Rapid assessment of the three-dimensional distribution of dominant arboreal ants in tropical forests

0542408 - BC 2022 RIV US eng J - Journal Article
Leponce, M. - Dejean, A. - Mottl, Ondřej - Klimeš, Petr
Rapid assessment of the three-dimensional distribution of dominant arboreal ants in tropical forests.
Insect Conservation and Diversity. Roč. 14, č. 4 (2021), s. 426-438. ISSN 1752-458X. E-ISSN 1752-4598
R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GA21-00828S
EU Projects: European Commission(XE) 669609 - Diversity6continents
Grant - others:AV ČR(CZ) FNRS-17-04
Program: Bilaterální spolupráce
Institutional support: RVO:60077344
Keywords : ant mosaics * canopy * competition
OECD category: Ecology
Impact factor: 4.266, year: 2021
Method of publishing: Limited access
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/icad.12486

Territorially dominant arboreal ant territories are known to be spatially segregated forming ‘ant mosaics’. We developed a standardised baitline protocol to study the distribution of dominant ants on canopy trees and also a procedure to objectively define species dominance, even in unknown ant assemblages. Our protocol allows live arboreal ant specimens to be sampled at different heights. Behavioural aggressiveness assays between the collected workers provide data on the three-dimensional distribution of colonies and on interactions between species. We compared the results of the behavioural tests to those from null models.
We used the ants from New Guinean lowland forest as the model to demonstrate the method. The baitline protocol collected up to half of the arboreal ant species. Behavioural observations used in the protocol allowed a more efficient detection of ant mosaics than null models. The protocol is fast and easy to replicate.
Permanent Link: http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0326530