The diversity of beetle assemblages in different habitat types in Sabah, Malaysia

AbstractThe diversity of beetle assemblages in different habitat types (primary forest, logged forest, acacia plantation and oil palm plantation) in Sabah, Malaysia was investigated using three different methods based on habitat levels (Winkler sampling, flight-interception-trapping and mist-blowing). The overall diversity was extremely high, with 1711 species recorded from only 8028 individuals and 81 families (115 family and subfamily groups). Different degrees of environmental changes had varying effects on the beetle species richness and abundance, with oil palm plantation assemblage being most severely affected, followed by acacia plantation and then logged forest. A few species became numerically dominant in the oil palm plantation. In terms of beetle species composition, the acacia fauna showed much similarity with the logged forest fauna, and the oil palm fauna was very different from the rest. The effects of environmental variables (number of plant species, sapling and tree densities, amount of leaf litter, ground cover, canopy cover, soil pH and compaction) on the beetle assemblage were also investigated. Leaf litter correlated with species richness, abundance and composition of subterranean beetles. Plant species richness, tree and sapling densities correlated with species richness, abundance and composition of understorey beetles while ground cover correlated only with the species richness and abundance of these beetles. Canopy cover correlated only with arboreal beetles. In trophic structure, predators represented more than 40% of the species and individuals. Environmental changes affected the trophic structure with proportionally more herbivores (abundance) but fewer predators (species richness and abundance) in the oil palm plantation. Biodiversity, conservation and practical aspects of pest management were also highlighted in this study.

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Effects of cover crops on beetle assemblages in tea plantations

10.1101/2021.03.19.436210 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Li-Lin Chen ◽

Gabor Pozsgai ◽

Xiang-Yu Li ◽

Lei Li ◽

Gadi V.P. Reddy ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Species Richness ◽

Pest Management ◽

Cover Crops ◽

Ground Cover ◽

Paspalum Notatum ◽

Bare Ground ◽

Tea Plantations ◽

Beetle Assemblages ◽

Potential Benefits ◽

Species Richness And Abundance

AbstractBeetles are visible members of food webs in tea plantations, with high species richness and abundance. Many tea pests, as well as natural enemies, are members of this order, so a knowledge of how groundcovers affect beetles can aid pest management. We collected beetles in a replicated field experiment in the Wuyi Mountains, Fujian Province China. Tea was intercropped with Paspalum notatum or Chamaecrista rotundifolia, or rows were cleared to bare ground, or in the control they were left unmanaged to allow weeds to grow naturally. Sampling, done by sweep netting and vegetation beating, was conducted monthly, between May 2006 and April 2008, and Coleoptera abundance, biomass, species richness and assemblage structures were compared between groundcover treatments. Total beetle abundance and species richness were significantly higher in tea intercropped with C. rotundifolia and bare ground than in naturally grown weedy control. Whilst there was no difference between predator assemblages among treatments for any measure, herbivores were more abundant, weighed more, and were more diverse in C. rotundifolia treatments than in weedy control. Biomass and species richness were also greater in plots with P. notatum groundcover than those in weedy control. We found that beetle assemblages varied both seasonally and with ground cover treatment, but the potential pest control impact of more species-rich beetle assemblages was mixed, and further work is needed to gain information on trophic groups with potential benefits for use in non-insecticidal pest management.

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Response of Understory Bird Feeding Groups to Deforestation Gradient in a Tropical Rainforest of Cameroon

Tropical Conservation Science ◽

10.1177/1940082920906970 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 13 ◽

pp. 194008292090697

Author(s):

Mélanie A. Tchoumbou ◽

Elikwo F. N. Malange ◽

Claire T. Tiku ◽

Brice Tibab ◽

Jerome Fru-Cho ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Species Richness ◽

