Logging residues maintain ant functional diversity after clear-cutting of rubber plantations in Côte d’Ivoire
Paper Details
Logging residues maintain ant functional diversity after clear-cutting of rubber plantations in Côte d’Ivoire
Abstract
Replanting rubber (Hevea brasiliensis) plantations involves canopy removal and major disturbance of the litter and soil surface. We tested whether retaining logging residues and sowing a legume cover (Pueraria phaseoloides) maintain the functional structure of ant assemblages after clear-cutting of 38-40-year-old stands at two sites with contrasting soils in Côte d’Ivoire. Ants were collected with pitfall traps before clear-cutting and 3 and 12 months thereafter across four residue-management treatments: bare soil, legumes only, legumes with leaves, branches and stumps, and legumes combined with all residues, including trunks. Weber’s length, head width and mandible length were measured on 532 workers of 46 species (51 species and 4,389 workers collected in total). Intraspecific variation accounted for less than 3% of the variation in community-weighted traits; changes in functional composition were therefore primarily associated with species turnover. Residue retention increased species richness (+4.7 species), functional dispersion (+0.30), functional richness and community-weighted relative mandible length, and shifted functional composition (PERMANOVA R² = 0.18, p = 0.044). Without residues, Tetramorium sericeiventre, which was absent before clear-cutting, accounted for 52-85% of workers at 12 months, and functional dispersion fell below null-model expectations on bare soil (standardized effect size = -1.6, p < 0.05). In residue-retention plots, this species accounted for less than 2% of workers, while functional dispersion remained close to pre-disturbance levels. Legume cover alone did not prevent this functional homogenization. These results suggest that retaining logging residues can help maintain ant functional diversity during the first year of rubber replanting.
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Kouakou Kouakou Aymard*, Kouakou Lombart Maurice Mesmer, N’Guessan Kouadio Kevin, Brauman Alain, 2026. Logging residues maintain ant functional diversity after clear-cutting of rubber plantations in Côte d’Ivoire. J. Biodiv. Environ. Sci., 29(4), 1-14.
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