Diversity of Ants in Grassland and Urban Forest at Sindh Agriculture University Tandojam

Authors

  • AMINA JUMANI Department of Entomology, Faculty of Crop Protection, Sindh Agriculture University, Tandojam, Pakistan
  • IMRAN KHATRI Department of Entomology, Faculty of Crop Protection, Sindh Agriculture University, Tandojam, Pakistan
  • ASLAM BUKERO Department of Entomology, Faculty of Crop Protection, Sindh Agriculture University, Tandojam, Pakistan
  • ABDUL NAVEED Department of Entomology, Faculty of Crop Protection, Sindh Agriculture University, Tandojam, Pakistan
  • REHMAT ALI BALOCh Directorate of plant protection Agriculture Research institute Sariab Road Quetta Balochistan

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.57038/usjas.v9i02.7812

Keywords:

Ant diversity; Grassland; Urban Forest; Invasive species; Biodiversity indices; Sindh Agriculture University

Abstract

Ants are ecologically significant as members of the ecosystem, being involved in biodiversity, soil aeration and species association. The objective of the present study was to determine ant species in grassland and urban forest adjacent to Sindh Agriculture University, Tandojam. Ants were vacuum sampled and identified to taxon. We measured ant species richness and evenness with the Shannon–Wiener (H?) and Simpson’s (D) indices for diversity indices and by three additional measures of species richness and evenness. Results showed that, grassland habitats have the highest richness and evenness of Camponotus compressus and Pheidole indica followed by urban forest habitats where introduced species like Monomorium pharaonis were dominant. Of all the environmental conditions considered, temperature and humidity were the best predictors of species composition, as higher humidity was positively associated with the presence of invasive species. In conclusion, grasslands were able to sustain more stable native species, while urban forest sites were less diverse and saw more invasive species. These results serve as a foundation for the remaining biodiversity and the management of invasive species in semi-urban areas.

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Published

2025-12-30

Issue

Vol. 9 No. 02 (2025): University of Sindh Journal of Animal Sciences (USJAS)

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