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Wenzel A, Westphal C, Ballauff J, Berkelmann D, Brambach F, Buchori D, Camarretta N, Corre MD, Daniel R, Darras K, Erasmi S, Formaglio G, Hölscher D, Iddris NAA, Irawan B, Knohl A, Kotowska MM, Krashevska V, Kreft H, Mulyani Y, Mußhoff O, Paterno GB, Polle A, Potapov A, Röll A, Scheu S, Schlund M, Schneider D, Sibhatu KT, Stiegler C, Sundawati L, Tjoa A, Tscharntke T, Veldkamp E, Waite PA, Wollni M, Zemp DC, Grass I. Balancing economic and ecological functions in smallholder and industrial oil palm plantations. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2307220121. [PMID: 38621138 PMCID: PMC11047082 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2307220121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2023] [Accepted: 01/10/2024] [Indexed: 04/17/2024] Open
Abstract
The expansion of the oil palm industry in Indonesia has improved livelihoods in rural communities, but comes at the cost of biodiversity and ecosystem degradation. Here, we investigated ways to balance ecological and economic outcomes of oil palm cultivation. We compared a wide range of production systems, including smallholder plantations, industrialized company estates, estates with improved agronomic management, and estates with native tree enrichment. Across all management types, we assessed multiple indicators of biodiversity, ecosystem functions, management, and landscape structure to identify factors that facilitate economic-ecological win-wins, using palm yields as measure of economic performance. Although, we found that yields in industrialized estates were, on average, twice as high as those in smallholder plantations, ecological indicators displayed substantial variability across systems, regardless of yield variations, highlighting potential for economic-ecological win-wins. Reducing management intensity (e.g., mechanical weeding instead of herbicide application) did not lower yields but improved ecological outcomes at moderate costs, making it a potential measure for balancing economic and ecological demands. Additionally, maintaining forest cover in the landscape generally enhanced local biodiversity and ecosystem functioning within plantations. Enriching plantations with native trees is also a promising strategy to increase ecological value without reducing productivity. Overall, we recommend closing yield gaps in smallholder cultivation through careful intensification, whereas conventional plantations could reduce management intensity without sacrificing yield. Our study highlights various pathways to reconcile the economics and ecology of palm oil production and identifies management practices for a more sustainable future of oil palm cultivation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arne Wenzel
- Functional Agrobiodiversity, Department of Crop Sciences, University of Göttingen, Göttingen37077, Germany
| | - Catrin Westphal
- Functional Agrobiodiversity, Department of Crop Sciences, University of Göttingen, Göttingen37077, Germany
- Centre of Biodiversity and Sustainable Land Use, University of Göttingen, Göttingen37077, Germany
| | - Johannes Ballauff
- Forest Botany and Tree Physiology, University of Göttingen, Göttingen37077, Germany
| | - Dirk Berkelmann
- Department of Natural Resources, Faculty of Geo-information Science and Earth Observation, University of Twente, Enschede7522 NB, Netherlands
- Ecology of Tropical Agricultural Systems, University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart70599, Germany
- Laboratorio Biotecnología de Plantas, Escuela de Biología, Universidad de Costa Rica, San Pedro11501, Costa Rica
| | - Fabian Brambach
- Biodiversity, Macroecology & Biogeography, University of Göttingen, Göttingen37077, Germany
| | - Damayanti Buchori
- Department of Plant Protection, IPB University, Bogor16680, Indonesia
| | | | - Marife D. Corre
- Centre of Biodiversity and Sustainable Land Use, University of Göttingen, Göttingen37077, Germany
- Soil Science of Tropical and Subtropical Ecosystems, University of Göttingen, Göttingen37077, Germany
| | - Rolf Daniel
- Department of Natural Resources, Faculty of Geo-information Science and Earth Observation, University of Twente, Enschede7522 NB, Netherlands
| | - Kevin Darras
- Functional Agrobiodiversity, Department of Crop Sciences, University of Göttingen, Göttingen37077, Germany
| | - Stefan Erasmi
- Thünen Institute of Farm Economics, Braunschweig38116, Germany
| | - Greta Formaglio
- Soil Science of Tropical and Subtropical Ecosystems, University of Göttingen, Göttingen37077, Germany
| | - Dirk Hölscher
- Centre of Biodiversity and Sustainable Land Use, University of Göttingen, Göttingen37077, Germany
- Tropical Silviculture and Forest Ecology, University of Göttingen, Göttingen37077, Germany
| | - Najeeb Al-Amin Iddris
- Soil Science of Tropical and Subtropical Ecosystems, University of Göttingen, Göttingen37077, Germany
| | - Bambang Irawan
- Forestry Faculty, University of Jambi, Jambi36361, Indonesia
| | - Alexander Knohl
- Centre of Biodiversity and Sustainable Land Use, University of Göttingen, Göttingen37077, Germany
- Bioclimatology, University of Göttingen, Göttingen37077, Germany
| | - Martyna M. Kotowska
- Plant Ecology and Ecosystems Research, University of Göttingen, Göttingen37077, Germany
| | - Valentyna Krashevska
- Department of Animal Ecology, J.F. Blumenbach Institute of Zoology and Anthropology, University of Göttingen, Göttingen37073, Germany
| | - Holger Kreft
- Centre of Biodiversity and Sustainable Land Use, University of Göttingen, Göttingen37077, Germany
- Biodiversity, Macroecology & Biogeography, University of Göttingen, Göttingen37077, Germany
| | - Yeni Mulyani
- Department of Forest Resources Conservation and Ecotourism, Faculty of Forestry, Bogor Agricultural University, Bogor16680, Indonesia
| | - Oliver Mußhoff
- Centre of Biodiversity and Sustainable Land Use, University of Göttingen, Göttingen37077, Germany
- Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development, University of Göttingen, Göttingen37073, Germany
| | - Gustavo B. Paterno
- Biodiversity, Macroecology & Biogeography, University of Göttingen, Göttingen37077, Germany
| | - Andrea Polle
- Centre of Biodiversity and Sustainable Land Use, University of Göttingen, Göttingen37077, Germany
- Forest Botany and Tree Physiology, University of Göttingen, Göttingen37077, Germany
| | - Anton Potapov
- Department of Animal Ecology, J.F. Blumenbach Institute of Zoology and Anthropology, University of Göttingen, Göttingen37073, Germany
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig04103, Germany
- Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Leipzig, Leipzig04103, Germany
| | - Alexander Röll
- Tropical Silviculture and Forest Ecology, University of Göttingen, Göttingen37077, Germany
| | - Stefan Scheu
- Centre of Biodiversity and Sustainable Land Use, University of Göttingen, Göttingen37077, Germany
- Department of Animal Ecology, J.F. Blumenbach Institute of Zoology and Anthropology, University of Göttingen, Göttingen37073, Germany
| | - Michael Schlund
- Department of Natural Resources, Faculty of Geo-information Science and Earth Observation, University of Twente, Enschede7522 NB, Netherlands
| | - Dominik Schneider
- Institute of Microbiology and Genetics, Department of Genomic and Applied Microbiology, University of Göttingen, Göttingen37077, Germany
| | - Kibrom T. Sibhatu
- Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development, University of Göttingen, Göttingen37073, Germany
| | | | - Leti Sundawati
- Department of Forest Management, Faculty of Forestry, Bogor Agricultural University, Bogor16680, Indonesia
| | - Aiyen Tjoa
- Agriculture Faculty, Tadulako University, Palu94118, Indonesia
| | - Teja Tscharntke
- Centre of Biodiversity and Sustainable Land Use, University of Göttingen, Göttingen37077, Germany
- Agroecology, Department of Crop Sciences, University of Göttingen, Göttingen37075, Germany
| | - Edzo Veldkamp
- Centre of Biodiversity and Sustainable Land Use, University of Göttingen, Göttingen37077, Germany
- Soil Science of Tropical and Subtropical Ecosystems, University of Göttingen, Göttingen37077, Germany
| | - Pierre-André Waite
- Technische Universität Dresden, Chair of Forest Botany, Tharandt01737, Germany
| | - Meike Wollni
- Centre of Biodiversity and Sustainable Land Use, University of Göttingen, Göttingen37077, Germany
- Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development, University of Göttingen, Göttingen37073, Germany
| | | | - Ingo Grass
- Ecology of Tropical Agricultural Systems, University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart70599, Germany
- Center for Biodiversity and Integrative Taxonomy (KomBioTa), University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart70599, Germany
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2
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Chiriacò MV, Galli N, Santini M, Rulli MC. Deforestation and greenhouse gas emissions could arise when replacing palm oil with other vegetable oils. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 914:169486. [PMID: 38145678 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.169486] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2023] [Revised: 11/18/2023] [Accepted: 12/16/2023] [Indexed: 12/27/2023]
Abstract
Oil crops are among the main drivers of global land use changes. Palm oil is possibly the most criticized, as a driver of primary tropical forests loss. This has generated two different reactions in its use in various sectors (e.g., food, feed, biodiesel, surfactant applications, etc.): from one side there is a growing claim for deforestation-free palm oil, whereas on the other side the attention raised towards other vegetable oils as possible substitutes, such as soybean, rapeseed and sunflower oil. We assess potential land use changes and consequent greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for switching from palm oil to other oils and compare this solution to deforestation-free palm oils. We consider three scenarios of 25 %, 50 % and 100 % palm oil replacement in the eight major oil crop producing countries. Total GHG emissions account for anthropogenic emissions generated along the life cycle of the field production process and potential forest carbon stock losses from land use change for oil crops expansion. Replacing palm oil with other oils would have a worthless effect in terms of global emissions reduction since GHG emissions remain approximatively stable across the three scenarios, whereas it would produce a deforestation increase of 28.2 to 51.9 Mha worldwide (or 7 to 21.5 Mha if excluding the unlikely deforestation in USA, Russia, Ukraine and the offset deforestation in China, India). Conversely, if the global palm oil production becomes deforestation-free, its GHG emissions would be reduced by 92 %, switching from the current 371 to 29 Mt CO2eq per year. Although highlighting the historical unsustainability of oil palm plantations, results show that replacing them with other oil crops almost never represents a more sustainable solution, thus potentially questioning sustainability claims of palm oil free products with respect to deforestation-free palm oil.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Vincenza Chiriacò
- CMCC - Fondazione Centro euro-Mediterraneo sui Cambiamenti Climatici, IAFES Division, Viterbo, Italy.
