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We examined bait preferences of litter ants along a successional gradient of forests in the Atlantic Forest of Brazil. The ants preferred protein-based baits in secondary forests, yet preferred carbohydrate-based baits in old-growth forests. This suggests a shift in stoichiometric balances between secondary and old-growth forest which might have an impact on the functional interactions in these ecosystems. Therefore, the ecological services offered by secondary habitats may be quite different from those offered by old-growth forests.