Ant nesting induces a significant change of soil microbial and physicochemical properties, which can exert a significant effect on the temporal dynamics of soil respiration in tropical forests. The Li-6400-09 portable soil respiration chamber was used to measure respiration from ant nests and the reference soils in a Syzygium oblatum community of tropical Xishuangbanna, Yunnan. The results were as following:(1) Soil respiration rates had obvious temporal variation, showing a single peak curve trend. They were higher in ant nests (4.96 μmol CO₂ m^-2 s^-1) than in reference soils (4.42 μmol CO₂ m^-2 s^-1). (2) The temporal variation of soil respiration was affected by soil temperature and soil water (P < 0.01). Ant nesting significantly changed soil temperature and water in ant nests (P < 0.05), which affected soil respiration. The contribution of soil temperature to soil respiration was higher in ant nests (83.8%-91.8%) than in reference soils (81.2%-83.1%). However, the contribution of soil water to soil respiration was lower in ant nests than in reference soil, which may owe to the lower soil moisture in ant nests. (3) Ant nesting significantly increased soil microbial biomass carbon (P < 0.05), which had a significant effect on soil respiration rate (P < 0.01). The increase in the soil microbial biomass carbon due to ant nesting can explain 76.9%-71.1% of soil respiration. (4) The change of soil physicochemical properties under the effect of ant nesting had a significant effect on soil respiration. Soil bulk density was negatively correlated with soil respiration, while soil respiration was positively related with soil microbial biomass carbon, soil organic matter, soil easily oxidized organic carbon, total nitrogen, nitrate nitrogen, and ammonium nitrogen (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01). Therefore, ant nesting changes soil microbial (i.e., soil microbial biomass carbon), soil physical properties (i.e., soil temperature and soil water), and soil chemical properties (i.e., soil carbon and nitrogen concentrations), which can have a significant effect on soil respiration dynamics in the tropical forest.