| | - Nikolas Galli
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Politecnico di Milano, Milano, Italy
| | - Monia Santini
- CMCC - Fondazione Centro euro-Mediterraneo sui Cambiamenti Climatici, IAFES Division, Viterbo, Italy
| | - Maria Cristina Rulli
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Politecnico di Milano, Milano, Italy
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3
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Moore JH, Gibson L, Amir Z, Chanthorn W, Ahmad AH, Jansen PA, Mendes CP, Onuma M, Peres CA, Luskin MS. The rise of hyperabundant native generalists threatens both humans and nature. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2023; 98:1829-1844. [PMID: 37311559 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12985] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2022] [Revised: 05/26/2023] [Accepted: 05/30/2023] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
In many disturbed terrestrial landscapes, a subset of native generalist vertebrates thrives. The population trends of these disturbance-tolerant species may be driven by multiple factors, including habitat preferences, foraging opportunities (including crop raiding or human refuse), lower mortality when their predators are persecuted (the 'human shield' effect) and reduced competition due to declines of disturbance-sensitive species. A pronounced elevation in the abundance of disturbance-tolerant wildlife can drive numerous cascading impacts on food webs, biodiversity, vegetation structure and people in coupled human-natural systems. There is also concern for increased risk of zoonotic disease transfer to humans and domestic animals from wildlife species with high pathogen loads as their abundance and proximity to humans increases. Here we use field data from 58 landscapes to document a supra-regional phenomenon of the hyperabundance and community dominance of Southeast Asian wild pigs and macaques. These two groups were chosen as prime candidates capable of reaching hyperabundance as they are edge adapted, with gregarious social structure, omnivorous diets, rapid reproduction and high tolerance to human proximity. Compared to intact interior forests, population densities in degraded forests were 148% and 87% higher for wild boar and macaques, respectively. In landscapes with >60% oil palm coverage, wild boar and pig-tailed macaque estimated abundances were 337% and 447% higher than landscapes with <1% oil palm coverage, respectively, suggesting marked demographic benefits accrued by crop raiding on calorie-rich food subsidies. There was extreme community dominance in forest landscapes with >20% oil palm cover where two pig and two macaque species accounted for >80% of independent camera trap detections, leaving <20% for the other 85 mammal species >1 kg considered. Establishing the population trends of pigs and macaques is imperative since they are linked to cascading impacts on the fauna and flora of local forest ecosystems, disease and human health, and economics (i.e., crop losses). The severity of potential negative cascading effects may motivate control efforts to achieve ecosystem integrity, human health and conservation objectives. Our review concludes that the rise of native generalists can be mediated by specific types of degradation, which influences the ecology and conservation of natural areas, creating both positive and detrimental impacts on intact ecosystems and human society.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan H Moore
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, 1088 Xueyuan Blvd, Nanshan, Shenzhen, China
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7TJ, UK
| | - Luke Gibson
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, 1088 Xueyuan Blvd, Nanshan, Shenzhen, China
| | - Zachary Amir
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, St Lucia, Queensland, 4072, Australia
| | - Wirong Chanthorn
- Department of Environmental Technology and Management, Faculty of Environment, Kasetsart University, 50 Ngamwongwan Road, Jatujak District, Bangkok, 10900, Thailand
| | - Abdul Hamid Ahmad
- Institute for Tropical Biology and Conservation, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Jalan UMS, Kota Kinabalu, 88400, Malaysia
| | - Patrick A Jansen
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Wageningen University, Droevendaalsesteeg 4, Wageningen, 6708 PB, Netherlands
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Roosevelt Ave. Tupper Building - 401, Panama City, 0843-03092, Panama
| | - Calebe P Mendes
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, St Lucia, Queensland, 4072, Australia
| | - Manabu Onuma
- National Institute for Environmental Studies, 16-2 Onagava, Tsukuba-City, 305-8506, Japan
| | - Carlos A Peres
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7TJ, UK
- Instituto Juruá, R. Ajuricaba, 359 - Aleixo, Manaus, 69083-020, Brazil
| | - Matthew Scott Luskin
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, St Lucia, Queensland, 4072, Australia
- Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, 4072, Australia
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4
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Saager ES, Iwamura T, Jucker T, Murray KA. Deforestation for oil palm increases microclimate suitability for the development of the disease vector Aedes albopictus. Sci Rep 2023; 13:9514. [PMID: 37308504 PMCID: PMC10260943 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-35452-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2022] [Accepted: 05/18/2023] [Indexed: 06/14/2023] Open
Abstract
A major trade-off of land-use change is the potential for increased risk of infectious diseases, a.o. through impacting disease vector life-cycles. Evaluating the public health implications of land-use conversions requires spatially detailed modelling linking land-use to vector ecology. Here, we estimate the impact of deforestation for oil palm cultivation on the number of life-cycle completions of Aedes albopictus via its impact on local microclimates. We apply a recently developed mechanistic phenology model to a fine-scaled (50-m resolution) microclimate dataset that includes daily temperature, rainfall and evaporation. Results of this combined model indicate that the conversion from lowland rainforest to plantations increases suitability for A. albopictus development by 10.8%, moderated to 4.7% with oil palm growth to maturity. Deforestation followed by typical plantation planting-maturation-clearance-replanting cycles is predicted to create pulses of high development suitability. Our results highlight the need to explore sustainable land-use scenarios that resolve conflicts between agricultural and human health objectives.
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Affiliation(s)
- E S Saager
- Centre for Translational Immunology, University Medical Centre Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
| | - T Iwamura
- Department F.-A. Forel for Aquatic and Environmental Sciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - T Jucker
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - K A Murray
- MRC Unit The Gambia at London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Fajara, The Gambia
- MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis, Imperial College London, London, UK
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5
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Hendry A, Amir Z, Decoeur H, Mendes CP, Moore JH, Sovie A, Luskin MS. Marbled cats in Southeast Asia: Are diurnal and semi‐arboreal felids at greater risk from human disturbances? Ecosphere 2023. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.4338] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Hendry
- School of Biological Sciences University of Queensland Brisbane Queensland Australia
| | - Zachary Amir
- School of Biological Sciences University of Queensland Brisbane Queensland Australia
| | - Henri Decoeur
- School of Biological Sciences University of Queensland Brisbane Queensland Australia
| | - Calebe Pereira Mendes
- School of Biological Sciences University of Queensland Brisbane Queensland Australia
| | - Jonathan H. Moore
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering Southern University of Science and Technology Shenzhen China
- School of Environmental Sciences University of East Anglia Norwich UK
| | - Adia Sovie
- School of Biological Sciences University of Queensland Brisbane Queensland Australia
| | - Matthew Scott Luskin
- School of Biological Sciences University of Queensland Brisbane Queensland Australia
- Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science University of Queensland Brisbane Queensland Australia
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6
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Anderson JA, McClean CJ, Sim S, Pettorelli N, Jelling A, Tangah J, Hill JK. Weak edge effects on trees in Bornean rainforest remnants bordering oil palm. Biotropica 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/btp.13115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jake A. Anderson
- Department of Biology, Leverhulme Centre for Anthropocene Biodiversity University of York York UK
| | - Colin J. McClean
- Department of Environment and Geography University of York York UK
| | - Sarah Sim
- Unilever Safety and Environmental Assurance Centre Unilever R&D Sharnbrook UK
| | | | - Ahmad Jelling
- South East Asia Rainforest Research Partnership Danum Valley Field Centre Sabah Malaysia
| | - Joseph Tangah
- Sabah Forestry Department Forest Research Centre Sabah Malaysia
| | - Jane K. Hill
- Department of Biology, Leverhulme Centre for Anthropocene Biodiversity University of York York UK
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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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8
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Dunn A, Amir Z, Decoeur H, Dehaudt B, Nursamsi I, Mendes C, Moore JH, Negret PJ, Sovie A, Luskin MS. The ecology of the banded civet (
Hemigalus derbyanus
) in Southeast Asia with implications for mesopredator release, zoonotic diseases, and conservation. Ecol Evol 2022; 12:e8852. [PMID: 35505997 PMCID: PMC9047978 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.8852] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2021] [Revised: 04/04/2022] [Accepted: 04/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Habitat loss and degradation threaten forest specialist wildlife species, but some generalist mesopredators exploit disturbed areas and human‐derived food, which brings them into closer contact with humans. Mesopredator release is also important for human health for known zoonotic disease reservoirs, such as Asian civets (Viverridae family), since this group includes the intermediator species for the SARS‐CoV‐1 outbreak. Here we use camera trapping to evaluate the habitat associations of the widespread banded civet (Hemigalus derbyanus) across its range in Southeast Asia. At the regional scale, banded civet detections among published studies were positively associated with forest cover and negatively associated with human population. At the local scale (within a landscape), hierarchical modeling of new camera trapping showed that abundance was negatively associated with forest loss and positively associated with distance to rivers. These results do not support mesopredator release and suggest a low likelihood overlap with humans in degraded habitats and, therefore, a low risk of zoonotic disease transmission from this species in the wild. We also estimate that banded civet distribution has contracted to under 21% of its currently recognized IUCN Red List range, only 12% of which falls within protected areas, and a precipitous recent decline in population size. Accordingly, we suggest the banded civet's Red List status should be re‐evaluated in light of our findings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashlea Dunn
- School of Biological Sciences University of Queensland Brisbane Queensland Australia
| | - Zachary Amir
- School of Biological Sciences University of Queensland Brisbane Queensland Australia
| | - Henri Decoeur
- School of Biological Sciences University of Queensland Brisbane Queensland Australia
| | - Bastien Dehaudt
- School of Biological Sciences University of Queensland Brisbane Queensland Australia
| | - Ilyas Nursamsi
- School of Biological Sciences University of Queensland Brisbane Queensland Australia
| | - Calebe Mendes
- School of Biological Sciences University of Queensland Brisbane Queensland Australia
| | - Jonathan H. Moore
- School of Environmental Sciences University of East Anglia Norwich UK
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering Southern University of Science and Technology Shenzhen China
| | - Pablo Jose Negret
- School of Biological Sciences University of Queensland Brisbane Queensland Australia
- Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science University of Queensland St. Lucia Queensland Australia
| | - Adia Sovie
- School of Biological Sciences University of Queensland Brisbane Queensland Australia
| | - Matthew Scott Luskin
- School of Biological Sciences University of Queensland Brisbane Queensland Australia
- Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science University of Queensland St. Lucia Queensland Australia
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9
