Insect diversity and abundance in oil palm agroecosystems: implications for conservation and sustainable management
2023
Razi, N. | Zakaria, A. | Rafie, M.B.S.A. | Amit, S. | Jamian, S.
Understanding insect diversity and abundance in oil palm production landscapes is crucial as insects provide essential ecosystem services. This study investigates insect populations in the oil palm agroecosystem, focusing on abundance, diversity, and functional groups in different oil palm areas. Six specific areas, including conservation set aside (CSA), riparian, forest edge, young mature oil palms, matured oil palms, and immature oil palms were selected for sampling. Malaise traps, sweep netting, and pitfall traps were employed to comprehensively sample insects at all study sites. The ANOVA results showed no significant differences in insect populations among areas, suggesting relatively similar insect abundance across locations. The CSA recorded the highest insect population, followed by riparian, young mature, forest edge, matured, and immature areas. In terms of insect family composition, the Riparian area exhibited the highest richness, followed by the Young Mature area, while the Immature area recorded the lowest number of families and insect abundance. The Riparian area showed the highest insect diversity, while the CSA area had the lowest diversity. The Simpson Index of Diversity indicated higher diversity in the CSA area compared to other areas. The Evenness index showed relatively even insect distribution in the riparian, mature, forest edge, young mature, and immature areas, with the overall result displaying the highest evenness. Moreover, the study identified 100 different beneficial insect species across the six sampled areas, with the Immature area recording the highest number, followed by CSA, forest edge, young mature, riparian, and mature areas. Understanding insect biodiversity in the oil palm agroecosystem is crucial for developing effective conservation and management strategies. By assessing insect populations and their ecological roles, it becomes possible to promote sustainable agricultural practices while preserving biodiversity and ecosystem services.
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