Diversity and Abundance of Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Pineapple Plantation of Sungai Merab Bangi, Selangor

Abstract

Ants play an important role in the environment. The study on the diversity of ant species in the pineapple plantation is scarce. Saudagar Nanas Pineapple Plantation located at Sungai Merab is a monoculture pineapple plantation. Until now, no study on ant species in the plantation has been conducted and the reference of ant population is not available. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the diversity and abundance of ant species at Saudagar Nanas Pineapple Plantation Sungai Merab, Selangor. Ants were sampled from January to March 2024 using pitfall traps and active sampling, including direct observation. Twenty-five pitfalls were set at the study site and left for a week. A total of 314 individuals of ant species have been successfully sampled, consisting of two subfamilies and six species. The subfamily Formicinae had the highest number of individuals. The genus Camponotus was the most abundant, totaling 297 individuals. The Shannon-Weiner diversity index (H') indicated the highest value in March (H'=0.2745) and the lowest value in February (H'=0.1217). One-way ANOVA test did not indicate any significant difference in ant species diversity between January, February and March (p > 0.05). This study has successfully compiled the most recent list of ant species found in Saudagar Nanas Pineapple Plantation Sungai Merab, Bangi, Selangor. Therefore, with this data, a further study on the interaction of ant species with pineapple mealybugs can be conducted.