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Gregory N, Ewers RM, Chung AYC, Cator LJ. Oil palm expansion increases the vectorial capacity of dengue vectors in Malaysian Borneo. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2022; 16:e0009525. [PMID: 35294445 PMCID: PMC8959159 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0009525] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2021] [Revised: 03/28/2022] [Accepted: 02/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Changes in land-use and the associated shifts in environmental conditions can have large effects on the transmission and emergence of mosquito-borne disease. Mosquito-borne disease are particularly sensitive to these changes because mosquito growth, reproduction, survival and susceptibility to infection are all thermally sensitive traits, and land use change dramatically alters local microclimate. Predicting disease transmission under environmental change is increasingly critical for targeting mosquito-borne disease control and for identifying hotspots of disease emergence. Mechanistic models offer a powerful tool for improving these predictions. However, these approaches are limited by the quality and scale of temperature data and the thermal response curves that underlie predictions. Here, we used fine-scale temperature monitoring and a combination of empirical, laboratory and temperature-dependent estimates to estimate the vectorial capacity of Aedes albopictus mosquitoes across a tropical forest-oil palm plantation conversion gradient in Malaysian Borneo. We found that fine-scale differences in temperature between logged forest and oil palm plantation sites were not sufficient to produce differences in temperature-dependent demographic trait estimates using published thermal performance curves. However, when measured under field conditions a key parameter, adult abundance, differed significantly between land-use types, resulting in estimates of vectorial capacity that were 1.5 times higher in plantations than in forests. The prediction that oil palm plantations would support mosquito populations with higher vectorial capacity was robust to uncertainties in our adult survival estimates. These results provide a mechanistic basis for understanding the effects of forest conversion to agriculture on mosquito-borne disease risk, and a framework for interpreting emergent relationships between land-use and disease transmission. As the burden of Ae. albopictus-vectored diseases, such as dengue virus, increases globally and rising demand for palm oil products drives continued expansion of plantations, these findings have important implications for conservation, land management and public health policy at the global scale.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nichar Gregory
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Silwood Park, Berkshire, United Kingdom
| | - Robert M. Ewers
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Silwood Park, Berkshire, United Kingdom
| | | | - Lauren J. Cator
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Silwood Park, Berkshire, United Kingdom
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10
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Almeida-Maués PCR, Bueno AS, Palmeirim AF, Peres CA, Mendes-Oliveira AC. Assessing assemblage-wide mammal responses to different types of habitat modification in Amazonian forests. Sci Rep 2022; 12:1797. [PMID: 35110574 PMCID: PMC8810785 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-05450-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2021] [Accepted: 01/03/2022] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Tropical forests are being heavily modified by varying intensities of land use ranging from structural degradation to complete conversion. While ecological responses of vertebrate assemblages to habitat modification are variable, such understanding is critical to appropriate conservation planning of anthropogenic landscapes. We assessed the responses of medium/large-bodied mammal assemblages to the ecological impacts of reduced impact logging, secondary regrowth, and eucalyptus and oil palm plantations in Eastern Brazilian Amazonia. We used within-landscape paired baseline-treatment comparisons to examine the impact of different types of habitat modification in relation to adjacent primary forest. We examined assemblage-wide metrics including the total number of species, number of primary forest species retained in modified habitats, abundance, species composition, and community integrity. We ranked all types of habitat modification along a gradient of assemblage-wide impact intensity, with oil palm and eucalyptus plantations exerting the greatest impact, followed by secondary regrowth, and selectively logging. Selectively-logged and secondary forests did not experience discernible biodiversity loss, except for the total number of primary forest species retained. Secondary forests further experienced pronounced species turnover, with loss of community integrity. Considering the biodiversity retention capacity of anthropogenic habitats, this study reinforces the landscape-scale importance of setting aside large preserved areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paula C R Almeida-Maués
- Instituto de Ciências Biológicas - LABEV, Universidade Federal do Pará, Belém, PA, Brazil.,Faculdade Estácio de Castanhal, Castanhal, PA, Brazil.,Unama Parque Shopping, Belém, PA, Brazil
| | - Anderson S Bueno
- Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia Farroupilha, Júlio de Castilhos, RS, Brazil
| | - Ana Filipa Palmeirim
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, Norfolk, UK.,CIBIO-InBIO, Universidade do Porto, Campus de Vairão, Rua Padre Armando Quintas, 4485-661, Vairão, Portugal
| | - Carlos A Peres
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, Norfolk, UK
| | - Ana Cristina Mendes-Oliveira
- Instituto de Ciências Biológicas - LABEV, Universidade Federal do Pará, Belém, PA, Brazil. .,School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, Norfolk, UK.
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11
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Hood ASC, Aryawan AAK, Advento AD, Suberkah WR, Ashton‐Butt A, Ps S, Caliman J, Naim M, Foster WA, Turner EC. A whole‐ecosystem method for experimentally suppressing ants on a small scale. Methods Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/2041-210x.13774] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Amelia SC Hood
- Department of Zoology University of Cambridge Downing Street Cambridge CB2 3EJ UK
| | - Anak Agung Ketut Aryawan
- Sinar Mas Agro Resources and Technology Research Institute (SMARTRI) Jalan Teuku Umar, No. 19 28112 Riau Indonesia
| | - Andreas D Advento
- Sinar Mas Agro Resources and Technology Research Institute (SMARTRI) Jalan Teuku Umar, No. 19 28112 Riau Indonesia
| | - Wahyu R Suberkah
- PT. Ouzen Anugerah Indonesia Bukit Barisan Street, No. 78 E Medan North Sumatra Indonesia
| | - Adham Ashton‐Butt
- British Trust for Ornithology BTO The Nunnery Thetford, Norfolk IP24 2PU
- Department of Biological and Marine Sciences University of Hull Hull HU6 7RX
| | - Sudharto Ps
- Sinar Mas Agro Resources and Technology Research Institute (SMARTRI) Jalan Teuku Umar, No. 19 28112 Riau Indonesia
| | - Jean‐Pierre Caliman
- Sinar Mas Agro Resources and Technology Research Institute (SMARTRI) Jalan Teuku Umar, No. 19 28112 Riau Indonesia
| | - Mohammad Naim
- Sinar Mas Agro Resources and Technology Research Institute (SMARTRI) Jalan Teuku Umar, No. 19 28112 Riau Indonesia
| | - William A Foster
- Department of Zoology University of Cambridge Downing Street Cambridge CB2 3EJ UK
| | - Edgar C Turner
- Department of Zoology University of Cambridge Downing Street Cambridge CB2 3EJ UK
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12
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Importance of natural land cover for plant species' conservation: A nationwide study in The Netherlands. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0259255. [PMID: 34784365 PMCID: PMC8594855 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0259255] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2021] [Accepted: 10/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
While shifts to high-intensity land cover have caused overwhelming biodiversity loss, it remains unclear how important natural land cover is to the occurrence, and thus the conservation, of different species groups. We used over 4 million plant species’ observations to evaluate the conservation importance of natural land cover by its association with the occurrence probability of 1 122 native and 403 exotic plant species at 1 km resolution by species distribution models. We found that 74.9% of native species, 83.9% of the threatened species and 77.1% rare species preferred landscapes with over 50% natural land cover, while these landscapes only accounted for 15.6% of all grids. Most species preferred natural areas with a mixture of forest and open areas rather than areas with completely open or forested nature. Compared to native species, exotic species preferred areas with lower natural land cover and the cover of natural open area, but they both preferred extremely high and low cover of natural forest area. Threatened and rare species preferred higher natural land cover, either cover of natural forest area or cover of natural open area than not threatened and common species, but rare species were also more likely to occur in landscapes with 0–25% cover of natural open area. Although more natural land cover in a landscape will not automatically result in more native species, because there is often a non-linear increase in species occurrence probability when going from 0% to 100% natural land cover, for conserving purposes, over 80% natural land cover should be kept in landscapes for conserving threatened and very rare species, and 60% natural land cover is the best for conserving common native species. Our results stress the importance of natural areas for plant species’ conservation. It also informs improvements to species conservation by increasing habitat diversity.
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13
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Power CC, Nielsen A, Sheil D. Even small forest patches increase bee visits to flowers in an oil palm plantation landscape. Biotropica 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/btp.13023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Candice C. Power
- Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU) Ås Norway
- Department of Biology Center for Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World (BIOCHANGE) Aarhus University Aarhus Denmark
| | - Anders Nielsen
- Department of Landscape and Biodiversity Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research (NIBIO) Ås Norway
- Department of Biosciences Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES) University of Oslo Oslo Norway
| | - Douglas Sheil
- Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU) Ås Norway
- Wageningen University and Research Wageningen The Netherlands
- Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) Bogor Indonesia
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14
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Young KI, Buenemann M, Vasilakis N, Perera D, Hanley KA. Shifts in mosquito diversity and abundance along a gradient from oil palm plantations to conterminous forests in Borneo. Ecosphere 2021; 12. [PMID: 33996190 DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.3463] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Deforestation precipitates spillover of enzootic, vector-borne viruses into humans, but specific mechanisms for this effect have rarely been investigated. Expansion of oil palm cultivation is a major driver of deforestation. Here, we demonstrate that mosquito abundance decreased over ten stepwise distances from interior forest into conterminous palm plantations in Borneo. Diversity in interior plantation narrowed to one species, Aedes albopictus, a potential bridge vector for spillover of multiple viruses. A. albopictus was equally abundant across all distances in forests, forest-plantation edge, and plantations, while A. niveus, a known vector of sylvatic dengue virus, was found only in forests. A. albopictus collections were significantly female-biased in plantation but not in edge or forest. Our data reveal that the likelihood of encountering any mosquito is greater in interior forest and edge than plantation, while the likelihood of encountering A. albopictus is equivalent across the gradient sampled from interior plantation to interior forest.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine I Young
- Department of Biology, New Mexico State University, 1780 E University Ave, Las Cruces, New Mexico 88003 USA
| | - Michaela Buenemann
- Department of Geography, New Mexico State University, 1780 E University Ave, Las Cruces, New Mexico 88003 USA
| | - Nikos Vasilakis
- Department of Pathology, Center for Biodefense and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Center of Tropical Diseases, and Institute for Human Infections and Immunity, The University of Texas Medical Branch, 301 University Boulevard, Galveston, Texas 77555 USA
| | - David Perera
- Institute of Health and Community Medicine, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, Jalan Datuk Mohammad Musa, 94300 Kota Samarahan, Sarawak, Malaysia
| | - Kathryn A Hanley
- Department of Biology, New Mexico State University, 1780 E University Ave, Las Cruces, New Mexico 88003 USA
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15
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Davies RW, Edwards DP, Medina-Uribe CA, Cárdenas-Bautista JS, Haugaasen T, Gilroy JJ, Edwards FA. Replacing low-intensity cattle pasture with oil palm conserves dung beetle functional diversity when paired with forest protection. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2021; 283:112009. [PMID: 33508552 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2021.112009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2020] [Revised: 01/12/2021] [Accepted: 01/13/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Meeting rising demand for oil palm whilst minimizing the loss of tropical biodiversity and associated ecosystem functions is a core conservation challenge. One potential solution is focusing the expansion of high-yielding crops on presently low-yielding farmlands alongside protecting nearby tropical forests that can enhance provision of ecosystem functions. A key question is how this solution would impact invertebrate functional diversity. We focus on oil palm in the Colombian Llanos, where plantations are replacing improved cattle pastures and forest fragments, and on dung beetles, which play key functional roles in nutrient cycling and secondary seed dispersal. We show that functional richness and functional diversity of dung beetles is greater in oil palm than in cattle pasture, and that functional metrics did not differ between oil palm and remnant forest. The abundance-size class profile of dung beetles in oil palm was more similar to forest than to pasture, which had lower abundances of the smallest and largest dung beetles. The abundance of tunneling and rolling dung beetles did not differ between oil palm and forest, while higher forest cover increased the abundance of diurnal and generalist-feeding beetles in oil palm landscapes. This suggests that prioritizing agricultural development on low-yielding cattle pasture will have positive effects on functional diversity and highlights the need for forest protection to maintain ecosystem functioning within agricultural landscapes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert W Davies
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK.
