Biodiversity of ants at "evolution canyon," Nahal Oren, Mt. Carmel, Israel

The biodiversity and differentiation of ants into microclimatically contrasting habitats were investigated at the "Evolution Canyon" microsite, Nahal Oren, Mt. Carrnel, Israel. The ant fauna consists of 17 species: 10 species occur on the south-facing slope, 10 on the north-facing slope, and 6 at the valley bottom. The two slopes differ by 30% of their species, out of which three species are restricted to the north-facing slope, two species are restricted to the south-facing slope and one species occurs on both the south-facing slope and the valley bottom. Four species were restricted to the valley bottom.