Oil Palm ◽

Diversity Index ◽

Bird Communities ◽

Selective Logging ◽

Habitat Types ◽

Frugivorous Birds ◽

Oil Palm Plantation ◽

Logged Forest ◽

Abundance And Diversity

Birds are crucial in maintaining the balance of many ecosystems and provide various ecological services. Understanding their sensitivity to human disturbances should be prioritized in understudy areas for effective conservation practices. Using mist nets, this study characterized mostly understory bird communities (insectivorous, frugivorous, granivorous, and nectarivorous birds) in three habitat types (pristine forest, selectively logged forest, and young oil palm plantation) in the Talangaye rainforest, Southwest Cameroon. A total of 845 birds belonging to 27 families and 85 species were recorded in the three habitats after 294 h of mist netting. Overall, the mist-netted community was largely dominated by insectivores, followed by frugivores, nectarivores, granivores, and carnivores. Although mean species richness, abundance, and Simpson diversity index did not vary significantly among habitat types, mean species abundance and diversity index decreased in selectively logged forest and young oil palm plantation and species richness increased in both habitats. The species richness, abundance, and diversity index for insectivorous and frugivorous birds were lowest in the young oil palm plantations. For granivores, species richness and abundance increased following selective logging and the establishment of oil palm plantation. The highest mean species richness and diversity index in nectarivores were recorded in the young oil palm plantations. The study showed that selective logging and establishment of oil palm plantation had variable effects on the bird communities in the Talangaye rainforest. Also, the frugivorous birds appeared to be more sensitive to both types of disturbances, while the insectivores were more sensitive to habitat loss/conversion.

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Pengaruh musim terhadap kelimpahan kumbang moncong (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) pada tipe penggunaan lahan berbeda di lanskap Hutan Harapan dan Taman Nasional Bukit Duabelas, Jambi

Jurnal Entomologi Indonesia ◽

10.5994/jei.17.3.113 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 17 (3) ◽

pp. 113

Author(s):

Fatimah Siddikah ◽

Rizky Nazarreta ◽

Damayanti Buchori

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Species Richness ◽

Oil Palm ◽

Diversity Index ◽

Rubber Plantation ◽

Oil Palm Plantation ◽

Land Use Types ◽

Analysis Of Similarity ◽

Species Richness And Abundance ◽

Almost All

Land-use change from forest to plantation can cause the loss of various types of insect diversity group, one of which is the beetle group. Curculionids or weevils is one of the largest families in the Order Coleoptera due to its adaptability in almost all habitats in nature. This research is aimed to study the effect of seasonality on species richness and the abundance of weevils in oil palm and rubber plantation in Hutan Harapan and Bukit Duabelas National Park, Jambi. Sample was collected in the dry season and rainy season 2013–2014 by fogging method using pyrethroid knockdown insecticides. In each land use, 4 observation plots were erected with selected 3 points as a subplots, so there are 16 plots or 48 subplots in total. The results showed that 1.761 individuals of weevils from 9 subfamilies and 45 morphospecies. Based on analysis, seasonal difference did not affect species richness and abundance of weevils, while land-use types affect abundance of weevils. Analysis of similarity using Bray-Curtis Index showed 4% of similarity in two land-use types, and 46% of similarity between two seasons. The diversity index in oil palm plantation were lower than rubber plantation. The most dominant species that can be found in both land-use types is Elaeidobius kamerunicus Faust., while Rhynchophorus sp.01 is only found in oil palm plantation, and Curculio sp.04 is only found in rubber plantation.

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The conservation value of South East Asia's highly degraded forests: evidence from leaf-litter ants

Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences ◽

10.1098/rstb.2011.0031 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 366 (1582) ◽

pp. 3256-3264 ◽

Cited By ~ 55

Author(s):

Paul Woodcock ◽

David P. Edwards ◽

Tom M. Fayle ◽

Rob J. Newton ◽

Chey Vun Khen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Species Richness ◽

Leaf Litter ◽

Oil Palm ◽

Species Turnover ◽

Spatial Scales ◽

Forest Conversion ◽

Conservation Value ◽

Natural Forests ◽

Ant Communities ◽

Logged Forest

South East Asia is widely regarded as a centre of threatened biodiversity owing to extensive logging and forest conversion to agriculture. In particular, forests degraded by repeated rounds of intensive logging are viewed as having little conservation value and are afforded meagre protection from conversion to oil palm. Here, we determine the biological value of such heavily degraded forests by comparing leaf-litter ant communities in unlogged (natural) and twice-logged forests in Sabah, Borneo. We accounted for impacts of logging on habitat heterogeneity by comparing species richness and composition at four nested spatial scales, and examining how species richness was partitioned across the landscape in each habitat. We found that twice-logged forest had fewer species occurrences, lower species richness at small spatial scales and altered species composition compared with natural forests. However, over 80 per cent of species found in unlogged forest were detected within twice-logged forest. Moreover, greater species turnover among sites in twice-logged forest resulted in identical species richness between habitats at the largest spatial scale. While two intensive logging cycles have negative impacts on ant communities, these degraded forests clearly provide important habitat for numerous species and preventing their conversion to oil palm and other crops should be a conservation priority.

