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Pashkevich MD, Spear DM, Advento AD, Caliman JP, Foster WA, Luke SH, Naim M, Ps S, Snaddon JL, Turner EC. Spiders in canopy and ground microhabitats are robust to changes in understory vegetation management practices in mature oil palm plantations (Riau, Indonesia). Basic Appl Ecol 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.baae.2022.08.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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Pashkevich MD, Luke SH, Aryawan AAK, Waters HS, Caliman J, Dupérré N, Naim M, Potapov AM, Turner EC. Riparian buffers made of mature oil palms have inconsistent impacts on oil palm ecosystems. ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS : A PUBLICATION OF THE ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2022; 32:e2552. [PMID: 35112418 PMCID: PMC9286838 DOI: 10.1002/eap.2552] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2021] [Revised: 08/09/2021] [Accepted: 09/16/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Expansion of oil palm has caused widespread declines in biodiversity and changes in ecosystem functioning across the tropics. A major driver of these changes is loss of habitat heterogeneity as forests are converted into oil palm plantations. Therefore, one strategy to help support biodiversity and functioning in oil palm is to increase habitat heterogeneity, for instance, by retaining forested buffers around rivers when new plantations are established, or maintaining buffers made of mature oil palms ("mature palm buffers") when old plantations are replanted. While forested buffers are known to benefit oil palm systems, the impacts of mature palm buffers are less certain. In this study, we assessed the benefits of mature palm buffers, which were being passively restored (in this case, meaning that buffers were treated with no herbicides, pesticides, or fertilizers) by sampling environmental conditions and arthropods within buffers and in surrounding non-buffer areas (i.e., areas that were 25 and 125 m from buffers, and receiving normal business-as-usual management) across an 8-year chronosequence in industrial oil palm plantations (Sumatra, Indonesia). We ask (1) Do environmental conditions and biodiversity differ between buffer and non-buffer areas? (2) Do buffers affect environmental conditions and biodiversity in adjacent non-buffer areas (i.e., areas that were 25 m from buffers)? (3) Do buffers become more environmentally complex and biodiverse over time? We found that buffers can have environmental conditions (canopy openness, variation in openness, vegetation height, ground cover, and soil temperature) and levels of arthropod biodiversity (total arthropod abundance and spider abundance in the understory and spider species-level community composition in all microhabitats) that are different from those in non-buffer areas, but that these differences are inconsistent across the oil palm commercial life cycle. We also found that buffers might contribute to small increases in vegetation height and changes in ground cover in adjacent non-buffer areas, but do not increase levels of arthropod biodiversity in these areas. Finally, we found that canopy openness, variation in openness, and ground cover, but no aspects of arthropod biodiversity, change within buffers over time. Collectively, our findings indicate that mature palm buffers that are being passively restored can have greater environmental complexity and higher levels of arthropod biodiversity than non-buffer areas, particularly in comparison to recently replanted oil palm, but these benefits are not consistent across the crop commercial life cycle. If the goal of maintaining riparian buffers is to consistently increase habitat heterogeneity and improve biodiversity, an alternative to mature palm buffers or a move toward more active restoration of these areas is, therefore, probably required.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sarah H. Luke
- Insect Ecology Group, Department of ZoologyUniversity of CambridgeCambridgeUK
| | | | - Helen S. Waters
- Insect Ecology Group, Department of ZoologyUniversity of CambridgeCambridgeUK
- School of GeosciencesUniversity of EdinburghEdinburghUK
| | - Jean‐Pierre Caliman
- Sinar Mas Agro Resources and Technology Research Institute (SMARTRI)PekanbaruIndonesia
| | | | - Mohammad Naim
- Sinar Mas Agro Resources and Technology Research Institute (SMARTRI)PekanbaruIndonesia
| | - Anton M. Potapov
- J.F. Blumenbach Institute of Zoology and AnthropologyUniversity of GoettingenGoettingenGermany
| | - Edgar C. Turner
- Insect Ecology Group, Department of ZoologyUniversity of CambridgeCambridgeUK
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Junggebauer A, Hartke TR, Ramos D, Schaefer I, Buchori D, Hidayat P, Scheu S, Drescher J. Changes in diversity and community assembly of jumping spiders (Araneae: Salticidae) after rainforest conversion to rubber and oil palm plantations. PeerJ 2021; 9:e11012. [PMID: 33717710 PMCID: PMC7937343 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.11012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2020] [Accepted: 02/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Rainforest conversion into monoculture plantations results in species loss and community shifts across animal taxa. The effect of such conversion on the role of ecophysiological properties influencing communities, and conversion effects on phylogenetic diversity and community assembly mechanisms, however, are rarely studied in the same context. Here, we compare salticid spider (Araneae: Salticidae) communities between canopies of lowland rainforest, rubber agroforest (“jungle rubber”) and monoculture plantations of rubber or oil palm, sampled in a replicated plot design in Jambi Province, Sumatra, Indonesia. Overall, we collected 912 salticid spider individuals and sorted them to 70 morphospecies from 21 genera. Salticid richness was highest in jungle rubber, followed by rainforest, oil palm and rubber, but abundance of salticids did not differ between land-use systems. Community composition was similar in jungle rubber and rainforest but different from oil palm and rubber, which in turn were different from each other. The four investigated land-use systems differed in aboveground plant biomass, canopy openness and land use intensity, which explained 12% of the observed variation in canopy salticid communities. Phylogenetic diversity based on ~850 bp 28S rDNA fragments showed similar patterns as richness, that is, highest in jungle rubber, intermediate in rainforest, and lowest in the two monoculture plantations. Additionally, we found evidence for phylogenetic clustering of salticids in oil palm, suggesting that habitat filtering is an important factor shaping salticid spider communities in monoculture plantations. Overall, our study offers a comprehensive insight into the mechanisms shaping communities of arthropod top predators in canopies of tropical forest ecosystems and plantations, combining community ecology, environmental variables and phylogenetics across a land-use gradient in tropical Asia.