| | - David P Edwards
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Claudia A Medina-Uribe
- Instituto de Investigación de Recursos Biológicos Alexander von Humboldt, Carrera 8 # 15-08, Villa de Leyva, Boyacá, Colombia
| | - Johann S Cárdenas-Bautista
- Grupo de Investigación Biodiversidad y Conservación, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Pedagógica y Tecnológica de Colombia. Av. Central Del Norte # 115-39, Tunja, Boyacá, 150001, Colombia
| | - Torbjørn Haugaasen
- Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Ås, Norway
| | - James J Gilroy
- School of Environmental Science, University of East Anglia, Norwich, NR4 7TJ, UK
| | - Felicity A Edwards
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
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16
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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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17
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Williamson J, Slade EM, Luke SH, Swinfield T, Chung AYC, Coomes DA, Heroin H, Jucker T, Lewis OT, Vairappan CS, Rossiter SJ, Struebig MJ. Riparian buffers act as microclimatic refugia in oil palm landscapes. J Appl Ecol 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.13784] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Joseph Williamson
- School of Biological and Chemical Sciences Queen Mary University of London London UK
| | - Eleanor M. Slade
- Asian School of the EnvironmentNanyang Technological University Singapore City Singapore
| | - Sarah H. Luke
- Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology (DICE) School of Anthropology and Conservation University of Kent Canterbury UK
- Department of Zoology University of Cambridge Cambridge UK
| | - Tom Swinfield
- Department of Plant Sciences University of Cambridge Conservation Research Institute Cambridge UK
| | | | - David A. Coomes
- Department of Plant Sciences University of Cambridge Conservation Research Institute Cambridge UK
| | - Herry Heroin
- Institute for Tropical Biology and Conservation Universiti Malaysia Sabah Kota Kinabalu Sabah Malaysia
| | - Tommaso Jucker
- School of Biological Sciences University of Bristol Bristol UK
| | - Owen T. Lewis
- Department of Zoology University of Oxford Oxford UK
| | - Charles S. Vairappan
- Institute for Tropical Biology and Conservation Universiti Malaysia Sabah Kota Kinabalu Sabah Malaysia
| | - Stephen J. Rossiter
- School of Biological and Chemical Sciences Queen Mary University of London London UK
| | - Matthew J. Struebig
- Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology (DICE) School of Anthropology and Conservation University of Kent Canterbury UK
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18
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Dhandapani S, Evers S. Oil palm 'slash-and-burn' practice increases post-fire greenhouse gas emissions and nutrient concentrations in burnt regions of an agricultural tropical peatland. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2020; 742:140648. [PMID: 32721749 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.140648] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2020] [Revised: 06/28/2020] [Accepted: 06/29/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Fire is one of the major issues facing Southeast Asian peatlands causing socio-economic, human health and climate crises. Many of these fires in the region are associated with land clearing or management practices for oil palm plantations. Here we study the direct post-fire impacts of slash-and-burn oil palm agriculture on greenhouse gas emissions, peat physico-chemical properties and nutrient concentrations. Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions were measured using Los Gatos ultraportable greenhouse gas analyser one month after a fire in dry season and five months after the fire event, in wet season. Surface soil samples were collected from each individual GHG measurement points, along with 50 cm cores from both burnt and non-burnt control areas for lab analyses. As an immediate post-fire impact, carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) emissions, pH, electrical conductivity, and all macronutrient concentrations except nitrogen (N) were increased multi-fold, while the redox potential, carbon (C) and N content were greatly reduced in the burnt region. While some of the properties such as CO2 emissions, and electrical conductivity reverted to normal after five months, other properties such as CH4 emissions, pH and nutrient concentrations remained high in the burnt region. This study also found very high loss of surface peat C content in the burnt region post fire, which is irreversible. The results also show that surface peat layers up to 20 cm depth were affected the most by slash-and-burn activity in oil palm agriculture, however the intensity of fire can vary widely between different oil palm management and needs further research to fully understand the long term and regional impacts of such slash-and-burn activity in tropical peatlands.
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Affiliation(s)
- Selvakumar Dhandapani
- School of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK.; Tropical Catchment Research Initiative (TROCARI), Malaysia..
| | - Stephanie Evers
- School of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK.; Tropical Catchment Research Initiative (TROCARI), Malaysia.; School of Biosciences, University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus, Semenyih, Malaysia
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19
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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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20
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Yao L, Ding Y, Xu H, Deng F, Yao L, Ai X, Zang R. Patterns of diversity change for forest vegetation across different climatic regions - A compound habitat gradient analysis approach. Glob Ecol Conserv 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gecco.2020.e01106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022] Open
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21
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Abstract
Palm oil production is a key industry in tropical regions, driven by the demand for affordable vegetable oil. Palm oil production has been increasing by 9% every year, mostly due to expanding biofuel markets. However, the oil palm industry has been associated with key environmental issues, such as deforestation, peatland exploitation and biomass burning that release carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere, leading to climate change. This review therefore aims to discuss the characteristics of oil palm plantations and their impacts, especially CO2 emissions in the Southeast Asian region. The tropical climate and soil in Southeast Asian countries, such as Malaysia and Indonesia, are very suitable for growing oil palm trees. However, due to the scarcity of available plantation areas deforestation occurs, especially in peat swamp areas. Total carbon losses from both biomass and peat due to the conversion of tropical virgin peat swamp forest into oil palm plantations are estimated to be around 427.2 ± 90.7 t C ha−1 and 17.1 ± 3.6 t C ha−1 year−1, respectively. Even though measured CO2 fluxes have shown that overall, oil palm plantation CO2 emissions are about one to two times higher than other major crops, the ability of oil palms to absorb CO2 (a net of 64 tons of CO2 per hectare each year) and produce around 18 tons of oxygen per hectare per year is one of the main advantages of this crop. Since the oil palm industry plays a crucial role in the socio-economic development of Southeast Asian countries, sustainable and environmentally friendly practices would provide economic benefits while minimizing environmental impacts. A comprehensive review of all existing oil plantation procedures is needed to ensure that this high yielding crop has highly competitive environmental benefits.
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22
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Luke SH, Dwi Advento A, Dow RA, Aryawan AAK, Barclay H, Eycott AE, Hinsch JK, Kurniawan C, Naim M, Mann DJ, Pujianto, Purnomo D, Rambe TDS, Slade EM, Soeprapto, Ps S, Suhardi, Tarigan RS, Wahyuningsih R, Widodo RH, Caliman J, Snaddon JL, Foster WA, Turner EC. Complexity within an oil palm monoculture: The effects of habitat variability and rainfall on adult dragonfly (Odonata) communities. Biotropica 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/btp.12749] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Sarah H. Luke
- Department of Zoology University of Cambridge Cambridge UK
| | - Andreas Dwi Advento
- Sinar Mas Agro Resources Technology Research Institute (SMARTRI) Pekanbaru Indonesia
| | - Rory A. Dow
- Naturalis Biodiversity Center Leiden The Netherlands
- Sarawak Museum Campus Project Kuching Malaysia
| | | | - Holly Barclay
- School of Science Monash University Malaysia Selangor Darul Ehsan Malaysia
| | - Amy E. Eycott
- Department of Zoology University of Cambridge Cambridge UK
- Faculty of Biosciences and Aquaculture Nord University Steinkjer Steinkjer Norway
| | - Julie K. Hinsch
- Department of Zoology University of Cambridge Cambridge UK
- Center for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate Natural History Museum of Denmark Copenhagen Denmark
| | - Candra Kurniawan
- Sinar Mas Agro Resources Technology Research Institute (SMARTRI) Pekanbaru Indonesia
| | - Mohammad Naim
- Sinar Mas Agro Resources Technology Research Institute (SMARTRI) Pekanbaru Indonesia
| | | | - Pujianto
- Sinar Mas Agro Resources Technology Research Institute (SMARTRI) Pekanbaru Indonesia
| | - Dedi Purnomo
- Sinar Mas Agro Resources Technology Research Institute (SMARTRI) Pekanbaru Indonesia
| | | | - Eleanor M. Slade
- Department of Zoology University of Oxford Oxford UK
- Asian School of the Environment Nanyang Technological University Singapore Singapore
| | - Soeprapto
- Sinar Mas Agro Resources Technology Research Institute (SMARTRI) Pekanbaru Indonesia
| | - Sudharto Ps
- Sinar Mas Agro Resources Technology Research Institute (SMARTRI) Pekanbaru Indonesia
| | - Suhardi
- Sinar Mas Agro Resources Technology Research Institute (SMARTRI) Pekanbaru Indonesia
| | - Ribka Sionita Tarigan
- Sinar Mas Agro Resources Technology Research Institute (SMARTRI) Pekanbaru Indonesia
| | - Resti Wahyuningsih
- Sinar Mas Agro Resources Technology Research Institute (SMARTRI) Pekanbaru Indonesia
| | - Rudy Harto Widodo
- Sinar Mas Agro Resources Technology Research Institute (SMARTRI) Pekanbaru Indonesia
| | - Jean‐Pierre Caliman
- Sinar Mas Agro Resources Technology Research Institute (SMARTRI) Pekanbaru Indonesia
| | - Jake L. Snaddon
- School of Geography and Environmental Science University of Southampton Southampton UK
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23
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Phillips JW, Chung AYC, Edgecombe GD, Ellwood MDF. Bird's nest ferns promote resource sharing by centipedes. Biotropica 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/btp.12713] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Josie W. Phillips
- Centre for Research in Biosciences University of the West of England Bristol UK
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24
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Davison CW, Chapman PM, Wearn OR, Bernard H, Ewers RM. Shifts in the demographics and behavior of bearded pigs (
Sus barbatus
) across a land‐use gradient. Biotropica 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/btp.12724] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Charles W. Davison
- Department of Life Sciences Imperial College London Berkshire UK
- Center for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate GLOBE Institute University of Copenhagen Copenhagen Denmark
| | | | | | - Henry Bernard
- Institute for Tropical Biology and Conservation Universiti Malaysia Sabah Kota Kinabalu Malaysia
| | - Robert M. Ewers
- Department of Life Sciences Imperial College London Berkshire UK
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25
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Anamulai S, Sanusi R, Zubaid A, Lechner AM, Ashton-Butt A, Azhar B. Land use conversion from peat swamp forest to oil palm agriculture greatly modifies microclimate and soil conditions. PeerJ 2019; 7:e7656. [PMID: 31632845 PMCID: PMC6796957 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.7656] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2018] [Accepted: 08/10/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) agriculture is rapidly expanding and requires large areas of land in the tropics to meet the global demand for palm oil products. Land cover conversion of peat swamp forest to oil palm (large- and small-scale oil palm production) is likely to have negative impacts on microhabitat conditions. This study assessed the impact of peat swamp forest conversion to oil palm plantation on microclimate conditions and soil characteristics. The measurement of microclimate (air temperature, wind speed, light intensity and relative humidity) and soil characteristics (soil surface temperature, soil pH, soil moisture, and ground cover vegetation temperature) were compared at a peat swamp forest, smallholdings and a large-scale plantation. Results showed that the peat swamp forest was 1.5–2.3 °C cooler with significantly greater relative humidity, lower light intensities and wind speed compared to the smallholdings and large-scale plantations. Soil characteristics were also significantly different between the peat swamp forest and both types of oil palm plantations with lower soil pH, soil and ground cover vegetation surface temperatures and greater soil moisture in the peat swamp forest. These results suggest that peat swamp forests have greater ecosystem benefits compared to oil palm plantations with smallholdings agricultural approach as a promising management practice to improve microhabitat conditions. Our findings also justify the conservation of remaining peat swamp forest as it provides a refuge from harsh microclimatic conditions that characterize large plantations and smallholdings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Subasini Anamulai
