Use of premontane moist forest and shade coffee agroecosystems by army ants in Western Panama
Two species of Neotropical army ant, Eciton burchelli and Labidus praedator (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Ecitoninae), are swarm-raiding species that require large areas of habitat in which to hunt. Intensive systematic area searches were conducted at elevations of 1200 to 1800 m in Chiriqui Province western Panama during February to June 1996 and 1997, to assess the distribution of both species in intact premontane moist forest, shade coffee (Coffea arabica) plantations and sun coffee plantations. The intact forest and shade coffee plots shared many native canopy species such as Fagaceae, Guttiferae [Clusiaceae], Lauraceae, Moraceae and Theaceae. In contrast the sun coffee plots lacked canopy trees and the shrub layer consisted wholly of closely spacedcoffee plants (grasses and shrubs were absent). Both ant species were repeatedly observed in forest, shade coffee plantations close to forest, and shade coffee plantations distant from forest, while neither species was observed in sun coffee plantations.It is suggested that retention of certain forest-like characteristics in the traditional shade coffee farm contributed to the persistence of these forest ants in modified landscapes. Large canopy trees not only provided shade that buffers temperature extremes but also supplied the ground layer with regular inputs of leaf litter and coarse woody debris from fallen trunks. Both E. burchelli and L. praedator hunt in leaf litter, and E. burchelli uses coarse woody debris as nesting sites (bivouacs). There were significantly fewer potential bivouacs available in sun coffee plantations than in forest and shade coffee habitats. It is concluded that shade coffee plantations may provide additional habitat for E. burchelli and L. praedator, top predators of the leaf litter arthropod community. E. burchelli and L. praedator act as critical links between swarm-attendant bird species and leaf-litter arthropods, providing an easily exploited food resource that would otherwise be unavailable for many birds. Cconversionof shade coffee plantations to sun coffee plantations and the associated effects on biodiversity are discussed.
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| Format: | biblioteca |
| Published: |
2000
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| Subjects: | COFFEA, FORMICIDAE, COMPORTAMIENTO, ECOLOGIA FORESTAL, ANIMAL SALVAJE, ARTHROPODA, BIODIVERSIDAD, CUBIERTA DE COPAS, HABITAT, HOJAS, AGROFORESTERIA, AGRICULTURA, ZONA DE MONTAÑA, PANAMA, |
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