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Affiliation(s)
- André Junggebauer
- Department of Animal Ecology, J-F. Blumenbach Institute for Zoology and Anthropology, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Tamara R Hartke
- Department of Animal Ecology, J-F. Blumenbach Institute for Zoology and Anthropology, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Daniel Ramos
- Department of Animal Ecology, J-F. Blumenbach Institute for Zoology and Anthropology, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Ina Schaefer
- Department of Animal Ecology, J-F. Blumenbach Institute for Zoology and Anthropology, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Damayanti Buchori
- Department of Plant Protection, Faculty of Agriculture, Bogor Agricultural University, Bogor, Indonesia.,Center for Transdisciplinary and Sustainability Sciences, IPB University, Bogor, Indonesia
| | - Purnama Hidayat
- Department of Plant Protection, Faculty of Agriculture, Bogor Agricultural University, Bogor, Indonesia
| | - Stefan Scheu
- Department of Animal Ecology, J-F. Blumenbach Institute for Zoology and Anthropology, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany.,Centre of Biodiversity and Sustainable Land Use, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Jochen Drescher
- Department of Animal Ecology, J-F. Blumenbach Institute for Zoology and Anthropology, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
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Pashkevich MD, Aryawan AAK, Luke SH, Dupérré N, Waters HS, Caliman J, Naim M, Turner EC. Assessing the effects of oil palm replanting on arthropod biodiversity. J Appl Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.13749] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Sarah H. Luke
- Insect Ecology Group Department of Zoology University of Cambridge Cambridge UK
| | - Nadine Dupérré
- Zoologisches Museum University of Hamburg Hamburg Germany
| | - Helen S. Waters
- Insect Ecology Group Department of Zoology University of Cambridge Cambridge UK
- School of Geosciences University of Edinburgh Edinburgh UK
| | - Jean‐Pierre Caliman
- Sinar Mas Agro Resources and Technology Research Institute (SMARTRI) Pekanbaru Indonesia
| | - Mohammad Naim
- Sinar Mas Agro Resources and Technology Research Institute (SMARTRI) Pekanbaru Indonesia
| | - Edgar C. Turner
- Insect Ecology Group Department of Zoology University of Cambridge Cambridge UK
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Hood AS, Advento AD, Stone J, Fayle TM, Fairnie AL, Waters HS, Foster WA, Snaddon JL, Ps S, Caliman JP, Naim M, Turner EC. Removing understory vegetation in oil palm agroforestry reduces ground-foraging ant abundance but not species richness. Basic Appl Ecol 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.baae.2020.07.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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Denan N, Wan Zaki WM, Norhisham AR, Sanusi R, Nasir DM, Nobilly F, Ashton‐Butt A, Lechner AM, Azhar B. Predation of potential insect pests in oil palm plantations, rubber tree plantations, and fruit orchards. Ecol Evol 2020; 10:654-661. [PMID: 32015833 PMCID: PMC6988529 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.5856] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2019] [Revised: 10/24/2019] [Accepted: 10/31/2019] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
In human-modified landscapes, important ecological functions such as predation are negatively affected by anthropogenic activities, including the use of pesticides and habitat degradation. Predation of insect pests is an indicator of healthy ecosystem functioning, which provides important ecosystem services, especially for agricultural systems. In this study, we compare predation attempts from arthropods, mammals, and birds on artificial caterpillars in the understory, between three tropical agricultural land-use types: oil palm plantations, rubber tree plantations, and fruit orchards. We collected a range of local and landscape-scale data including undergrowth vegetation structure; elevation; proximity to forest; and canopy cover in order to understand how environmental variables can affect predation. In all three land-use types, our results showed that arthropods and mammals were important predators of artificial caterpillars and there was little predation by birds. We did not find any effect of the environmental variables on predation. There was an interactive effect between land-use type and predator type. Predation by mammals was considerably higher in fruit orchards and rubber tree than in oil palm plantations, likely due to their ability to support higher abundances of insectivorous mammals. In order to maintain or enhance natural pest control in these common tropical agricultural land-use types, management practices that benefit insectivorous animals should be introduced, such as the reduction of pesticides, improvement of understory vegetation, and local and landscape heterogeneity.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Ahmad R. Norhisham
