Abstract: Aims Ants play important roles in material cycling and energy flow in subtropical forests. However, there remains a knowledge gap regarding how different canopy tree species regulate ant community structure by altering seasonal patterns of understory microclimate, soil surface environment, and litter properties. Methods From July 2023 to March 2024, ant community structure composition, taxonomic and functional group differences, diversity characteristics, as well as their seasonal dynamic changes were investigated in a common garden of Fujian Sanming Forest Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station. Six representative canopy tree species were selected to check the relationships between trees and ant community in the mid-subtropical evergreen broad-leaf forests. Important findings During the investigation, a total of 30 389 ants were collected, belonging to 19 genera and 30 species with the dominant species of Pheidole nodus and Crematogaster rogenhoferi. we found higher ant diversity in summer and fall but lower diversity in winter and spring. The tree species significantly influenced ant abundance, with the following order: Liquidambar formosana > Castanopsis carlesii > Sapindus saponaria > Cunninghamia lanceolata > Michelia macclurei > Pinus massoniana. Moreover, sampling season and its interaction with tree species also significantly affected the structure of ant functional groups. Among others, the abundance of Generalized Myrmicinae under Cunninghamia lanceolata in summer was significantly higher than them under other tree species, whereas Climate Specialists showed relatively higher abundance under Castanopsis carlesii in spring but lower abundance under Pinus massoniana. Canonical correspondence analysis revealed that soil temperature, soil organic matter content, aboveground biomass, and litter production could explain more than 50% of the variation in ant community structure. The results not only elucidated the relationships between tree species and ant community in mid-subtropical forests, but also provided primary data for knowledge on other similar soil fauna.

Key words: forest biodiversity, ant functional groups, understorey environment, subtropical forest