TITLE:
Does Forest Patch Fragmentation Reshape Arboreal Ant Assemblage: Case Study around the Lamto Scientific Reserve, Central Côte d’Ivoire?
AUTHORS:
Christine V. Dakele Yode, Lombart M. Maurice Kouakou, Boris Dodji Kasseney, Kanvaly Dosso, Philippe K. Kouassi, Souleymane Konate
KEYWORDS:
Biodiversity, Insects, Canopy, Adaptation, Global Changes
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Ecology,
Vol.16 No.10,
October
28,
2026
ABSTRACT: Arboreal ants are an essential component of the canopy fauna in tropical forests. However, very little is known about their responses to human-induced disturbances. This study examines the effects of forest habitat fragmentation on arboreal ant communities in a forest-savanna mosaic in central Côte d’Ivoire. Using sampling methods such as funnel traps and vegetation beating, ants were collected from tree trunks and in the lower canopy layer. Sampling was conducted during 2019 in both the dry and rainy seasons. A total of 74 ant species were collected, belonging to 23 genera and 6 subfamilies (Ponerinae, Formicinae, Dorylinae, Myrmicinae, Dolichoderinae, and Pseudomyrmicinae). The largest number of species was collected in the reserve’s forest islands (58 species), followed by rural forests (42 species), cocoa plantations (30 species), and rubber plantations (26 species). Furthermore, species compositions differed among habitats. Furthermore, six species were identified as indicator species in the reserve’s forest islands, compared to two species in the rural forest remnants. In cocoa and rubber plantations, no species were identified as indicator species. Indeed, human activities affecting rural forest fragments have a negative impact on the diversity and distribution of arboreal ants.