Contribution of cocoa plantations to the conservation of native ants (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Formicidae) with a special emphasis on the Atlantic Forest fauna of southern Bahia,Brazil |
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Authors: | Jacques H. C. Delabie Benoît Jahyny Ivan Cardoso do Nascimento Cléa S. F. Mariano Sébastien Lacau Sofia Campiolo Stacy M. Philpott Maurice Leponce |
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Affiliation: | (1) UPA Laboratório de Mirmecologia, Convênio UESC/CEPLAC, Centro de Pesquisas do Cacau, C.P. 07, 45600-000 Itabuna, Bahia, Brazil;(2) Departamento de Ciências Agrárias e Ambientais (DCAA), Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz (UESC), 45650-000 Ilheus, Bahia, Brazil;(3) Laboratoire d’Ethologie Expérimentale et Comparée (LEEC, CNRS UMR 7153), Université Paris-Nord, 99, avenue J.-B. Clément, 93430 Villetaneuse, France;(4) Laboratório de Zoologia e de Parasitologia Animal, Departamento de Estudos Básicos e Instrumentais (DEBI), Universidade Estadual do Sudoeste da Bahia (UESB), BR415, Km03, s/no, 45700-000 Itapetinga, Bahia, Brazil;(5) Laboratoire d’Entomologie, Museum National d’Histoire Naturelle, 45 rue Buffon, 75005 Paris, France;(6) Departamento de Ciências Biológicas (DCB), Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz (UESC), 45650-000 Ilheus, Bahia, Brazil;(7) Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH 43606, USA;(8) Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, 29 Vautier Street, 1000 Brussels, Belgium |
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Abstract: | By maintaining a forest-like structure, shaded cocoa plantations contribute to the conservation of ants that usually live in the soil, leaf litter or canopy of tropical forests. Here we synthesize the available information on the diversity and community structure of ants in shaded cocoa plantations in the Atlantic forest region of Brazil, compare ant assemblages in cocoa agroforests with forests and other forms of agriculture, and discuss how these shaded plantations contribute to the conservation of the ants in the Atlantic Forest region. We also discuss ants of economical importance and of special interest, including Camponotus, Dolichoderus, Gnamptogenys, Pachycondyla, Pseudomyrmex and other litter dwelling genera. We discuss the situation of the tramp ant Wasmannia auropunctata in the Bahian cocoa-producing region where it is considered as native, and that of the two cryptobiotic genera Thaumatomyrmex and Typhlomyrmex, as well as that of proven and possible endangered army ant and Ponerini species. A total of 192 ant species from four strata were found in extensive sampling of a cocoa plantation with a relatively simple shade canopy (comprised primarily of Erythrina). Species richness in the cocoa plantations corresponded roughly to that of low diversity native forests, and species composition of cocoa plantations was most similar to native habitats (forest and mangroves) while ant composition in other agricultural habitats was most similar to that of urban areas. Although occurrences of Wasmannia auropunctata were similar in cocoa plantations and forests, abundance of Thaumatomyrmex and Typhlomyrmex, generally thought to be rare ants, was relatively high in cocoa plantations. These results, from cocoa plantations with relatively simple shade, demonstrate the importance of cocoa for ant conservation in the Atlantic forest region of Brazil. It is likely that cocoa plantations with a greater number of vegetation strata and higher tree species richness (such as traditional cabruca plantations) provide even more important habitat for ants generally and for ant species of conservation concern. |
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Keywords: | Agroecosystem Arboreal ants Cabruca Community structure Erythrina Forest Ground-dwelling ants Neotropical fauna Theobroma cacao |
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