Fig. 8 – a in Red wood Ants (Formica rufa-group) prefer mature pine forests in Variscan granite environments (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

Fig. 8 – a, Spatial distribution of mapped RWA nests in FBBSF based on the 1m DTM provided by the LDBV (2008/2009). Black square indicates a striking radial nest distribution pattern that can be explained by b, "onion-like" joints forming in the granite, as can be seen in the former quarry beneath the ruin Flossenbürg castle, approx. 14.5 km southeast of the FB Study area. Photo credit: M. Gibhardt.