Soil-fertility

Guides

• Pogonomyrmex californicus subnitidus

  Pogonomyrmex californicus subnitidus is a subspecies of the California harvester ant, a seed-collecting ant native to arid regions of western North America. Like other harvester ants, it constructs conspicuous nest disks cleared of vegetation and plays significant ecological roles as a seed predator, soil engineer, and food source for vertebrate predators. The species possesses a powerful sting used defensively against mammalian threats. This subspecies is part of a taxon increasingly recognized as a keystone species in desert ecosystems rather than an agricultural pest.

  harvester-antseed-predationkeystone-speciesdesert-ecologymyrmecochorystinging-antnest-engineersoil-fertilityIndigenous-useecosystem-engineer