Thermal Tolerance of the Ant Species Camponotus thras negus and Camponotus acvapimensis in Bale Mountains National Park, Ethiopia

This study investigated the thermal tolerance of Camponotus thras negus and Camponotus acvapimensis in relation to climate change in Bale Mountains National Park (BMNP), Ethiopia. Heat tolerance and cold tolerance were examined in colonies of C. thras negus collected from two altitudinal sites within BMNP: Gaysay (3040 m) and Sanetti (3970 m). Heat tolerance was assessed by measuring the time required for ant colonies to lose mobility when exposed to a stressful high temperature. Colonies originating from the high‐altitude Sanetti site exhibited greater heat tolerance than those from Gaysay. Although the mean recovery time from heat stress was lower for the Sanetti population, no statistically significant difference was observed ( p > 0.05). On average, colonies from Sanetti withstood heat stress approximately 45 min longer than colonies from Gaysay. The heat tolerance of C. acvapimensis was comparable to that of C. thras negus from Sanetti; however, it displayed substantially lower cold tolerance than C. thras negus from both study sites. Colonies of C. acvapimensis required nearly five times longer to recover from chill coma than C. thras negus from Gaysay and about six times longer than those from Sanetti. These results indicate that C. thras negus populations from Sanetti possess both higher heat and cold tolerance, suggesting a greater capacity to withstand environmental stress. Overall, the findings also indicate notable climatic changes in the northern woodlands and the Gaysay Grasslands of BMNP. Given its higher thermal tolerance, C. thras negus from Sanetti may have a greater likelihood of persisting under the changing climatic conditions of the park.