Ant mounds as a source of sediment on citrus orchard plantations in eastern Spain. A three-scale rainfall simulation approach

Auteur(s) et Affiliation(s)

CERDÀ, A.

Soil Erosion and Degradation Research Group, Dep. de Geografia, Univ., València, Espagne

JURGENSEN, M.F.

School of Forest Resources and Environmental Science, Michigan Technological Univ., Houghton, Etats-Unis

Description :
Ants are widely found in Mediterranean soils, where they increase water infiltration rates by forming soil macropores during nest construction. In the summer of 2009 rainfall simulations of low frequency–high intensity rainstorms were conducted in an orange orchard in eastern Spain on plots that contained ant nests and adjacent paired-plots without ant nests. Ant nests decreased water losses but soil erosion rates were nearly double in areas with ant activity as compared to soil with no ants. The results indicate that the presence of ants can increase soil erosion when rainfall intensity is greater than the infiltration capacity of the ant macropores.

Type de document :
Article de périodique

Source :
Catena (Giessen), issn : 0341-8162, 2011, vol. 85, n°. 3, p. 231-236, nombre de pages : 6, Références bibliographiques : 45 ref.

Date :
2011

Editeur :
Pays édition : Allemagne, Cremlingen-Destedt, Catena

Langue :
Anglais