- Faculty of ForestryUniversiti Putra MalaysiaSerdangMalaysia
- Institute of Tropical Forestry and Forest ProductUniversiti Putra MalaysiaSerdangMalaysia
| | - Ruzana Sanusi
- Faculty of ForestryUniversiti Putra MalaysiaSerdangMalaysia
- Institute of Tropical Forestry and Forest ProductUniversiti Putra MalaysiaSerdangMalaysia
| | | | - Frisco Nobilly
- Department of Animal ScienceFaculty of AgricultureUniversiti Putra MalaysiaSerdangMalaysia
- Laboratoire d'Excellence (LabEx)Sustainable Tropical Agriculture and Food SystemsUPM‐Agropolis International Offshore OfficeMontpellierFrance
| | | | - Alex M. Lechner
- School of Environmental and Geographical SciencesUniversity of Nottingham MalaysiaSemenyihMalaysia
| | - Badrul Azhar
- Faculty of ForestryUniversiti Putra MalaysiaSerdangMalaysia
- Biodiversity UnitInstitute of BioscienceUniversiti Putra MalaysiaSerdangMalaysia
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Ashton‐Butt A, Willcock S, Purnomo D, Suhardi, Aryawan AAK, Wahyuningsih R, Naim M, Poppy GM, Caliman J, Peh KS, Snaddon JL. Replanting of first-cycle oil palm results in a second wave of biodiversity loss. Ecol Evol 2019; 9:6433-6443. [PMID: 31236233 PMCID: PMC6580429 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.5218] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2018] [Revised: 03/16/2019] [Accepted: 04/05/2019] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Conversion of forest to oil palm plantations results in a significant loss of biodiversity. Despite this, first-cycle oil palm plantations can sustain relatively high biodiversity compared to other crops. However, the long-term effects of oil palm agriculture on flora and fauna are unknown. Oil palm has a 25-year commercial lifespan before it must be replanted, due to reduced productivity and difficulty of harvesting. Loss of the complex vegetation structure of oil palm plantations during the replanting process will likely have impacts on the ecosystem at a local and landscape scale. However, the effect of replanting on biodiversity is poorly understood.Here, we investigate the effects of replanting oil palm on soil macrofauna communities. We assessed ordinal richness, abundance, and community composition of soil macrofauna in first- (25- to 27-year-old) and second-cycle oil palm (freshly cleared, 1-year-old, 3-year-old, and 7-year-old mature).Macrofauna abundance and richness drastically declined immediately after replanting. Macrofauna richness showed some recovery 7 years after replanting, but was still 19% lower than first-cycle oil palm. Macrofauna abundance recovered to similar levels to that of first-cycle oil palm plantations, 1 year after replanting. This was mainly due to high ant abundance, possibly due to the increased understory vegetation as herbicides are not used at this age. However, there were subsequent declines in macrofauna abundance 3 and 7 years after replanting, resulting in a 59% drop in macrofauna abundance compared to first-cycle levels. Furthermore, soil macrofauna community composition in all ages of second-cycle oil palm was different to first-cycle plantations, with decomposers suffering particular declines.After considerable biodiversity loss due to forest conversion for oil palm, belowground invertebrate communities suffer a second wave of biodiversity loss due to replanting. This is likely to have serious implications for soil invertebrate diversity and agricultural sustainability in oil palm landscapes, due to the vital ecosystem functions that soil macrofauna provide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adham Ashton‐Butt
- Department of Biological and Marine SciencesUniversity of HullHullUK
- School of Biological SciencesUniversity of SouthamptonSouthamptonUK
| | - Simon Willcock
- School of Biological SciencesUniversity of SouthamptonSouthamptonUK
- School of Natural SciencesBangor UniversityGwyneddUK
| | | | - Suhardi
- SMART Research Institute (SMARTRI)RiauIndonesia
| | | | | | | | - Guy M. Poppy
- School of Biological SciencesUniversity of SouthamptonSouthamptonUK
| | | | - Kelvin S.‐H. Peh
- School of Biological SciencesUniversity of SouthamptonSouthamptonUK
- Conservation Science GroupDepartment of ZoologyUniversity of CambridgeCambridgeUK
| | - Jake L. Snaddon
- School of Biological SciencesUniversity of SouthamptonSouthamptonUK
- School of Geography and Environmental ScienceUniversity of SouthamptonSouthamptonUK
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