Ant species composition in relation to forest associations in Szczecin Landscape Park

In this study, eight forest associations in Szczecin Landscape Park and in the vicinity were examined for the presence of ant species. The only species present in all the associations was Myrmica ruginodis. Habitat conditions in the beech forest (Galio odorati-Fagetum), which grows on post-glacial hills, was diversified enough to enable occurrence of as many as 16 ant species. There was no substantial difference in ant species composition between beech and mixed forests. Alder swamps and riparian forests seemed to provide unfavourable living conditions for ants and only 3 ant species were recorded in these environments. Results show that indicating the type of plant association alone may be insufficient to characterize the environmental conditions that affect ant occurrence.