The most striking effect was on a species called M. scabrinodis, which the authors wrote should have adapted to the cool shade provided by goldenrod. Unfortunately goldenrod produces nectar later in the season than native plants, which apparently forces the ants to travel further and use more energy to search for food.
Why does that matter? For one thing, ants play an important role in the ecosystem. As the authors wrote in their paper, ants in general consume 3% of a meadow’s biomass each season and in the process affect the chemical composition of the surrounding soil. Their corridors and nests also serve to make the soil more porous, enhance decomposition, and allow colonization of microbiota and fungi that plants need as parts of their diet.
More pressingly, the three Myrmica ant species also play an important part in the lifecycle of three threatened or endangered butterflies in the Phengaris genus, which lay their eggs in ant nests and often feed on the ants. Two of the three species fully depend on this parasitic relationship for their survival.
Phengaris butterfly. Photo: David Short (CC BY 2.0 Deed)
The authors wrote that a change in Phengaris butterflies had not yet been observed in the area of the study, although warned that it could cause declines in at least two species. A more recent study, published in 2023, did document Phengaris butterfly declines in the same region due to goldenrod crowding out the insects’ traditional host plants.
Goldenrod is just one piece of the picture of Europe’s declining meadowlands. A paper published in 2014 estimated that Europe has lost as much as 80% of its ecologically important meadows over the past century due to development, mowing and cattle grazing.
The full effect of that meadow loss is still being determined, but the ants and the butterflies are just the beginning, and the goldenrod is still spreading. The authors warn that Europe needs to take serious attempts to stem goldenrod before the ecological damage can no longer be undone.
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is the editor of The Revelator. An award-winning environmental journalist, his work has appeared in Scientific American, Audubon, Motherboard, and numerous other magazines and publications. His “Extinction Countdown” column has run continuously since 2004 and has covered news and science related to more than 1,000 endangered species. He is a member of the Society of Environmental Journalists and the National Association of Science Writers. John lives on the outskirts of Portland, Ore., where he finds himself surrounded by animals and cartoonists.
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Publish date : 2024-05-31 14:00:27
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