Impacts of 2 species of predatory Reduviidae on bagworms in oil palm plantations

Integrated pest management (IPM) is widely practiced in commercial oil palm agriculture. This management system is intended to minimize the number of attacks by pest insects such as bagworms on crops, as well as curb economic loss with less dependency on chemical pesticides. One practice in IPM is the use of biological control agents such as predatory insects. In this study, we assessed the response of predatory natural enemies to pest outbreak and water stress, and document the habitat associations of potential pest predators. The abundances of 2 predatory insect species, namely Sycanus dichotomus and Cosmolestes picticeps (Hemiptera: Reduviidae), were compared bagworm outbreak sites and nonoutbreak sites within oil palm plantations. We also examined habitat characteristics that influence the abundances of both predatory species. We found that the abundance of C. picticeps was significantly higher in bagworm outbreak sites than in nonoutbreak sites. There were no significant differences in the abundance of S. dichotomus among outbreak and non-outbreak sites. Both species responded negatively to water stress in oil palm plantations. Concerning the relationship between predatory insect abundance and in situ habitat quality characteristics, our models explained 46.36% of variation for C. picticeps and 23.17% of variation for S. dichotomus. Both species of predatory insects thrived from the planting of multiple beneficial plants in oil palm plantations. The results suggest that C. picticeps can be used as a biological agent to control bagworm populations in oil palm plantations, but S. dichotomus has no or little potential for such ecosystem service

Effects of polyculture and monoculture farming in oil palm smallholdings on tropical fruit-feeding butterfly diversity

1. In many developing countries, commercial oil palm farming supports the livelihood of millions of small-scale farmers in the rural areas. However, forest conversion into oil palm monocultures has a major impact on tropical biodiversity. In existing oil palm production landscapes, little is known about how different oil palm agricultural practices affect farmland biodiversity, particularly insect biota. 2. We quantified fruit-feeding butterfly species richness and community composition in oil palm areas subject to polyculture and monoculture farming in Peninsular Malaysia. Polyculture smallholdings were predicted to support greater butterfly diversity than monoculture smallholdings because of the greater structural complexity and floristic diversity associated with crop diversity in polyculture smallholdings. 3. We also identified local-scale habitat attributes important for maintaining fruit-feeding butterfly species richness. 4. We found no significant differences in butterfly species richness, abundance and the composition of butterfly assemblages between polyculture and monoculture smallholdings. Local-scale habitat quality explained 32.1% of the variation in fruit-feeding butterfly richness in oil palm smallholdings. 5. We found that polyculture farming failed to increase fruit-feeding butterfly diversity as a result of a limited number of crop species in oil palm smallholdings. To improve current agricultural practices and maintain high levels of butterfly diversity, commercial growers should increase the number of crop species planted in oil palm smallholdings

Effects of monoculture and polyculture farming in oil palm smallholdings on terrestrial arthropod diversity

Oil palm agriculture has become one of the economic mainstays for biodiversity-rich countries in the tropics. The conversion of native forests to oil palm monoculture plantation has caused unprecedented biodiversity loss in Southeast Asia. Little is known about the effects of oil palm polyculture farming on arthropod diversity. In this study, arthropods were sampled using pitfall traps at 120 sites in Peninsular Malaysia. We examined how arthropod biodiversity responded to different oil palm farming practices and local-scale vegetation structure characteristics. We found that the number of arthropod orders was significantly greater in polyculture than monoculture smallholdings. However, we did not detect a significant difference in arthropod order composition nor abundance between monoculture and polyculture practices. In situ habitat characteristics explained 16% of the variation in arthropod order richness, with key predictor variables including farming practice, height of oil palm stands, and number of immature palm. The findings of this study suggest that polyculture farming together with management for in situ habitat complexity may be a useful strategy in supporting biodiversity within in oil palm plantations

Diversity of arthropod soil dweller in relation to monoculture and polyculture practices in oil palm smallholdings in Selangor, Malaysia

Oil palm plantation has become one of the economic mainstays for biodiversityrich countries in the tropics. It plays a major role in the economy of Malaysia as the second largest producer of palm oil and oil palm related products after Indonesia. The conversion of native forests to oil palm monoculture system has caused biodiversity loss. With proper planning and implementation of farming practice, oil palm agriculture in Malaysia can go further as an economic backbone. However, little is known about the effects of oil palm polyculture system on biodiversity. Studying arthropod diversity in response to different habitat variables will give evidence to support wildlife conservation in the expanding oil palm industry. The smallholdings were chosen as representatives of the oil palm smallholdings in Peninsular Malaysia as they include both oil palm and banana plants. In this study, arthropods are used as ecological indicators while pitfall traps were used in data collection. Systematic sampling of insects with random starting points were used in pitfall trapping in each plot. Arthropod diversity was examined with respect to abundance, number of orders (order richness) and community composition responded to different farming practices and vegetation structure characteristics. Across oil palm smallholdings, the number of arthropod orders were significantly higher in polyculture smallholdings than monoculture smallholdings. However, there were no significant difference in arthropod abundances in both monoculture and polyculture smallholdings. Habitat quality variables explained 15.98% of arthropods richness. The most significant predictor variables in influencing arthropod diversity were polyculture farming practice, height of oil palm crop and number of immature oil palm. This study concluded that polyculture smallholdings can host a wider arthropod order than monoculture smallholdings. Arthropods were shown to favour multiple crops that offer variety of food sources for different trophic levels. The findings of this study suggest that, in order to preserve biodiversity, oil palm stakeholders should maintain as much of the remaining arthropod biodiversity as possible by sustaining local habitat complexity in the smallholdings. This practice is not only important for the oil palm smallholding sustainability, but it also increases arthropods richness that helps to carry out important ecological niche and functions in the oil palm landscape such as floral pollination, pest predation, decomposing of litter layer and recycling of nutrient cycle

WILDLIFE EX-SITU CONSERVATION : FORENSICS, BIOBANKING, ZOONOTIC DISEASES AND CAPTIVE BREEDING

Wildlife ex-situ conservation is a complete process of securing populations outside natural habitats. Tools like captive breeding, population genetics, artificial insemination and many others are key elements in this conservation practice. This book compiles all the advancements in ex-situ conservation via the application of forensics, captive breeding, molecular genetics, disease control and husbandry management by the Department of Wildlife and National Parks (PERHILITAN) Peninsular Malaysia. A very precise and comprehensive explanation of each component is presented in this book. Those components include An Overview of ExSitu Conservation; Wildlife Forensics for Combating Wildlife Crime; Wildlife Biobanking; Wildlife Disease Surveillance; Wildlife Conservation; Wildlife Rescue, Rehabilitation and Release; Wildlife Husbandry Management and Way Forward of PERHILITAN’s ultimate goal in ex-situ conservation. All the information generated in this book will be valuable guidance for wildlife conservationists, policymakers, stakeholders and scholars. The authors of this book comprise a team with extensive experience and a wide range of skills, which make them highly qualified to publish the first-ever book on Ex-Situ Conservation in Peninsular Malaysia