Comparative study of Soil Springtails (Insecta: Collembola) Assemblage in Lowland and Hill Dipterocarp Forests in Gunung Basor, Kelantan

A comparative study of soil springtails (Insecta: Collembola) inhabiting two different types of vegetation, namely lowland and hill dipterocarp forests was executed in Gunung Basor Permanent Forest Reserve in Kelantan, Peninsular Malaysia. The main focal point of this study was to assess the diversity and distribution of collembolan communities in both habitats. A composite systematic sampling was used to collect the specimens. In each site, air temperature, soil moisture, pH, humidity and terrain inclination were measured. A total of 246 individuals were obtained, representing 10 families namely Actaletidae, Dicytomidae, Gulgastruridae, Mackenziellidae, Microfalculidae, Neelidae, Spinothecidae, Poduridae, lsotogastruridae and Sminthuridae. The highest diversity and evenness were recorded in lowland dipterocarp forest (H’= 2.05, J’=0.98).The results showed that, high soil moisture content recorded in lowland dipterocarp forest was an important factor in influencing Collembola assemblage.