Altitudinal distribution of leaf litter ants along a transect in primary forests on Mount Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia

BrÃ¼hl, Carsten Albrecht and Maryati Mohamed, Datin and Linsenmair, Karl Eduard (1999) Altitudinal distribution of leaf litter ants along a transect in primary forests on Mount Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia. Journal of Tropical Ecology, 15 (3). pp. 265-277. ISSN 02664674

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URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0266467499000802

Abstract

The ant communities of the leaf litter were studied along an elevational gradient on Mount Kinabalu in primary rain forest systems ranging from dipterocarp hill forest to dwarf forest of the highest altitudes (560, 800, 1130, 1360, 1530, 1740, 1930, 2025, 2300, 2600 m a.s.l.). The litter ant fauna along the gradient included 283 species of 55 genera. The number of ant species in the leaf litter decreased exponentially without evidence of a peak in species richness at mid-elevations. This result is in contrast to many findings on altitudinal gradients in ants and other animal groups. Most ant species have a very limited altitudinal range leading to high turnover values when comparing communities of different altitudes. Of the ant species, 74% were even restricted to one site. As evident from this study, altitudinal ranges of species are very narrow. Elevational gradients are therefore extremely species-rich and might serve as a prime example of hot spots of biodiversity. This fact is of great concern when implementing conservation strategies.

Item Type:	Article
Keyword:	Ants, Diversity, Elevational gradient, Mid-elevation peaks, Altitudinal zonation, Ant, Biodiversity, Leaf litter, Rainforest, Species richness
Subjects:	Q Science > QL Zoology > QL1-991 Zoology > QL360-599.82 Invertebrates > QL461-599.82 Insects
Department:	INSTITUTE > Institute for Tropical Biology and Conservation
Depositing User:	ADMIN ADMIN
Date Deposited:	01 Feb 2012 12:45
Last Modified:	22 Aug 2021 11:22
URI:	https://eprints.ums.edu.my/id/eprint/3423

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