TAXNOMIC AND FUNCTIONAL DIVERSITY OF ANTS (HYMENOPTERA:FORMICIDAE) IN AN UPPER HILL DIPTEROCARP FOREST IN PENINSULAR MALAYSIA

Studies of ant diversity provide valuable insights into the health and functioning of forest 27 ecosystems, but because they are hard to identify due to their high diversity, ants are surveyed 28 infrequently in many tropical forest ecosystems. The majority of lowland forests in 29 Peninsular Malaysia were cleared for land development in the 1970s and 1980s, leaving upper 30 hill dipterocarp forests found at higher elevations as almost all remaining contiguous, primary 31 forests in Peninsular Malaysia. The ant communities of these forests have never been 32 thoroughly studied, and we know very little about them. Our extensive survey of an upper hill 33 dipterocarp forest (Temenggor Forest Reserve) captured 10,307 individual ants, representing 34 211 species from 60 genera and 7 subfamilies. Ants from the subfamily Myrmicinae were 35 most common, followed by ants from Ponerinae, Formicinae, Dolichoderinae, 36 Pseudomyrmicinae, Cerapachyinae, and Amblyoponinae. Classification of functional traits 37 indicated that Generalized Myrmicinae was the most diverse functional group, followed by 38 Subordinate Camponotini and Tropical Climate Specialists. Seven undetermined specimens 39 of possibly new species were recorded, suggesting that the upper hill dipterocarp forest of 40 Temenggor Forest Reserve is home to a high diversity of cryptic ant species that have not 41 been documented before. Our findings can be utilized to better understand the ant community 42 composition and function of primary upper hill dipterocarp forests in Peninsular Malaysia as 43 compared to other dipterocarp forests. Our results can also serve as a baseline to understand 44 post-disturbance changes to ant community composition and functional diversity.