Uncovering Ant Diversity Across Forest Successional Stages in the Yangambi Biosphere Reserve (DRC): Insights from Winkler and Pitfall Trap Sampling

Abstract

Litter ant communities are an important component of biodiversity in tropical regions. They are currently used in several ecosystem management programmes to assess forest health. The aim of this study was to uncover the ant diversity across forest successional stages (fallow, secondary forest and primary forest) in the Yangambi Biosphere Reserve, The Democratic Republic of the Congo. These three forest habitats were sampled in six localities with pitfall traps and Winkler extractions. The discovered ant communities, the species typical of each habitat and the effectiveness of both sampling methods are discussed. The results showed that 190 species belonging to 50 genera and 8 sub-families of Formicidae were sampled in the Yangambi region. Ant diversity was lowest in fallow land, higher in secondary forests, and highest in primary forests, reflecting a clear pattern along the successional gradient. A relatively small proportion of ant species were shared among all three habitats, while each habitat also supported a distinct set of species. Primary forests hosted the highest number of exclusive species, followed by secondary forests and fallow land. Winkler extractors captured substantially more ant species than pitfall traps, with nearly 50% greater species richness observed. However, a significant portion of the ant fauna in Yangambi likely remains undocumented, and additional sampling methods could help provide a more complete picture of its biodiversity.