- Department of Forest Management, Faculty of Forestry, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Ruzana Sanusi
- Department of Forest Management, Faculty of Forestry, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia.,Institute of Tropical Forestry and Forest Product, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Akbar Zubaid
- Faculty of Science and Technology, National University of Malaysia, Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Alex M Lechner
- School of Environmental and Geographical Sciences, University of Nottingham Malaysia, Semenyih, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Adham Ashton-Butt
- British Trust for Ornithology, The Nunnery, Thetford, United Kingdom
| | - Badrul Azhar
- Department of Forest Management, Faculty of Forestry, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia.,Biodiversity Unit, Institute of Bioscience, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia
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26
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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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Luskin MS, Ickes K, Yao TL, Davies SJ. Wildlife differentially affect tree and liana regeneration in a tropical forest: An 18‐year study of experimental terrestrial defaunation versus artificially abundant herbivores. J Appl Ecol 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.13378] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Matthew Scott Luskin
- Forest Global Earth Observatory – Center for Tropical Forest ScienceSmithsonian Tropical Research Institute Washington DC
- Asian School of the EnvironmentNanyang Technological University Singapore
| | - Kalan Ickes
- Department of Biological SciencesClemson University Clemson South Carolina
| | - Tze Leong Yao
- Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM) Kepong Selangor Darul Ehsan Malaysia
| | - Stuart J. Davies
- Forest Global Earth Observatory – Center for Tropical Forest ScienceSmithsonian Tropical Research Institute Washington DC
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De Frenne P, Zellweger F, Rodríguez-Sánchez F, Scheffers BR, Hylander K, Luoto M, Vellend M, Verheyen K, Lenoir J. Global buffering of temperatures under forest canopies. Nat Ecol Evol 2019; 3:744-749. [DOI: 10.1038/s41559-019-0842-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 225] [Impact Index Per Article: 45.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2018] [Accepted: 02/13/2019] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
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Impacts of forestation and deforestation on local temperature across the globe. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0213368. [PMID: 30893352 PMCID: PMC6426338 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0213368] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2018] [Accepted: 02/19/2019] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Changing forest cover is a key driver of local climate change worldwide, as it affects both albedo and evapotranspiration (ET). Deforestation and forestation are predicted to have opposing influences on surface albedo and ET rates, and thus impact local surface temperatures differently. Relationships between forest change, albedo, ET, and local temperatures may further vary regionally, as the strengths of warming by albedo effects and cooling by ET effects vary with latitude. Despite these important relationships, the magnitude of forest cover effects on local surface temperature across the globe remains unclear. Using recently-released global forest change data, we first show that forestation and deforestation have pervasive and opposite effects on LST, ET and albedo worldwide. Deforestation from 2000 to 2010 caused consistent warming of 0.38 ± 0.02 (mean ± SE) and 0.16 ± 0.01°C in tropical and temperate regions respectively, while forestation caused cooling in those regions of -0.18 ± 0.02 and -0.19 ± 0.02°C. Tropical forests were particularly sensitive to the climate effects of forest change, with forest cover losses of ~50% associated with increased LST of 1.08 ± 0.25°C, whereas similar forest cover gains decreased LST by -1.11 ± 0.26°C. Secondly, based on a new structural equation model, we show that these changes on LST were largely mediated by changes in albedo and ET. Finally, based on this model, we show that predicted forest changes in Brazil associated with a business-as-usual land use scenario through 2050 may increase LST up to 1.45°C. Our results contribute to a better understanding of the mechanistic inter-relationships between forest change and changes in albedo, ET and LST, and provide additional evidence that forestation has the potential to reverse deforestation impacts on local climate, especially in tropical and temperate regions.
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Pena SA, Mendes-Oliveira AC. Effect of oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) plantations on individual-level diet variation of Hylaeamys megacephalus (G. Fisher 1814) (Rodentia, Cricetidae) in eastern Amazon Forest. BIOTA NEOTROPICA 2019. [DOI: 10.1590/1676-0611-bn-2018-0597] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/03/2023]
Abstract
Abstract: In this study we described the diet of Hylaeamys megacephalus (G. Fisher, 1814) and investigated the degree of individual variation in the diet of this species among the Amazon Forest and the oil palm plantation. We analyzed the stomach contents of 36 individuals, of whom 11 were collected in the forest and 25 captured in the palm oil palm plantation. The H. megacephalus diet consisted of 18 food items, of which 12 were animal composition and eight were vegetable composition. The niche amplitude of the species was narrower in the forest area (Baforest = 0.013) compared to the palm tree plantation area (Bapalm = 0.478). This shows that individuals have greater niche overlap in forest areas, while in the plantation areas the animals expand their food niche. In addition, the values of the mean of the individual diet in relation to the diet of the entire population were lower in the palm oil palm plantation environment (ISpalm = 0.164) than in the Forest environment (ISforest = 0.357), indicating a high specialization in the palm oil plantation. These results indicate a population mechanism to reduce intraspecific competition in response to scarce resources.
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31
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Bennett RE, Leuenberger W, Bosarreyes Leja BB, Sagone Cáceres A, Johnson K, Larkin J. Conservation of Neotropical migratory birds in tropical hardwood and oil palm plantations. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0210293. [PMID: 30596798 PMCID: PMC6312276 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0210293] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2018] [Accepted: 12/18/2018] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Tropical forests in the Americas are undergoing rapid conversion to commercial agriculture, and many migratory bird species that use these forests have experienced corresponding populations declines. Conservation research for migratory birds in the tropics has focused overwhelmingly on shade coffee plantations and adjacent forest, but both cover types are now in decline, creating an urgent need to evaluate conservation opportunities in other agricultural systems. Here we compare how a community of 42 Neotropical migratory bird species and a subset of five conservation-priority species differ in usage and habitat associations among a secondary forest baseline and four expanding commercial plantation systems in Guatemala: African oil palm, teak, rubber, and mixed-native hardwoods. We found that mixed-native hardwood plantations supported the highest richness and diversity of all migrants and that the three hardwood plantation types generally outperformed oil palm in richness and diversity metrics. Despite this, oil palm supported high abundance of several common and widespread species also experiencing range-wide population declines and may therefore play an important role in conserving common species. Mature secondary forest hosted low abundance and diversity of the full migratory community, but high abundance and richness of conservation priority migrants along with native hardwood and teak plantations. Likewise, the percentage of forest cover on the landscape was positively associated with priority migrant abundance and richness but negatively associated with the abundance of migrants in general, highlighting how individual species within the broad group of Neotropical migratory landbirds respond differently to anthropogenic changes in land use. Across all cover types, the retention of tall overstory trees increased the abundance, richness, and diversity of all migrants, which indicates that vertical structural diversity and remnant trees are important habitat features for birds in agricultural landscapes. Our findings show that conservation opportunities exist in hardwood and oil palm plantations, though the species likely to benefit from conservation action will vary among plantation types. For the subset of conservation priority migrants, our results suggest that conservation efforts should combine strategies that retain and restore secondary forest, promote the adoption of native hardwood and teak plantations, and promote the retention of tall, remnant trees in agricultural landscapes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruth E. Bennett
- Department of Natural Resources, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States of America
- Conservation Science Program, Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Wendy Leuenberger
- College of Environmental Science and Forestry, State University of New York, Syracuse, NY, United States of America
| | | | | | - Kirsten Johnson
- Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Indiana, PA, United States of America
| | - Jeffery Larkin
- Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Indiana, PA, United States of America
- American Bird Conservancy, The Plains, VA, United States of America
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Lipolytic bacterial strains mediated transesterification of non-edible plant oils for generation of high quality biodiesel. J Biosci Bioeng 2018; 127:609-617. [PMID: 30579829 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiosc.2018.11.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2018] [Revised: 10/20/2018] [Accepted: 11/02/2018] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Biodiesel is one of the best alternative to depleting fossil fuels for transport sector. However, biodiesel production via lipase mediated transesterification has limitation of high costing microbial enzymes. In order to overcome this limitation, a process of sequential treatment of oil industry wastewater using isolated lipolytic bacterial strains and biodiesel production from non-edible plant oils was studied. In this study, efficient lipase producing bacteria were isolated and evaluated for production of biodiesel from mustard, soybean, jatropha and taramira oils utilizing methanol for the transesterification of oils and bioremediation. Selected strains were then identified, using 16s rRNA sequencing. Further, Bacillus subtilis strain Q1 KX712301 was optimized for biodiesel production from non-edible taramira oil via Plackett-Burman and central composite design. Highest volumetric yield of biodiesel obtained was 102% at optimized parameters. Finally, a sequential bioremediation of vegetable oil contaminated wastewater and then microbial production of biodiesel from non-edible taramira oil was carried out using efficient lipase producer B. subtilis strain Q1 at optimized conditions. During sequential process, complete chemical oxigen demand reduction of oil containing wastewater and theoretical volumetric yield of biodiesel was achieved. Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry chromatogram revealed that the total fatty acid methyl ester content of the produced biodiesel was >98% which is in accordance with the biodiesel quality standards specified by both ASTM and EU-14103.
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33
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Brandon-Mong GJ, Littlefair JE, Sing KW, Lee YP, Gan HM, Clare EL, Wilson JJ. Temporal changes in arthropod activity in tropical anthropogenic forests. BULLETIN OF ENTOMOLOGICAL RESEARCH 2018; 108:792-799. [PMID: 29441836 DOI: 10.1017/s000748531800010x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
Arthropod communities in the tropics are increasingly impacted by rapid changes in land use. Because species showing distinct seasonal patterns of activity are thought to be at higher risk of climate-related extirpation, global warming is generally considered a lower threat to arthropod biodiversity in the tropics than in temperate regions. To examine changes associated with land use and weather variables in tropical arthropod communities, we deployed Malaise traps at three major anthropogenic forests (secondary reserve forest, oil palm forest, and urban ornamental forest (UOF)) in Peninsular Malaysia and collected arthropods continuously for 12 months. We used metabarcoding protocols to characterize the diversity within weekly samples. We found that changes in the composition of arthropod communities were significantly associated with maximum temperature in all the three forests, but shifts were reversed in the UOF compared with the other forests. This suggests arthropods in forests in Peninsular Malaysia face a double threat: community shifts and biodiversity loss due to exploitation and disturbance of forests which consequently put species at further risk related to global warming. We highlight the positive feedback mechanism of land use and temperature, which pose threats to the arthropod communities and further implicates ecosystem functioning and human well-being. Consequently, conservation and mitigation plans are urgently needed.
