Abstract

RIVERA, LEONARDO  and  ARMBRECHT, INGE. Diversity of three ant guilds in shade and sun coffee plantations and forests of Risaralda. Rev. Colomb. Entomol. [online]. 2005, vol.31, n.1, pp.89-96. ISSN 0120-0488.

During 2001-2002, a study on the myrmecofauna (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in coffee plantations was conducted int the Apía municipality (Risaralda) in order to evalúate the impact of modern agricultural practices on the associated biodiversity. TWelve coffee farms were selected and classified into three shade managements (treatments) and a control consisting of forest patches. TWenty Im² -plots were located on each farm and at each plot ants were collected manually and with a mini-Winkler from the leaf litter. Ants were also sampled from the nearest coffee bush. Finally, biotic and abiotic variables in the área were measured. The ants were grouped into guilds according to the classification of Delabie et al. for Soulh América. A total of 22.983 individuáis belonging to 115 morphospecies was recorded. Polygeneric shaded coffee (organic managed coffee) had the greatest species richness. Ants were grouped into three guilds: cryptic litter-dwelling, abundant and coffee bush. The cryptic guild was the most sensitive to changes in coffe management, being very reduced in sun plantations, while abundant ants and ants on coffee bushes were not affected in the same way. The presence of the cryptic guild was positively affected by vegetation cover and negatively by soil temperature. We concluded that an environmentally friendly agricultural management, like organic coffee with diverse shade, is a matrix that favors the diversity of ants from forest patches in the rural coffee landscape.

Keywords : Coffee management; Myrmecofauna; Winkler; Agroecosystem; Conservation.

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