Comparison between two kinds of natural pollen traps in tropical China: ants’ nests on tree branches versus surface soil

Natural pollen traps have been known for many years. This study analyzed the palynological characteristics of 12 ant nests on branches and 12 surface soil samples, collected from tropical areas of Yunnan and Hainan in China. Pollen grains and spores of 21 taxa belonging to 21 families were recorded from Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden and 30 taxa from 27 families were recorded from Xinglong Tropical Botanical Garden. Ant nests yielded nine taxa belonging to nine families from the Geopark in Haikou. There is a close relationship between the pollen assemblages from ant nests and those from surface soil. Although the average similarity of pollen taxa between them reaches approximately 70%, surface soil proves to be a more effective trap than ants' nests.