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Affiliation(s)
- G-J Brandon-Mong
- Institute of Biological Sciences,Faculty of Science,University of Malaya,50603 Kuala Lumpur,Malaysia
| | - J E Littlefair
- School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London,Mile End Rd., London,E1 4NS,UK
| | - K-W Sing
- South China DNA Barcoding Center, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences,32 Jiaochang Donglu, 650223 Kunming, Yunnan,P. R. China
| | - Y-P Lee
- School of Science, Monash University Malaysia,Jalan Lagoon Selatan, Bandar Sunway, 47500 Petaling Jaya, Selangor,Malaysia
| | - H-M Gan
- School of Science, Monash University Malaysia,Jalan Lagoon Selatan, Bandar Sunway, 47500 Petaling Jaya, Selangor,Malaysia
| | - E L Clare
- School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London,Mile End Rd., London,E1 4NS,UK
| | - J-J Wilson
- International College Beijing, China Agricultural University,Beijing, 100083,P. R. China
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Wearn OR, Carbone C, Rowcliffe JM, Pfeifer M, Bernard H, Ewers RM. Land-use change alters the mechanisms assembling rainforest mammal communities in Borneo. J Anim Ecol 2018; 88:125-137. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.12903] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2018] [Accepted: 08/21/2018] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Oliver R. Wearn
- Institute of Zoology; Zoological Society of London; London UK
- Department of Life Sciences; Imperial College London; Ascot UK
| | - Chris Carbone
- Institute of Zoology; Zoological Society of London; London UK
| | | | - Marion Pfeifer
- Department of Life Sciences; Imperial College London; Ascot UK
- School of Natural and Environmental Sciences; Newcastle University; Newcastle UK
| | - Henry Bernard
- Institute for Tropical Biology and Conservation; Universiti Malaysia Sabah; Kota Kinabalu Sabah Malaysia
| | - Robert M. Ewers
- Department of Life Sciences; Imperial College London; Ascot UK
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35
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Luskin MS, Lee JS, Edwards DP, Gibson L, Potts MD. Study context shapes recommendations of land-sparing and sharing; a quantitative review. GLOBAL FOOD SECURITY-AGRICULTURE POLICY ECONOMICS AND ENVIRONMENT 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gfs.2017.08.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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36
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Extraction of oil from Elaeis spp. using subcritical propane and cosolvent: Experimental and modeling. J Supercrit Fluids 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.supflu.2017.11.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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37
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Cross-boundary subsidy cascades from oil palm degrade distant tropical forests. Nat Commun 2017; 8:2231. [PMID: 29263381 PMCID: PMC5738359 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-017-01920-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2017] [Accepted: 10/25/2017] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Native species that forage in farmland may increase their local abundances thereby affecting adjacent ecosystems within their landscape. We used two decades of ecological data from a protected primary rainforest in Malaysia to illutrate how subsidies from neighboring oil palm plantations triggered powerful secondary 'cascading' effects on natural habitats located >1.3 km away. We found (i) oil palm fruit drove 100-fold increases in crop-raiding native wild boar (Sus scrofa), (ii) wild boar used thousands of understory plants to construct birthing nests in the pristine forest interior, and (iii) nest building caused a 62% decline in forest tree sapling density over the 24-year study period. The long-term, landscape-scale indirect effects from agriculture suggest its full ecological footprint may be larger in extent than is currently recognized. Cross-boundary subsidy cascades may be widespread in both terrestrial and marine ecosystems and present significant conservation challenges.
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38
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Senior RA, Hill JK, González del Pliego P, Goode LK, Edwards DP. A pantropical analysis of the impacts of forest degradation and conversion on local temperature. Ecol Evol 2017; 7:7897-7908. [PMID: 29043043 PMCID: PMC5632667 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.3262] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2017] [Revised: 06/13/2017] [Accepted: 06/25/2017] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Temperature is a core component of a species' fundamental niche. At the fine scale over which most organisms experience climate (mm to ha), temperature depends upon the amount of radiation reaching the Earth's surface, which is principally governed by vegetation. Tropical regions have undergone widespread and extreme changes to vegetation, particularly through the degradation and conversion of rainforests. As most terrestrial biodiversity is in the tropics, and many of these species possess narrow thermal limits, it is important to identify local thermal impacts of rainforest degradation and conversion. We collected pantropical, site-level (<1 ha) temperature data from the literature to quantify impacts of land-use change on local temperatures, and to examine whether this relationship differed aboveground relative to belowground and between wet and dry seasons. We found that local temperature in our sample sites was higher than primary forest in all human-impacted land-use types (N = 113,894 daytime temperature measurements from 25 studies). Warming was pronounced following conversion of forest to agricultural land (minimum +1.6°C, maximum +13.6°C), but minimal and nonsignificant when compared to forest degradation (e.g., by selective logging; minimum +1°C, maximum +1.1°C). The effect was buffered belowground (minimum buffering 0°C, maximum buffering 11.4°C), whereas seasonality had minimal impact (maximum buffering 1.9°C). We conclude that forest-dependent species that persist following conversion of rainforest have experienced substantial local warming. Deforestation pushes these species closer to their thermal limits, making it more likely that compounding effects of future perturbations, such as severe droughts and global warming, will exceed species' tolerances. By contrast, degraded forests and belowground habitats may provide important refugia for thermally restricted species in landscapes dominated by agricultural land.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca A. Senior
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, Alfred Denny BuildingUniversity of Sheffield, Western BankSheffieldUK
| | - Jane K. Hill
- Department of BiologyUniversity of York, Wentworth WayYorkUK
| | - Pamela González del Pliego
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, Alfred Denny BuildingUniversity of Sheffield, Western BankSheffieldUK
| | - Laurel K. Goode
- Department of Human Services and Oregon Health AuthoritySalemORUSA
| | - David P. Edwards
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, Alfred Denny BuildingUniversity of Sheffield, Western BankSheffieldUK
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Yahya MS, Syafiq M, Ashton-Butt A, Ghazali A, Asmah S, Azhar B. Switching from monoculture to polyculture farming benefits birds in oil palm production landscapes: Evidence from mist netting data. Ecol Evol 2017; 7:6314-6325. [PMID: 28861235 PMCID: PMC5574735 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.3205] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2017] [Revised: 05/31/2017] [Accepted: 06/06/2017] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Monoculture farming is pervasive in industrial oil palm agriculture, including those RSPO plantations certified as sustainably managed. This farming practice does not promote the maintenance of farmland biodiversity. However, little scientific attention has been given to polyculture farming in oil palm production landscapes. Polyculture farming is likely to increase the floristic diversity and stand structural complexity that underpins biodiversity. Mist nets were used to sample birds at 120 smallholdings in Peninsular Malaysia. At each site, 12 vegetation structure characteristics were measured. We compared bird species richness, abundance, and composition between monoculture and polyculture smallholdings and used predictive models to examine the effects of habitat quality on avian biodiversity. Bird species richness was significantly greater in polyculture than that of monoculture smallholdings. The number of fallen and standing, dead oil palms were also important positive predictors of species richness. Bird abundance was also strongly increased by standing and dead oil palms and decreased with oil palm stand height. Our results indicate that polyculture farming can improve bird species richness in oil palm production landscapes. In addition, key habitat variables that are closely associated with farming practices, such as the removal of dead trees, should and can be managed by oil palm growers in order to promote biodiversity. To increase the sustainability of oil palm agriculture, it is imperative that stakeholders modify the way oil palms are currently planted and managed. Our findings can guide policy makers and certification bodies to promote oil palm production landscapes that will function more sustainably and increase existing biodiversity of oil palm landscapes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muhammad S Yahya
- Department of Forest Management Faculty of Forestry Universiti Putra Malaysia Selangor Malaysia
| | - Muhamad Syafiq
- Department of Forest Management Faculty of Forestry Universiti Putra Malaysia Selangor Malaysia
| | - Adham Ashton-Butt
- Institute for Life Sciences University of Southampton Southampton UK
| | - Amal Ghazali
- Department of Forest Management Faculty of Forestry Universiti Putra Malaysia Selangor Malaysia
| | - Siti Asmah
- Department of Forest Management Faculty of Forestry Universiti Putra Malaysia Selangor Malaysia
| | - Badrul Azhar
- Department of Forest Management Faculty of Forestry Universiti Putra Malaysia Selangor Malaysia.,Biodiversity Unit Institute of Bioscience Universiti Putra Malaysia Selangor Malaysia
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Horincar G, Horincar VB, Gottardi D, Bahrim G. Tailoring the potential of Yarrowia lipolytica for bioconversion of raw palm fat for antimicrobials production. Lebensm Wiss Technol 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.lwt.2017.02.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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41
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Integrating disparate occurrence reports to map data-poor species ranges and occupancy: a case study of the Vulnerable bearded pig Sus barbatus. ORYX 2017. [DOI: 10.1017/s0030605317000382] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
AbstractMonitoring species ranges and suitable and occupied habitat are core components of biogeography, ecology and conservation biology, but it is difficult to do for rare, cryptic, wide-ranging, migratory or nomadic species. We present a transparent and objective process to combine multiple types of locality data (peer-reviewed and grey literature, museum collections, camera-trap inventories, and citizen science reports). We illustrate the advantages of this pooled approach by assessing change in range and patch occupancy for a data-poor and threatened nomadic keystone species, the bearded pig Sus barbatus, in Borneo, Sumatra and Peninsular Malaysia. We used a collated set of all occurrence observations (n = 240) to create minimum convex polygons for forested habitats for two time periods. We evaluated confidence that a patch was truly occupied by the overlap among data types. We found that 62% of the forest habitat of the Sumatran bearded pig S. barbatus oi was lost during 1990–2010 and that its range contracted by 76%; the Bornean bearded pig S. barbatus barbatus lost 23 and 24% of its forest habitat and range, respectively, and in Peninsular Malaysia the 93% range collapse of this subspecies during 1985–2010 is more severe than the 33% habitat loss alone would suggest. We conclude that integrating data types can improve mapping of the ranges of many data-poor species.
