The effects of anthropogenic disturbance and seasonality on the ant communities of Lang Tengah Island

PeerJ. 2023 Oct 18:11:e16157. doi: 10.7717/peerj.16157. eCollection 2023.

Abstract

Anthropogenic disturbances and seasonal changes significantly impact diversity and community composition of ants, but their effects are often intertwined. We investigated these drivers on Lang Tengah Island, a location with a pronounced monsoon season and three resorts that close during this period. We surveyed four sites, two disturbed and two undisturbed, before and after the monsoon season, using pitfall traps to sample epigaeic ant communities. Undisturbed habitats had higher species diversity, but both habitats (undisturbed and disturbed sites) have a high proportion of ants with characteristics of being encroached by generalist and invasive/tramp ant species. Post-monsoon sampling yielded an increase in species richness and diversity. Seasonal changes, such as monsoonal rains, can temporarily alter ant interactions and resource distribution, potentially maintaining diversity. Future studies should validate these findings for ant communities under similar pressures, using ant composition and functional roles for conservation and management purposes.

Keywords: Generalist; Hill numbers; Invasive ants; Malaysia; Monsoon; Specialist; Tramp ants.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Anthropogenic Effects
  • Ants*
  • Ecosystem
  • Introduced Species
  • Seasons

Grants and funding

The funding was provided by Monash University Malaysia Honours fellowships to Taneswarry Sethu Pathy (2020) and Seed Grant to Sze Huei Yek (2018–2020). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.