Myrmecol. News 36: 231-242

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.25849/myrmecol.news_036:231
  • Open Access: CC BY 4.0
  • Author: Coronado, S., Lopez-Muñoz, R., Morris, J.-R. & Jiménez-Soto, E.
  • Year: 2026
  • Title: A keystone ant species (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) drives patterns of arboreal ant diversity in the canopy of a tropical coffee agroforest
  • Journal: Myrmecological News
  • Volume: 36
  • Pages: 231-242
  • Type of contribution: Original Article
  • Supplementary material: yes
  • Abstract: Vertical stratification is an iconic feature of many tropical forests. However, the extent to which spatial patterns of diversity in one layer are impacted by other layers is understudied. In coffee agroforests, highly diverse communities of ants assemble on the ground, in the understory, and in the lower and upper canopy. Although most ants occupy only one or two strata, abundant generalists that move freely among all strata may link community assembly processes across vertical space. Alternatively, uneven use of vertical space by dominant ants may enhance patterns of vertical stratification. In this study, we compared the vertical assembly of arboreal ant foragers in the trunks and canopy of shade trees with and without the aggressive carton-nesting ant Azteca sericeasur. We found that ant richness and density generally increased from lower to higher strata. Species co-occurrence patterns were also more segregated in higher strata, suggesting that resource competition increased along with richness and density in the high canopy. Azteca sericeasur partially disrupted this pattern by dominating resources and increasing community segregation in the lower canopy. However, A. sericeasur foragers utilized the entire vertical stratum surveyed. Thus, although A. sericeasur altered vertical stratification in resource competition, A. sericeasur nest presence decreased ant species richness evenly among strata and affected community composition at the whole-tree level. As a result, A. sericeasur nests drove patterns of species turnover among trees, increasing horizontal heterogeneity in the arboreal ant community. Our results suggest that understory generalist species such as A. sericeasur can generate spatial heterogeneity in the canopy.
  • Key words: Canopy ant communities, community assembly, vertical stratification, co-occurrence analysis, beta diversity, resource competition, Azteca sericeasur
  • Publisher: The Austrian Society of Entomofaunistics
  • ISSN: 1997-3500
  • Check out the accompanying blog contribution: https://blog.myrmecologicalnews.org/2026/08/11/a-canopy-architect-azteca-ants-restructure-arboreal-diversity-across-trees-in-tropical-coffee-plantations/

Myrmecol. News 36: 231-242, Supplement

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  • Open Access: CC BY 4.0
  • Year: 2026
  • Journal: Myrmecological News
  • Volume: 36
  • Pages: 231-242
  • Type of contribution: Supplement
  • Supplementary material: Yes
  • Key words: Canopy ant communities, community assembly, vertical stratification, co-occurrence analysis, beta diversity, resource competition, Azteca sericeasur
  • Publisher: The Austrian Society of Entomofaunistics
  • ISSN: 1997-3500