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42
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Luke SH, Barclay H, Bidin K, Chey VK, Ewers RM, Foster WA, Nainar A, Pfeifer M, Reynolds G, Turner EC, Walsh RPD, Aldridge DC. The effects of catchment and riparian forest quality on stream environmental conditions across a tropical rainforest and oil palm landscape in Malaysian Borneo. ECOHYDROLOGY : ECOSYSTEMS, LAND AND WATER PROCESS INTERACTIONS, ECOHYDROGEOMORPHOLOGY 2017; 10:e1827. [PMID: 28706573 PMCID: PMC5485068 DOI: 10.1002/eco.1827] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2016] [Revised: 12/14/2016] [Accepted: 12/14/2016] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
Freshwaters provide valuable habitat and important ecosystem services but are threatened worldwide by habitat loss and degradation. In Southeast Asia, rainforest streams are particularly threatened by logging and conversion to oil palm, but we lack information on the impacts of this on freshwater environmental conditions, and the relative importance of catchment versus riparian-scale disturbance. We studied 16 streams in Sabah, Borneo, including old-growth forest, logged forest, and oil palm sites. We assessed forest quality in riparian zones and across the whole catchment and compared it with stream environmental conditions including water quality, structural complexity, and organic inputs. We found that streams with the highest riparian forest quality were nearly 4 °C cooler, over 20 cm deeper, had over 40% less sand, greater canopy cover, more stored leaf litter, and wider channels than oil palm streams with the lowest riparian forest quality. Other variables were significantly related to catchment-scale forest quality, with streams in the highest quality forest catchments having 40% more bedrock and 20 times more dead wood, along with higher phosphorus, and lower nitrate-N levels compared to streams with the lowest catchment-scale forest quality. Although riparian buffer strips went some way to protecting waterways, they did not maintain fully forest-like stream conditions. In addition, logged forest streams still showed signs of disturbance 10-15 years after selective logging. Our results suggest that maintenance and restoration of buffer strips can help to protect healthy freshwater ecosystems but logging practices and catchment-scale forest management also need to be considered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah H. Luke
- Department of ZoologyUniversity of CambridgeDowning StreetCambridgeCB2 3EJUK
| | - Holly Barclay
- Department of ZoologyUniversity of CambridgeDowning StreetCambridgeCB2 3EJUK
- School of ScienceMonash UniversityJalan Lagoon Selatan47500Subang JayaSelangor Darul EhsanMalaysia
| | - Kawi Bidin
- Natural Disaster Research CentreUniversiti Malaysia SabahJalan UMS88400Kota KinabaluSabahMalaysia
| | - Vun Khen Chey
- Forest Research Centre (Sepilok)Sabah Forestry DepartmentP.O. Box 140790715SandakanSabahMalaysia
| | - Robert M. Ewers
- Department of Life SciencesImperial College London, Silwood Park CampusBuckhurst RoadAscotSL5 7PYUK
| | - William A. Foster
- Department of ZoologyUniversity of CambridgeDowning StreetCambridgeCB2 3EJUK
| | - Anand Nainar
- Faculty of Science and Natural ResourcesUniversiti Malaysia SabahJalan UMS88400Kota KinabaluSabahMalaysia
| | - Marion Pfeifer
- Department of Life SciencesImperial College London, Silwood Park CampusBuckhurst RoadAscotSL5 7PYUK
- School of BiologyNewcastle UniversityRidley Building 2Newcastle upon TyneNE1 7RUUK
| | - Glen Reynolds
- The South East Asia Rainforest Research Partnership (SEARRP)Danum Valley Field CentreP.O. Box 6028291112Lahad DatuSabahMalaysia
| | - Edgar C. Turner
- Department of ZoologyUniversity of CambridgeDowning StreetCambridgeCB2 3EJUK
- Department of Life SciencesImperial College London, Silwood Park CampusBuckhurst RoadAscotSL5 7PYUK
| | | | - David C. Aldridge
- Department of ZoologyUniversity of CambridgeDowning StreetCambridgeCB2 3EJUK
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Love K, Kurz DJ, Vaughan IP, Ke A, Evans LJ, Goossens B. Bearded pig (Sus barbatus) utilisation of a fragmented forest–oil palm landscape in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. WILDLIFE RESEARCH 2017. [DOI: 10.1071/wr16189] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Context
Oil palm plantations have become a dominant landscape in Southeast Asia, yet we still understand relatively little about the ways wildlife are adapting to fragmented mosaics of forest and oil palm. The bearded pig is of great ecological, social and conservation importance in Borneo and is declining in many parts of its range due to deforestation, habitat fragmentation and overhunting.
Aims
We assessed how the bearded pig is adapting to oil palm expansion by investigating habitat utilisation, activity patterns, body condition and minimum group size in a mosaic landscape composed of forest fragments and surrounding oil palm plantations.
Methods
We conducted our study in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo, in and around the Lower Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary, a protected area consisting of secondary forest fragments (ranging 1200–7400ha) situated within an extensive oil palm matrix. We modelled bearded pig habitat use in forest fragments and oil palm plantations using survey data from line transects. Camera traps placed throughout the forest fragments were used to assess pig activity patterns, body condition and minimum group size.
Key results
All forest transects and 80% of plantation transects showed pig presence, but mean pig signs per transect were much more prevalent in forest (70.00±13.00s.e.) than in plantations (0.91±0.42s.e.). Pig tracks had a positive relationship with leaf cover and a negative relationship with grass cover; pig rooting sites had a positive relationship with wet and moderate soils compared with drier soils. Ninety-five percent of pigs displayed ‘good’ or ‘very good’ body condition in forests across the study area. Pigs also aggregated in small groups (mean=2.7±0.1s.e. individuals), and showed largely diurnal activity patterns with peak activity taking place at dawn and dusk. Groups with piglets and juveniles were more active during the day and less active at night as compared to overall activity patterns for all groups.
Conclusions
Our findings suggest that bearded pigs in our study area regularly utilise oil palm as habitat, as indicated by their signs in most oil palm sites surveyed. However, secondary forest fragments are used much more frequently and for a wider range of behaviours (e.g. nesting, wallowing) than adjacent oil palm plantations. These forests clearly remain the most important habitat for the bearded pig in the Lower Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary, and their protection is a high conservation priority for this species.
Implications
Consistent bearded pig presence in oil palm is potentially an indication of successful adaptation to agricultural expansion in the study area. The apparently good body condition displayed by the vast majority of pigs in our study likely results from year-round cross-border fruit subsidies from surrounding oil palm plantations. The consistent diurnal activity displayed by groups containing piglets and juveniles may indicate predator avoidance strategies, whereas the substantial nocturnal activity we observed by other groups could suggest fewer threats for larger individuals. However, the overall effects of oil palm expansion in the region on bearded pig population health, foraging ecology, and movement ecology remain unknown.A
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Scriven SA, Beale CM, Benedick S, Hill JK. Barriers to dispersal of rain forest butterflies in tropical agricultural landscapes. Biotropica 2016. [DOI: 10.1111/btp.12397] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Colin M. Beale
- Department of Biology; University of York; York YO10 5DD UK
| | - Suzan Benedick
- Faculty of Sustainable Agriculture; Universiti Malaysia Sabah; Beg Berkunci No. 3 90509 Sandakan Sabah Malaysia
| | - Jane K. Hill
- Department of Biology; University of York; York YO10 5DD UK
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Teuscher M, Gérard A, Brose U, Buchori D, Clough Y, Ehbrecht M, Hölscher D, Irawan B, Sundawati L, Wollni M, Kreft H. Experimental Biodiversity Enrichment in Oil-Palm-Dominated Landscapes in Indonesia. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2016; 7:1538. [PMID: 27799935 PMCID: PMC5065973 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2016.01538] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2016] [Accepted: 09/29/2016] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
Tropical biodiversity is threatened by the expansion of oil-palm plantations. Reduced-impact farming systems such as agroforests, have been proposed to increase biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. In regions where oil-palm plantations already dominate the landscape, this increase can only be achieved through systematic ecological restoration. However, our knowledge about the underlying ecological and socio-economic processes, constraints, and trade-offs of ecological restoration in oil-palm landscapes is very limited. To bridge this gap, we established a long-term biodiversity enrichment experiment. We established experimental tree islands in a conventional oil-palm plantation and systematically varied plot size, tree diversity, and tree species composition. Here, we describe the rationale and the design of the experiment, the ecosystem variables (soil, topography, canopy openness) and biotic characteristics (associated vegetation, invertebrates, birds) of the experimental site prior to the establishment of the experiment, and initial experimental effects on the fauna. Already one year after establishment of the experiment, tree plantings had an overall positive effect on the bird and invertebrate communities at the plantation scale. The diversity and abundance of invertebrates was positively affected by the size of the tree islands. Based on these results, we expect a further increase of biodiversity and associated ecological functions in the future. The long-term interdisciplinary monitoring of ecosystem variables, flora, fauna, and socio-economic aspects will allow us to evaluate the suitability of tree islands as a restoration measure. Thereof, guidelines for ecologically improved and socio-economically viable restoration and management concepts could be developed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miriam Teuscher
- Department of Systemic Conservation Biology, J.F. Blumenbach Institute for Zoology and Anthropology, Georg-August-University GöttingenGöttingen, Germany
| | - Anne Gérard
- Biodiversity, Macroecology and Biogeography, Georg-August-University GöttingenGöttingen, Germany
| | - Ulrich Brose
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research Halle-Jena-LeipzigLeipzig, Germany
- Institute of Ecology, Friedrich Schiller University JenaJena, Germany
| | - Damayanti Buchori
- Department of Plant Protection, Bogor Agricultural UniversityBogor, Indonesia
| | - Yann Clough
- Centre for Environmental and Climate Research, Lund UniversityLund, Sweden
- Department of Crop Sciences, Agroecology, Georg-August-University GöttingenGöttingen, Germany
| | - Martin Ehbrecht
- Silviculture and Forest Ecology of the Temperate Zones, Georg-August-University GöttingenGöttingen, Germany
| | - Dirk Hölscher
- Tropical Silviculture and Forest Ecology, Georg-August-University GöttingenGöttingen, Germany
| | - Bambang Irawan
- Faculty of Forestry, University of JambiJambi, Indonesia
| | - Leti Sundawati
- Department of Forest Management, Faculty of Forestry, Bogor Agricultural UniversityBogor, Indonesia
| | - Meike Wollni
- Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development, Georg-August-University GöttingenGöttingen, Germany
| | - Holger Kreft
- Biodiversity, Macroecology and Biogeography, Georg-August-University GöttingenGöttingen, Germany
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Dislich C, Keyel AC, Salecker J, Kisel Y, Meyer KM, Auliya M, Barnes AD, Corre MD, Darras K, Faust H, Hess B, Klasen S, Knohl A, Kreft H, Meijide A, Nurdiansyah F, Otten F, Pe'er G, Steinebach S, Tarigan S, Tölle MH, Tscharntke T, Wiegand K. A review of the ecosystem functions in oil palm plantations, using forests as a reference system. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2016; 92:1539-1569. [PMID: 27511961 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12295] [Citation(s) in RCA: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2015] [Revised: 07/07/2016] [Accepted: 07/11/2016] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Oil palm plantations have expanded rapidly in recent decades. This large-scale land-use change has had great ecological, economic, and social impacts on both the areas converted to oil palm and their surroundings. However, research on the impacts of oil palm cultivation is scattered and patchy, and no clear overview exists. We address this gap through a systematic and comprehensive literature review of all ecosystem functions in oil palm plantations, including several (genetic, medicinal and ornamental resources, information functions) not included in previous systematic reviews. We compare ecosystem functions in oil palm plantations to those in forests, as the conversion of forest to oil palm is prevalent in the tropics. We find that oil palm plantations generally have reduced ecosystem functioning compared to forests: 11 out of 14 ecosystem functions show a net decrease in level of function. Some functions show decreases with potentially irreversible global impacts (e.g. reductions in gas and climate regulation, habitat and nursery functions, genetic resources, medicinal resources, and information functions). The most serious impacts occur when forest is cleared to establish new plantations, and immediately afterwards, especially on peat soils. To variable degrees, specific plantation management measures can prevent or reduce losses of some ecosystem functions (e.g. avoid illegal land clearing via fire, avoid draining of peat, use of integrated pest management, use of cover crops, mulch, and compost) and we highlight synergistic mitigation measures that can improve multiple ecosystem functions simultaneously. The only ecosystem function which increases in oil palm plantations is, unsurprisingly, the production of marketable goods. Our review highlights numerous research gaps. In particular, there are significant gaps with respect to socio-cultural information functions. Further, there is a need for more empirical data on the importance of spatial and temporal scales, such as differences among plantations in different environments, of different sizes, and of different ages, as our review has identified examples where ecosystem functions vary spatially and temporally. Finally, more research is needed on developing management practices that can offset the losses of ecosystem functions. Our findings should stimulate research to address the identified gaps, and provide a foundation for more systematic research and discussion on ways to minimize the negative impacts and maximize the positive impacts of oil palm cultivation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia Dislich