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Factors influencing the appearance of spider (Araneae) and beetle (Coleoptera) assemblages in nests of great reed warbler Acrocephalus arundinaceus

Biologia ◽

10.2478/s11756-014-0390-8 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 69 (7) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Thomas Mérő ◽

Maja Janjatović ◽

Roland Horváth ◽

Katarina Mrkobrad ◽

Antun Žuljević

Keyword(s):

Species Richness ◽

Great Reed Warbler ◽

Acrocephalus Arundinaceus ◽

Reed Warbler ◽

Factors Influencing ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Beetle Assemblages ◽

Potential Factors ◽

Spider Abundance ◽

Species Richness And Abundance

AbstractThe appearance of spider (Araneae) and beetle (Coleoptera) assemblages found in nests of great reed warbler Acrocephalus arundinaceus was studied, firstly to investigate breeding success and the amount of precipitation as potential factors which might affect the abundance and species richness of both groups. In addition, we compared the diversity of spider and beetle assemblages between nests found in different reed habitats, and considered the position of nests (above water or dry ground). In this study we selected five different randomly chosen reed habitats: two mining ponds, two small canals and one large canal. Great Reed Warbler nests were collected either shortly after fledging, or after the clutch had failed. Altogether, 12 species of spider and 19 species of beetle were collected. In both groups there was no significant difference in abundance between successful, lost and cuckoo-parasitized nests; however, there was a significant difference in species richness between the three nest categories in spider assemblages, which was not the case in beetle assemblages. The amount of precipitation did not affect beetle or spider abundance; only the species richness of spiders showed significant growth. Furthermore, we found no significant relationship between vegetation cover and the species richness and abundance of spiders and beetles. The diversity of both groups differed significantly according to reed habitat: beetle assemblages were most diverse by the large canal and spiders at the mining ponds.

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Impact of Logging and Forest Conversion to Oil Palm Plantations on Soil Bacterial Communities in Borneo

Applied and Environmental Microbiology ◽

10.1128/aem.02541-13 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 79 (23) ◽

pp. 7290-7297 ◽

Cited By ~ 72

Author(s):

Larisa Lee-Cruz ◽

David P. Edwards ◽

Binu M. Tripathi ◽

Jonathan M. Adams

Keyword(s):

Forest Soil ◽

Oil Palm ◽

Bacterial Communities ◽

Soil Bacteria ◽

Forest Conversion ◽

Soil Bacterial Communities ◽

Oil Palm Plantation ◽

Β Diversity ◽

Logged Forest ◽

Soil Bacterial

ABSTRACTTropical forests are being rapidly altered by logging and cleared for agriculture. Understanding the effects of these land use changes on soil bacteria, which constitute a large proportion of total biodiversity and perform important ecosystem functions, is a major conservation frontier. Here we studied the effects of logging history and forest conversion to oil palm plantations in Sabah, Borneo, on the soil bacterial community. We used paired-end Illumina sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene, V3 region, to compare the bacterial communities in primary, once-logged, and twice-logged forest and land converted to oil palm plantations. Bacteria were grouped into operational taxonomic units (OTUs) at the 97% similarity level, and OTU richness and local-scale α-diversity showed no difference between the various forest types and oil palm plantations. Focusing on the turnover of bacteria across space, true β-diversity was higher in oil palm plantation soil than in forest soil, whereas community dissimilarity-based metrics of β-diversity were only marginally different between habitats, suggesting that at large scales, oil palm plantation soil could have higher overall γ-diversity than forest soil, driven by a slightly more heterogeneous community across space. Clearance of primary and logged forest for oil palm plantations did, however, significantly impact the composition of soil bacterial communities, reflecting in part the loss of some forest bacteria, whereas primary and logged forests did not differ in composition. Overall, our results suggest that the soil bacteria of tropical forest are to some extent resilient or resistant to logging but that the impacts of forest conversion to oil palm plantations are more severe.

