Co-existence among nectar feeding ant species: A case study on three flowering plants

Abstract

The foraging activity of six ant species viz. Camponotus sericeus, Camponotus parius, Tapinoma melanocephalum, Paratrechina longicornis, Solenopsis geminata and Myrmecaria brunnea were recorded on three flowering plants namely Tecoma capensis, Scaveola taccada and Woodfordia fruticosa. On S. taccada there was significant positive relationship (at p=0.05) between C. parius and C. sericeus (0.223), between T. melanocephalum and C. parius (0.362) and also between C. sericeus and S. geminata (0.261). On T. capensis there was significant positive relationship only between C. parius and P. longicornis (0.226) while the foragers on W. fruticosa did not show similar trends. Temporal displacement among the ant species, and the abundant resources enhanced co-existence among ant species leading to absence of interspecific competition among the ants.