Diversity of arboreal ants in several types of land use in the Harapan Forest Landscape, Jambi

Abstract

The forest area in Jambi remains at 17.25%, while the area of rubber and oil palm plantations reaches 35.54% of Jambi’s total area. Habitat transformation can reduce insect diversity and their ecosystem services. This study aims to analyze the effect of deforestation on the diversity and abundance of arboreal ants in the Harapan Forest landscape. Sampling was carried out from June to August 2017 using the fogging method. The identification was carried out at the Laboratory of Biological Control, Department of Plant Protection, IPB University, from October 2021 to August 2022. Data analysis using R studio vegan and ggplot2 packages. The results showed that the highest abundance of arboreal ants was found in the forest, with an abundance of 3106 individuals. The lowest was in the rubber plantation, with an abundance of 229 individuals. The highest arboreal ant richness was found in the riparian forest with 33 genera, and the lowest arboreal ant richness was found in rubber plantations with 16 genera. It was concluded that deforestation caused a decrease in the abundance and richness of arboreal ants, for riparian and non-riparian habitats for each land use had no significant effect on the abundance and richness of arboreal ants.