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Changes in taxonomic and functional diversity of plants in a chronosequence of Eucalyptus grandis plantations

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-89988-6 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Pamela E. Pairo ◽

Estela E. Rodriguez ◽

M. Isabel Bellocq ◽

Pablo G. Aceñolaza

Keyword(s):

Species Richness ◽

Leaf Litter ◽

Plant Species ◽

Functional Diversity ◽

Soil Ph ◽

Management Practices ◽

Environmental Changes ◽

Canopy Cover ◽

Environmental Drivers ◽

Natural Grasslands

AbstractTree plantations have become one of the fastest-growing land uses and their impact on biodiversity was evaluated mainly at the taxonomic level. The aim of this study was to analyze environmental changes after the Eucalyptus plantation in an area originally covered by natural grasslands, taking into account the alpha and beta (taxonomic and functional) diversity of plant communities. We selected nine plantation ages, along a 12 years chronosequence, with three replicates per age and three protected grasslands as the original situation. At each replicate, we established three plots to measure plant species cover, diversity and environmental variables. Results showed that species richness, and all diversity indices, significantly declined with increasing plantation age. Canopy cover, soil pH, and leaf litter were the environmental drivers that drove the decrease in taxonomic and functional diversity of plants through the forest chronosequence. Based on the path analyses results, canopy cover had an indirect effect on plant functional diversity, mediated by leaf litter depth, soil pH, and plant species richness. The high dispersal potential, annual, barochorous, and zoochorous plant species were the functional traits more affected by the eucalypt plantations. We recommend two management practices: reducing forest densities to allow higher light input to the understory and, due to the fact that leaf litter was negatively associated with all diversity facets, we recommend reducing their accumulation or generate heterogeneity in its distribution to enhance biodiversity.

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What shapes ground beetle assemblages in a tree species-rich subtropical forest?

ZooKeys ◽

10.3897/zookeys.1044.63803 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 1044 ◽

pp. 907-927

Author(s):

Pascale Zumstein ◽

Helge Bruelheide ◽

Andreas Fichtner ◽

Andreas Schuldt ◽

Michael Staab ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Species Richness ◽

Environmental Variables ◽

Woody Plant ◽

Environmental Changes ◽

Ph Value ◽

Ground Beetle ◽

Ground Beetles ◽

Subtropical Forest ◽

Stand Age ◽

Beetle Assemblages

As woody plants provide much of the trophic basis for food webs in forests their species richness, but also stand age and numerous further variables such as vegetation structure, soil properties and elevation can shape assemblages of ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae). However, the combined impact of these numerous variables on ground beetle diversity and community structure has rarely been studied simultaneously. Therefore, ground beetles were studied in 27 plots in a highly diverse and structurally heterogeneous subtropical forest ecosystem, the Gutianshan National Park (southeast China) using pitfall traps and flight interception traps. Both trapping methods collected partly overlapping species spectra. The arboreal fauna was dominated by lebiines and to a smaller extent by tiger beetles and platynines; the epigeic fauna comprised mostly representatives of the genus Carabus and numerous tribes, especially anisodactylines, pterostichines, and sphodrines. Ground beetle species richness, abundance, and biomass of the pitfall trap catches were analyzed with generalized linear mixed models (GLMMs), fitted with seven environmental variables. Four of these variables influenced the ground beetle assemblages: Canopy cover, herb cover, pH-value of the topsoil and elevation. Contrary to our expectations, woody plant species richness and stand age did not significantly affect ground beetle assemblages. Thus, ground beetles seem to respond differently to environmental variables than ants and spiders, two other predominantly predatory arthropod groups that were studied on the same plots in our study area and which showed distinct relationships with woody plant richness. Our results highlight the need to study a wider range of taxa to achieve a better understanding of how environmental changes affect species assemblages and their functioning in forest ecosystems.

