Ant Species Diversity in the Mt.Cangshan and Adjacent Area in Dali,Yunnan Province

Ant species diversity of Mt.Cangshan and adjacent area in Dali was revealed by sample plot investigation method.It was showed by the survey that the richness of ant species of this area was in a medium-rich level in China.The number of ant species,diversity indexes and evenness indexes were basically conformable to the distribution law of ant diversity in the mountainous areas i.e.,the ant species number,diversity and evenness indexes decreased along with the altitude increment,whereas the predominance index showed an opposite rule.However,the highest species diversity and evenness were found in the ant communities at the mid part of the slope.Most ant species in this area showed a positive trend to sunny habitats because the higher individual density was observed in coniferous forests with lower coverage.There were significant differences among the ant communities,meanwhile,a great similarity was presented among the neighborhood communities inside the same vegetation types.It was indicated that the habitat diversity and vegetation divergence could help to bring about the diversity of ant communities.