Ant Diversity and Stratification in an Amazonian Rainforest.

ABSTRACT: This study focuses on species occupying the three strata of an Amazonian rainforest: the ground and leaf litter, the understorey and the canopy. We employed only two sampling techniques: Winkler extraction for ground-dwelling ants and direct observations for understorey and canopy species on large branches cut off by a climber. We identified 494 ant species from 10 subfamilies and 77 genera over ≈3.0 ha (Chao1 = 607 species; 95% CI: 566-670 species). Although we found fewer arboreal ants compared to approaches using insecticide fogging, this study confirms similarities between the ant diversity in Amazonian and Mesoamerican rainforests. The functional traits of these ants (i.e., diet, nest-site preference, population size of the colony) allowed us to identify seven clusters. Cluster 1 is a

SUBMITTER: Delabie JHC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12710436 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature