ANT-GARDENS IN FRENCH-GUYANA - RELATIONSH IPS BETWEEN SUPPORTING TREE, EPIPHYTES AND ANTS

In this study, which was carried out on 460 ant-gardens found in an or chard df Citrus grandis and in two pioneer formations of different age s, we noted that four ant species. Pachycondyia goeldii (Ponerinae). C rematogaster limata parabiotica (Myrmicinae), Dolichoderus bispinosus (Dolichoderinae) and Camponotus femoratus (Formicinae), built carton n ests on which we found epiphytes at different stages of development. F or other ant species sheltering in ant gardens, we did not find young, developing epiphytes. A three-way relationship between the supporting hush, epiphyte and ant becomes apparent. The diversity of the epiphyt es varies as a function of the ant species: Aechmea mertensii (Bromeli aceae)is dominant in the gardens of P. goeldii; Codonanthe crassifolia (Gesneriaceae) and Anthurium gracile (Araceae) in those of C. femorat us and of Cr. limata parabiotica, both of which also associated with P eperomia macrostachya (Piperaceae).