Ants

Research on ants in the Department of Zoology really took off in 1982 with Daniel Cherix, and later with the students he supervised during their thesis or dissertation work. Current research is led by Anne Freitag and focuses on the following topics:

• Ants of Switzerland, distribution. Switzerland is home to some 150 species of ants. Since Heinrich Kutter’s 1977 publication on the ant fauna of Switzerland, few studies on the Swiss myrmecofauna have been conducted. Surveys are being carried out in the canton of Vaud and various regions of Switzerland to update our knowledge of species distribution.

Population dynamics of Formica exsecta in the Swiss National Park. The Swiss National Park, which has been free from human influence for over a century, is an ideal laboratory for studying the natural evolution of organisms. A colony of Formica exsecta located at Il Fuorn has been studied there for over 70 years, first by H. Kutter, then by Daniel Cherix and several students. Since 2017, Anne Freitag and Arnaud Maeder (Geneva Museum of Natural History) have been conducting annual monitoring of the colony to study its dynamics in relation to changes in the habitat.

• Distribution and ecology of wood ants (Formica group rufa). These ants are recognizable by the large, dome-shaped mounds made of dry plant material that they build in forests or at forest edges. Switzerland is home to seven species of wood ants, which have been protected since 1966. The Naturéum collaborates with several cantonal projects to inventory wood ants. The data collected helps provide a better understanding of the species’ distribution and ecological needs, thereby ensuring their protection.

Project Manager : Anne Freitag