Applicability of the ant mosaic theory on floor litter in a forest of central Amazon, Brazil

Abstract

The spatial distribution pattern of ants is apparently very influenced by competition in habitats with few species, and on the crowns of tropical trees. However, we tested if the mosaic theory applies also to tropical species which forage and nest on the litter accumulated on the base of palms and the litter distributed on the forest floor. A total of 160 samples were collected in a primary upland forest from Amazonas state, Brazil. The analysis of interspecific association is according to Majer et al. (1994). Weak interaction traces among species pairs were found. The only significant association after correction for multiple tests was a positive correlation on the abundance of Camponotus femoratus and Crematogaster carinata. With this results, we concluded that the mosaic of ant species does not apparently exist on the forest floor. © 2010, Sociedad Venezolana de Entomología.