Ant community (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) at the Forest Park of Sultan Syarif Hasyim, Riau

Abstract

Research on ant community (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) had been carried out at natural and disturbed area in Sultan Syarif Hasyim Forest Park, Minas District, Siak Regency, Riau Province, from 22-25 July 2020 using five sampling methods namely Pitfall Trap, Honey Bait Trap, Hand Collecting, Leaf Litter Sifting and Soil Core Sampling. This study aimed to determine the composition of ant species, diversity and evenness of ants across the habitats in the study site. The study identified 23 species from 15 genera, nine tribes and five subfamilies with a total of 2,458 individuals collected. The most common species was Nylanderia sp. 1, while Baited Trap collected most ant individuals at each location. The analysis revealed that Nylanderia sp. 1 became the most abundant species at two sampling area, indicated by index value 0.32. The natural and disturbed area had moderate diversity and similarity (H '= 1.74, E = 0.59). Environmental conditions were thought to affect the composition of ants were soil pH, soil temperature, soil moisture, air temperature and humidity. In addition, the availability of food sources, interspecific competition, habitat quality and human activities were also included as influence for ant community.