ANTS AS INDICATOR TOOLS FOR TROPICAL FOREST REGENERATION: A CASE STUDY FROM ULU MUDA FOREST RESERVE

Nur Zati Akma Mustafa

Abstract


A pilot study on ants as bioindicators of the forest restoration in selected production forest of Peninsular Malaysia was conducted at Ulu Muda Forest Reserve, Baling, Kedah. Ants from three forest compartment with different logging history which are non-logged forest (CONTROL), 1 to 5 years after logging (LF1) and 5 to 10 years after logging (LF2) were sampled using arboreal pitfall traps, ground pitfall traps, baiting and leaf litter sifting. Ant diversity showed no difference from inside CONTROL, LF1 and LF2 (F = 0.56; df = 2 & 203; P = 0.56), which indicates that species diversity did not represent the forest regeneration.  Species composition was found to provide a better information on the regeneration process. Forest specialist ants such as Proatta butelli in particular were found in the CONTROL, while generalist species such as Anoplolepis gracilipes was easily found in LF1 where areas are opened compared to LF2 and CONTROL. On the other hand, ant abundance was found to be higher at the recently LF1 compared to the CONTROLs (F = 2.95, df = 2 & 203, P < 0.05). 


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