1. Introducing wood ants: evolution, phylogeny and distribution Jenni A. Stockan, Elva J. H. Robinson, James Trager, Izumi Yao and Bernhard Seifert; 2. Wood ant reproductive biology and social systems Arnaud Maeder, Daniel Cherix, Christian Bernasconi, Anne Freitag and Samuel Ellis; 3. Population genetics of wood ants Pekka Pamilo, Perttu Seppä and Heikki Helanterä; 4. Where and why? Red wood ant population ecology Anita C. Risch, Samuel Ellis and Hayley Wiswell; 5. Colony and species recognition among the Formica ants Stephen J. Martin; 6. Interspecific competition and coexistence between wood ants Therese Johansson and Heloise Gibb; 7. Wood ant foraging and mutualism with aphids Timo Domisch, Anita C. Risch and Elva J. H. Robinson; 8. Wood ants and their interaction with other organisms Elva J. H. Robinson, Jenni A. Stockan and Glenn R. Iason; 9. Contribution of wood ants to nutrient cycling and ecosystem function Jan Frouz, Veronika Jílková and Jouni Sorvari; 10. Diversity, ecology and conservation of wood ants in North America James Trager; 11. Sampling and monitoring wood ants Anne Freitag, Jenni A. Stockan, Christian Bernasconi, Arnaud Maeder and Daniel Cherix; 12. Threats, conservation and management Jouni Sorvari; 13. Future directions for wood ant ecology and conservation Elva J. H. Robinson and Jenni A. Stockan.