Biodiv Sci ›› 2009, Vol. 17 ›› Issue (3): 233-239.  DOI: 10.3724/SP.J.1003.2009.09035

Special Issue: 昆虫多样性与生态功能

• Editorial • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Diversity of ants in subtropical evergreen broadleaved forest in Pu’er City, Yunnan

Qiao Li1, Youqing Chen2,*(), Siming Wang2, Yong Zheng3, Yunhui Zhu3, Shaoyun Wang2   

  1. 1 Faculty of Conservation Biology, Southwest Forestry College, Kunming, Yunnan 650224
    2 Research Institute of Resources Insects, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Kunming, Yunnan 650224
    3 Pu’er Forestry School, Pu’er, Yunnan 665000
  • Received:2009-02-12 Accepted:2009-03-25 Online:2009-05-20 Published:2009-05-20
  • Contact: Youqing Chen

Abstract:

In order to get the basic information about ants and give some suggestions for the local biodiversity conservation, we studied the diversity of ant communities on the ground and in the tree, shrub and herb layers in Castanopsis echidnocarpa + Lithocarpus fenestratus + Schima wallichiiCommunity (I), Pinus kesiyavar. langbianensis + Castanopsis fleuryi + Schima wallichii Community (II), Phoebe lanceolata + Lithocarpus grandifolius + Castanopsis echidnocarpa Community (III), Betula alnoides + Schima wallichii Community (IV) and artificial vegetation (V) in Pu’er City, Yunnan Province. 4,660 ground-dwelling ants were collected by pitfall trapping, representing 61 species in 7 subfamilies of Formicidae, and 1,403 ants in the tree-shrub-herb layer were captured by shaking-off and sweep netting collection, representing 92 species in 6 subfamilies. In the five sample plots, ground-dwelling ant species richness ranked as III>II>IV>V>I, and species diversity ranked III>IV>V>I>II. In the tree-shrub-herb layer, ant species richness ranked II>I>III>IV>V, and species diversity ranked III>I>II>IV>V. Among the five sample plots, Jaccard coefficients (q) of ant communities ranged from 0.217 to 0.488, showing that the ant communities were moderately dissimilar. Pinus kesiyavar. langbianensis + Castanopsis fleuryi + Schima wallichii Community was heavily disturbed and need to be protected. Community III had the highest diversity. Ground ants could indicate the disturbance state of the plant communities, while ants in the tree-shrub-herb layer appeared to be good indicators for plant diversity.

Key words: biodiversity, ant communities, species richness, plant diversity, Chao 1, Fisher α index