ARBOREAL ANT COMMUNITY PATTERNS IN BRAZILIAN COCOA FARMS

The distribution of arboreal-foraging ants on cocoa trees was investig ated t the Centre for Cocoa Research in Bahia, Brazil. The interaction s between ant species were quantified using data on the presence or ab sence of ant species on 1100 cocoa trees. The distribution of ants was also mapped in four 30 x 40 m plots of cocoa, and the species richnes s and biomass of ants was assessed by chemical knockdowns from within the territories of five of the dominant ant species. Ninety-one specie s of ant were encountered, of which seven reached dominant status. A q uantitative evaluation of the number of positive and negative associat ions between each ant species confirmed the status of most of these do minants and also indicated that a further 10 species may have sub-domi nant status. The dominants were distributed in a mosaic-like fashion a nd, except in an old, non-pesticide-treated cocoa plot, gaps in the mo saic were few. Some of the dominant ants influenced the number of asso ciated ant species, the length of those ant species with which they we re able to co-exist, and also the species composition of ants within t heir territory.