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Harvard Forest REU Symposium Abstract 2019
- Title: Ant Diversity and Global Warming: How Air Temperature Affects Ant Diversity at the Harvard Forest
- Author: Concetta K Ginevra (Florida State University)
- Abstract:
This study aims to determine whether there is a correlation between the rising global temperature and ant diversity at the Harvard Forest in Petersham, Massachusetts. Because ants are so abundant and thrive in a wide variety of environments, they are easy to study and provide a vast amount of information about the ecosystems around them. Ant population changes could trigger other species’ populations to change as well. This study utilizes data from the Fisher Meteorological Station at Harvard Forest to determine if the climate of Harvard Forest follows the global warming trend. Once determined that the data do in fact follow the same trend, previously collected ant data were analyzed to determine the ant species diversity (number of unique species collected) for each year between 2003 and 2019. The data analysis revealed a positive correlation between air temperature and ant species diversity (r=0.2690967).
- Research Category: Biodiversity Studies
