ABSTRACT
The cocoa tree, Theobroma cacao L. (Sterculiaceae), is native to the Amazonian Basin. A French settler introduced the tree to Bahia from the state of Para in 1746. The first important plantation was established in 1816 near Canavieiras. As cocoa trees need shade to grow, traditional plantations used the “cabruca” system of establishment, in which the tallest, healthiest trees of the primary rainforest are selected and preserved. “Cabruca” plantations now cover about 400,000 hectares. This explains the similarities between cocoa farm and rainforest ant populations. From 1960 to the present, cocoa began to be mixed with plant species such as banana, and the following trees: Erythrina fusca Loureiro, E. poeppigiana (Walp.) Cook, Inga spp and Spondias lutea L.. This type of plantation covers approximately 200,000 hectares.
