African army ants. Specifically, using a set of standardized methods we analyse the distribution of surface-swarm-raiding, leaf-litter-raiding and subterranean army ants along (uncorrelated) gradients of climate and land use. Furthermore, stable isotope analyses will be applied to identify trophic levels and foraging habitats of army ants and to understand the response of trophic niches to changes in land use and climate. Finally, thermal tolerance assays and measurements of environmental mircrohabitat temperatures along climate and land use gradients will be used to estimate the susceptibility of African army ants to global warming. This study will contribute to understanding the effects of two key drivers of global change on army ant communities and will allow better predictions of future land use and climate changes on these iconic predators.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants