FORMIBOSC

For the purposes of the research, ants have been chosen as the group representative of biodiversity.

The choice of this group is justified by: its importance in the functioning of the forest; because ants are indicators of the forest’s quality; because of the lack of knowledge concerning this group, and because of the Park’s interest in the functioning of the forest’s ecosystems and development. Antsare referred to as ecosystem engineers, due to the important role they play in the processes which either directly or indirectly affect flows of energy and matter, as well as the habitats of the other species which make up the forest ecosystems. The monitoring of this community of animals therefore has important implications for the dynamics in the forest of the other plant and animal communities, as well as the natural forest dynamic towards maturity.