Urban forests represent an effective strategy for mitigating the impacts of urbanization, helping
to alleviate the many negative effects associated with urban environments. Ants are frequently
used as indicator organisms for monitoring ecological function, owing to their ease of collection
and high abundance. Using ants as the target organism, we collected samples using pitfall traps
in Taipei Botanical Garden (Taipei City) and Zhonghe Park (New Taipei City), both within urban
areas, and Yuantong Temple Trail surrounding New Taipei CIty. We investigated differences in
ant species richness and community composition in relation to habitat-type coverage, examining
the influences of urban green spaces and surrounding secondary forests on ant communities. The
survey, conducted from May 2020 to May 2022, with 24 sampling events, collected 648 samples,
identifying 26 genera and 38 species of ant. The Yuantong Temple trail, characterized primarily
by secondary forests, exhibited significantly higher ant species richness. Community composition
analysis revealed that the ant composition in Taipei Botanical Garden differed from that in
Zhonghe Park, resembling more closely the community found in the suburban Yuantong Temple
trail. Analysis of habitat-type coverage revealed contrasting and significant effects of forest cover
and roads on ants. Both Taipei Botanical Garden and Yuantong Temple trail were predominantly
covered by forest, which may have shaped a different ant community composition compared to
Zhonghe Park. Based on ant community composition, we suggest that the forest-dominated and
multi-layered structured green space of Taipei Botanical Garden has created effects similar to
secondary forests, and could thus serve as a model for managing biological habitats in other urban
green spaces.