Publications des agents du Cirad

Cirad

Diversity and mosaic structure of ant (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) communities in traditional cocoa agroforestry systems in Southern Cameroon

Tadu Z., Djiéto-Lordon C., Fomena A., Babin R., Mahiane G., Yédé. 2009. In : Towards rational cocoa production and efficient use for a sustainable word coca economy : 16th International Cocoa Resarch Conference = 16ème Conférence internationale sur la recherche cacaoyère, Bali, Indonésie, 16-21 novembre 2009. s.l. : s.n., 1 p.. Conférence Internationale sur la Recherche Cacaoyère. 16, 2009-11-16/2009-11-21, Bali (Indonésie).

In cocoa agroforestry systems, ants are the major arthropod component of the canopy. Since dominant ant species are usually active predators of insects, ant communities may help to protect cocoa against insect pests, and especially from cocoa mirids. On the other hand, ant activities may be implicated in disease epidemics, which can lead to significant crop losses. In Cameroon, little information is available on ant communities in cocoa agroforests and on their contribution to cocoa health. Therefore, the main objective of this study was to characterize the ant mosaic in cocoa farms by assessing the diversity of ant species, the nature of ant associations and their ecological statute. For two consecutive years, we collected ants using a chemical knock-down sampling method, in 16 cocoa plantations, situated in three different agro-ecological areas of the Centre region of Cameroon. Ant diversity was assessed using Shannon`s index of diversity and the Sorensen`s similarity index. Kendall`s correlation coefficient was used to determine the nature of the associations between ant species. The robustness of associations was appreciated using chi-square test followed by a Yates corrected test. Fifty one ant species were collected the first year of observation and sixty five the second year. Ants of the subfamilies Formicinae and Myrmicinae were the most abundant and the most diverse in cocoa plantations. According to the Shannon`s diversity index, ant communities were less diversified in the plantations located in savannah compared with forest areas. Oecophylla longinoda, Crematogaster clariventris, Crematogaster striatula and Camponotus acvapimensis were the most abundant species the first year, with 50.9%, 35.2%, 21.1% and 14.1% of trees colonized respectively. The second year, O. longinoda, Tetramorium aculeatum, the army ant Dorylus (Anoma) nigricans and C. striatula were the most abundant, with rates of 82.2%, 44.1%, 39.2% and 29.4%, respectively. Among the dominant sp

Documents associés

Communication de congrès

Agents Cirad, auteurs de cette publication :