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Updated: 6 October, 2006

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Background Information: Ants were collected at a grassy habitat and a forested habitat. They were collected using two different methods: bait traps and pitfall traps. On Monday June 7, 1999, eight bait traps were placed in each of the two different habitats. These traps were set out for approximately thirty minutes and then collected. The bait was removed and the vials were filled with ethanol to store the ants. On the same day, eight pitfall traps were also placed in each of the two habitats. Small cups were placed in shallow holes made in the ground with the top of the cups at surface level. The cups were half-filled with ethanol and left alone for twenty-four hours. These pitfall traps were collected on June 8, 1999 and each sample was placed in a separate vial.

Morphospecies	Description
1	a small red fire ant
2	a small black ant
3	a large light-colored red ant
4	a very large dark-colored ant
5	a medium-sized dark ant with a heart-shaped tip of the abdomen
6	a medium to large red ant with a long thin middle section
7	a small to medium red ant with a striped tip of the abdomen

Barcode	Date	Habitat	Site	Morphospecies
UGCA143394	990607	Grassy	Cedar Shoals HS	1=30
UGCA143395	990607	Grassy	Cedar Shoals HS	6=41, 7=7
UGCA143396	990607	Grassy	Cedar Shoals HS	6=6, 7=2
UGCA143397	990607	Grassy	Cedar Shoals HS	1=90
UGCA143398	990607	Grassy	Cedar Shoals HS	1=109, 6=3, 7=3
UGCA143399	990607	Grassy	Cedar Shoals HS	1=35, 6=2
UGCA143400	990607	Grassy	Cedar Shoals HS	6=1
UGCA143401	990607	Forested	Cedar Shoals HS	5=10
UGCA143402	990607	Forested	Cedar Shoals HS	7=14
UGCA143403	990607	Forested	Cedar Shoals HS	2=6, 7=2
UGCA143404	990607	Forested	Cedar Shoals HS	2=5, 7=1
UGCA143405	990607	Forested	Cedar Shoals HS	7=4
UGCA143406	990607	Forested	Cedar Shoals HS	7=35
UGCA143407	990607	Forested	Cedar Shoals HS	5=78
UGCA143408	990607	Forested	Cedar Shoals HS	6=33

Barcode	Start Date	Collection Date	Habitat	Site	Morphospecies
UGCA143386	990607	990608	Grassy	Cedar Shoals HS	1=12, 7=3
UGCA143385	990607	990608	Grassy	Cedar Shoals HS	4=1, 6=15, 7=5
UGCA143387	990607	990608	Grassy	Cedar Shoals HS	1=1, 3=2, 7=1
UGCA143383	990607	990608	Grassy	Cedar Shoals HS	6=2, 7=2
UGCA143384	990607	990608	Grassy	Cedar Shoals HS	3=1, 7=53
UGCA143388	990607	990608	Grassy	Cedar Shoals HS	4=1, 6=6, 7=12
UGCA143389	990607	990608	Grassy	Cedar Shoals HS	3=1, 6=15, 7=9
UGCA143390	990607	990608	Grassy	Cedar Shoals HS	3=3, 7=47
UGCA143391	990607	990608	Forested	Cedar Shoals HS	6=5
UGCA143392	990607	990608	Forested	Cedar Shoals HS	6=1
UGCA143393	990607	990608	Forested	Cedar Shoals HS	6=1, 7=3

Statistical Analysis: The initial hypothesis was that there would be the same number of ants in the bait and pitfall traps. In addition, there would also be the same number of ants in the two habitats. Using Chi-square analysis, there is a statistical significance between the bait traps and pitfall traps. The critical value is 3.841 and the Chi-square value is 138 with one degree of freedom. There is also a statistical significance between the two habitats. In this case, the Chi-square value is 145.2 with one degree of freedom.

Interpretation of Results: Based on the evidence collected from our two habitats, we found that fire ants (morphospecies 1) were prevalent in the grassy habitat and non-existent in the forested habitat. In contrast, the other morphospecies of ants (2 - 7) were found in both habitats, and perhaps were even more common in the forested area. Stiles and Jones in their experimentation on the Distribution of the red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta, in road and powrline habitats stated that fire ants were "found in open habitats where the soil has been disturbed by agricultural practices, logging or vehicles and where direct sunlight can reach the soil surface." They added that fire ants were "rare in shaded or undisturbed habitats such as forests" (Stiles & Jones, 1998).

Further observation concerning the grassy area was conducted to find trends in ant distribution.
In the baited traps, our data showed that roughly two-thirds of the ants were from the genus Solenopsis. This large proportion of fire ants may be explained by several factors that include displacement of other species, optimal abiotic conditions or advanced communication within the species.

The pitfall traps, however, showed that only about one in twenty ants were Solenopsis. This unexpected result might possibly be explained again by advanced communication skills or even advanced sensory mechanisms that would detect the alcohol in the traps. Another explaination (dealing with our procedure) may be that our pitfall traps were nearer to the forested area than the baited traps. The pitfall traps, if they were indeed closer to a forested area, might collect fewer fire ants due to the desire of Solenopsis to locate in areas of optimal sunlight.

Reference: Stiles, JH and Jones, RH. 1998. Distribution of the red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta, in road and powerline habitats. Landscape Ecology: vol.13 no.6. pp.335-346.