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Designing oil palm landscapes to retain biodiversity using insights from a key ecological indicator group

10.1101/204347 ◽

2017 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Claudia L. Gray ◽

Eleanor M. Slade ◽

Darren J. Mann ◽

Owen T. Lewis

Keyword(s):

Species Richness ◽

Oil Palm ◽

Forest Restoration ◽

Forest Cover ◽

Dung Beetle ◽

Ecological Indicator ◽

Species Richness And Diversity ◽

Functional Richness ◽

Logged Forest ◽

The Impact

ABSTRACTOil palm expansion threatens biodiverse ecosystems across the tropics. However, palm oil is a widely used and profitable crop, so identifying strategies that mitigate the impact of oil palm expansion on biodiversity is important. Riparian reserves (strips of forest along rivers) are protected in many countries for hydrological reasons and also support species that would not otherwise persist in oil palm. However, management guidelines for riparian zones have been informed by relatively few ecological studies. We assessed how the structural features and landscape context of riparian reserves in Sabah, Malaysia affected dung beetle communities. We also tested the use of flight intercept traps to study movement of dung beetles along linear forest corridors. Overall, dung beetle abundance in riparian reserves was 54% lower than in logged forest areas, but all species observed in the logged forest were found in at least one riparian reserve site and both species richness and diversity increased with reserve width. Distance from a large block of continuous forest affected dung beetle community composition but not species richness, abundance, or functional diversity. The amount of forest cover in the surrounding landscape improved the retention of species within riparian reserves, and increases in vegetation complexity corresponded with higher functional richness and functional dispersion. The flight intercept traps did not indicate that there is net movement of individuals out of logged forest areas into the riparian reserves. The species richness of 30 m reserves (the suggested requirement of reserves in Sabah) was only 10% lower than in logged forest, but our data indicate that riparian reserves of at least 50 – 80 m are needed for species richness and diversity to equal that in nearby logged forest. These findings, particularly if they apply more widely to forest-dependent taxa, should be taken into account when setting policy and sustainability guidelines for oil palm plantations, both in areas undergoing conversion from forest and in existing oil palm plantations where forest restoration is required.

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EFFECT OF NATURAL HABITAT ON DIVERSITY OF HEMIPTERAN PREDATOR IN OIL PALM PLANTATION

JURNAL HAMA DAN PENYAKIT TUMBUHAN TROPIKA ◽

10.23960/j.hptt.11875-82 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 18 (1) ◽

pp. 75

Author(s):

Akhmad Rizali ◽

Toto Himawan ◽

Ima Fitriani ◽

Bambang Tri Rahardjo ◽

Sri Karindah ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Species Richness ◽

Natural Enemies ◽

Oil Palm ◽

Natural Habitat ◽

Research Result ◽

Field Research ◽

Observation Time ◽

Natural Habitats ◽

Central Kalimantan ◽

Oil Palm Plantation

Effect of Natural Habitat on Diversity of Hemipteran Predator in Oil Palm Plantation. Utillization of natural enemies in controlling oil palm pests still encounters obstacles, in particular, how natural enemies can survive and establish in oil palm plantations. The existence of natural habitats around oil palm plantations can allegedly support the occurence of natural enemies. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of the presence of natural habitats on diversity of hemipteran predators in oil palm plantations. Field research was conducted in oil palm plantations located in Pangkalan Bun, Central Kalimantan. The plots were oil palm plantations with different distances from natural habitat i.e. near (less than 200 m), medium (about 2 km) and far (about 5 km). Each plot was selected six trees for fogging using insecticide with active ingredient lamda cyhalothrin. Based on research result, diversity of hemipteran predator in oil palm plantion was found 19 species belong to 2 families. The most dominant hemipteran predator was Sycanus sp., Eocanthecona sp. and Reduviidae sp5. The distance of oil palm plantation from natural habitat did not affect species richness, abundance and composition as well as recolonization of hemipteran predator in oil palm plantation. Abundance of hemipteran predator tend to decrease in different observation time, except Sycanus sp. Sycanus sp was likely has ability to rapidly recolonized and their occurrence were influenced by flowering vegetation in oil palm plantation.

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