Project Outlook

The name Wood Wide Ants (WWA) takes inspiration from the concept of "Wood Wide Web", developed by Suzanne Simard in her book Finding the Mother Tree (2021). Beside the fact that our primary working field took place in coniferous forests—quite alike the ones studied by the Canadian researcher, the term "Wide" embodies the collegial nature of the project, which wants to catch the intricate spectrum of genomic, ecological and historical aspects of Formica paralugubris (a "Wood Ant") all together. And this can be realised just through the cooperation and collaboration of people with different skills, led by a common objective: to unravel the mysteries of our Planet's biodiversity and to protect it, together.

The first objective of the Wood Wide Ants (WWA) Project is to generate a high-quality reference genome of Formica paralugubris. The assembly will be used for population genomics analyses, with the aim of elucidating the population structure and demographic dynamics of both native (Alps) and introduced (Apennines) populations. For the latter, we are planning to analyse colonies from the Foreste Casentinesi National Park, but then to include also those from others localities as well. Overall, we would like to investigate population differentiation over both space and time, by also getting access to museum samples (from Kosmos Museum, Pavia, Italy).

We collaborate with a broad range of stakeholders: international ecologists, entomologists, and taxonomists, forest rangers, national park organisations, museums, schools and the wider public. Our goal is to increase the general awareness about the role of genomics in conservation biology, by using F. paralugubris as a flagship species for the importance of conservation actions towards invertebrate (and sometimes less charismatic) species. Our findings will contribute to better manage conservation efforts of native populations, and to enhance our understanding of the impact of human-mediated introductions in forest ecosystems.

As a matter of fact, although F. paralugubris and red wood ants are classified as “Near Threatened” by the IUCN Red List, regulations governing their protection vary significantly across European countries. Even within Italy, some regional governments offer protection while others do not.  Thus, we aim to promote the creation of more consistent legislation across various regions, thereby facilitating its protection.

For thess reasons, besides participating to conferences and academic events, WWA is also strongly dedicated to science outreach and education. The stories of F. paralugubris and of the science behind are compelling tools to show people how various aspects of biological sciences are interconnected and how they can be studied from multiple viewpoints (as well as observed with a good deal of creativity). All this is done through many different outreach initiatives, educational and experimental workshops, articles in science communication magazines, and educational programs in high schools. You can find a complete report in the Journal section!