- Department of Ecosystem Modelling, Faculty of Forest Sciences and Forest Ecology, University of Göttingen, 37077, Göttingen, Germany.,Department of Ecological Modelling, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, 04318, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Alexander C Keyel
- Department of Ecosystem Modelling, Faculty of Forest Sciences and Forest Ecology, University of Göttingen, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Jan Salecker
- Department of Ecosystem Modelling, Faculty of Forest Sciences and Forest Ecology, University of Göttingen, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Yael Kisel
- Department of Ecosystem Modelling, Faculty of Forest Sciences and Forest Ecology, University of Göttingen, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Katrin M Meyer
- Department of Ecosystem Modelling, Faculty of Forest Sciences and Forest Ecology, University of Göttingen, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Mark Auliya
- Department of Conservation Biology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, 04318, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Andrew D Barnes
- Department of Systemic Conservation Biology, Faculty of Biology and Psychology, University of Göttingen, 37073, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Marife D Corre
- Department of Soil Science of Tropical and Subtropical Ecosystems, Faculty of Forest Sciences and Forest Ecology, University of Göttingen, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Kevin Darras
- Department of Crop Sciences, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, University of Göttingen, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Heiko Faust
- Department of Human Geography, Faculty of Geoscience and Geography, University of Göttingen, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Bastian Hess
- Department of Ecosystem Modelling, Faculty of Forest Sciences and Forest Ecology, University of Göttingen, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Stephan Klasen
- Department of Development Economics, Faculty of Economic Science, University of Göttingen, 37073, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Alexander Knohl
- Department of Bioclimatology, Faculty of Forest Sciences and Forest Ecology, University of Göttingen, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Holger Kreft
- Department of Biodiversity, Macroecology & Conservation Biogeography, Faculty of Forest Sciences and Forest Ecology, University of Göttingen, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Ana Meijide
- Department of Bioclimatology, Faculty of Forest Sciences and Forest Ecology, University of Göttingen, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Fuad Nurdiansyah
- Department of Ecosystem Modelling, Faculty of Forest Sciences and Forest Ecology, University of Göttingen, 37077, Göttingen, Germany.,Department of Crop Sciences, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, University of Göttingen, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Fenna Otten
- Department of Human Geography, Faculty of Geoscience and Geography, University of Göttingen, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Guy Pe'er
- Department of Conservation Biology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, 04318, Leipzig, Germany.,German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), 04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Stefanie Steinebach
- Institute of Social and Cultural Anthropology, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Göttingen, 37073, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Suria Tarigan
- Department of Soil Sciences and Land Resources Management, Bogor Agriculture University, Bogor, Indonesia
| | - Merja H Tölle
- Department of Bioclimatology, Faculty of Forest Sciences and Forest Ecology, University of Göttingen, 37077, Göttingen, Germany.,Institute for Geography, University of Giessen, 35390, Giessen, Germany
| | - Teja Tscharntke
- Department of Crop Sciences, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, University of Göttingen, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Kerstin Wiegand
- Department of Ecosystem Modelling, Faculty of Forest Sciences and Forest Ecology, University of Göttingen, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
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Wearn OR, Carbone C, Rowcliffe JM, Bernard H, Ewers RM. Grain-dependent responses of mammalian diversity to land use and the implications for conservation set-aside. ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS : A PUBLICATION OF THE ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2016; 26:1409-1420. [PMID: 27755763 DOI: 10.1890/15-1363] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2015] [Revised: 12/29/2015] [Accepted: 01/06/2015] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
Diversity responses to land-use change are poorly understood at local scales, hindering our ability to make forecasts and management recommendations at scales which are of practical relevance. A key barrier in this has been the underappreciation of grain-dependent diversity responses and the role that β-diversity (variation in community composition across space) plays in this. Decisions about the most effective spatial arrangement of conservation set-aside, for example high conservation value areas, have also neglected β-diversity, despite its role in determining the complementarity of sites. We examined local-scale mammalian species richness and β-diversity across old-growth forest, logged forest, and oil palm plantations in Borneo, using intensive camera- and live-trapping. For the first time, we were able to investigate diversity responses, as well as β-diversity, at multiple spatial grains, and across the whole terrestrial mammal community (large and small mammals); β-diversity was quantified by comparing observed β-diversity with that obtained under a null model, in order to control for sampling effects, and we refer to this as the β-diversity signal. Community responses to land use were grain dependent, with large mammals showing reduced richness in logged forest compared to old-growth forest at the grain of individual sampling points, but no change at the overall land-use level. Responses varied with species group, however, with small mammals increasing in richness at all grains in logged forest compared to old-growth forest. Both species groups were significantly depauperate in oil palm. Large mammal communities in old-growth forest became more heterogeneous at coarser spatial grains and small mammal communities became more homogeneous, while this pattern was reversed in logged forest. Both groups, however, showed a significant β-diversity signal at the finest grain in logged forest, likely due to logging-induced environmental heterogeneity. The β-diversity signal in oil palm was weak, but heterogeneity at the coarsest spatial grain was still evident, likely due to variation in landscape forest cover. Our findings suggest that the most effective spatial arrangement of set-aside will involve trade-offs between conserving large and small mammals. Greater consideration in the conservation and management of tropical landscapes needs to be given to β-diversity at a range of spatial grains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oliver R Wearn
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Silwood Park, Ascot, SL5 7PY, United Kingdom
- Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, Regent's Park, London, NW1 4RY, United Kingdom
| | - Chris Carbone
- Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, Regent's Park, London, NW1 4RY, United Kingdom
| | - J Marcus Rowcliffe
- Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, Regent's Park, London, NW1 4RY, United Kingdom
| | - Henry Bernard
- Institute for Tropical Biology and Conservation, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Jalan UMS, 88400, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia
| | - Robert M Ewers
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Silwood Park, Ascot, SL5 7PY, United Kingdom
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48
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Tripathi BM, Edwards DP, Mendes LW, Kim M, Dong K, Kim H, Adams JM. The impact of tropical forest logging and oil palm agriculture on the soil microbiome. Mol Ecol 2016; 25:2244-57. [PMID: 26994316 DOI: 10.1111/mec.13620] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2015] [Revised: 12/19/2015] [Accepted: 01/19/2016] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
Selective logging and forest conversion to oil palm agriculture are rapidly altering tropical forests. However, functional responses of the soil microbiome to these land-use changes are poorly understood. Using 16S rRNA gene and shotgun metagenomic sequencing, we compared composition and functional attributes of soil biota between unlogged, once-logged and twice-logged rainforest, and areas converted to oil palm plantations in Sabah, Borneo. Although there was no significant effect of logging history, we found a significant difference between the taxonomic and functional composition of both primary and logged forests and oil palm. Oil palm had greater abundances of genes associated with DNA, RNA, protein metabolism and other core metabolic functions, but conversely, lower abundance of genes associated with secondary metabolism and cell-cell interactions, indicating less importance of antagonism or mutualism in the more oligotrophic oil palm environment. Overall, these results show a striking difference in taxonomic composition and functional gene diversity of soil microorganisms between oil palm and forest, but no significant difference between primary forest and forest areas with differing logging history. This reinforces the view that logged forest retains most features and functions of the original soil community. However, networks based on strong correlations between taxonomy and functions showed that network complexity is unexpectedly increased due to both logging and oil palm agriculture, which suggests a pervasive effect of both land-use changes on the interaction of soil microbes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Binu M Tripathi
- Department of Biological Science, College of Natural Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul, 151-742, Korea.,Arctic Research Center, Korea Polar Research Institute, Incheon, 406-840, Korea
| | - David P Edwards
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, S10 2TN, UK
| | - Lucas William Mendes
- Cell and Molecular Biology Laboratory, Center for Nuclear Energy in Agriculture CENA, University of Sao Paulo - USP. Av. Centenário, 303, CEP 13400-970 Piracicaba (SP), Brazil.,Department of Microbial Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology NIOO-KNAW, Wageningen 6708 PB, The Netherlands
| | - Mincheol Kim
- Arctic Research Center, Korea Polar Research Institute, Incheon, 406-840, Korea
| | - Ke Dong
- Department of Biological Science, College of Natural Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul, 151-742, Korea
| | - Hyoki Kim
- Celemics Inc., 19F, Bldg. A, BYC High city, 131, Gasandigital 1-ro, Geumcheon-gu, Seoul, 153-718, Korea
| | - Jonathan M Adams
- Department of Biological Science, College of Natural Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul, 151-742, Korea
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Kurz DJ, Turner EC, Aryawan AA, Barkley HC, Caliman JP, Konopik O, Ps. S, Foster WA. Replanting reduces frog diversity in oil palm. Biotropica 2016. [DOI: 10.1111/btp.12320] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- David J. Kurz
- Department of Zoology; University of Cambridge; Downing Street Cambridge CB2 3EJ U.K
| | - Edgar C. Turner
- Department of Zoology; University of Cambridge; Downing Street Cambridge CB2 3EJ U.K
| | - Agung A. Aryawan
- SMART Research Institute; PT SMART Tbk, Jalan Tenku Umar 19 Pekan Baru 28112 Indonesia
| | - Hannah C. Barkley
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology-Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Joint Program in Oceanography; Woods Hole MA 02543 U.S.A
| | - Jean-Pierre Caliman
- SMART Research Institute; PT SMART Tbk, Jalan Tenku Umar 19 Pekan Baru 28112 Indonesia
| | - Oliver Konopik
- Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology; University of Würzburg; Theodor-Boveri-Institut; Biozentrum, Am Hubland Würzburg D-97074 Germany
| | - Sudharto Ps.
- SMART Research Institute; PT SMART Tbk, Jalan Tenku Umar 19 Pekan Baru 28112 Indonesia
| | - William A. Foster
- Department of Zoology; University of Cambridge; Downing Street Cambridge CB2 3EJ U.K
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