Ant mosaics in Bornean primary rain forest high canopy depend on spatial scale, time of day, and sampling method.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Competitive interactions in biological communities can be thought of as giving rise to "assembly rules" that dictate the species that are able to co-exist. Ant communities in tropical canopies often display a particular pattern, an "ant mosaic", in which competition between dominant ant species results in a patchwork of mutually exclusive territories. Although ant mosaics have been well-documented in plantation landscapes, their presence in pristine tropical forests remained contentious until recently. Here we assess presence of ant mosaics in a hitherto under-investigated forest stratum, the emergent trees of the high canopy in primary tropical rain forest, and explore how the strength of any ant mosaics is affected by spatial scale, time of day, and sampling method.

SUBMITTER: Yusah KM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5801898 | biostudies-literature | 2018

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature