Study of The Ecological Populations and Nesting Oecophylla smaragdina FABR. on Oil Palm Plantations as A Biological Control Indicator

Irham Falahudin, Thoriq Alfarabi

Abstract


Weaver ants (Oecophylla smaragdina Fabr.) are social insects that have an ecological role in ecosystems of oil palm plantations. Oecophylla is a predator that prevents ant prey and influences interspecies competition. The study of the ecological population of Oecophylla smaragdina Fabr. Has not been reported, focusing on measuring nest and population density in plantations with varying ages. Important research in understanding the role of Oecophylla as a potential biological control agent in plantations. The purpose of the study was to determine the population density and nest as indicators of biological control. The study was conducted in Banyuasin Regency, South Sumatra, with a purposive sampling method, collecting ant nest data based on variations in plant age. The results of our study found that the number of individuals was 4,782 from various nests. The nests found were round and oval with an area ranging from 4.19–24.19 cm². The nests found were at a height of between 1 m and 3.4 m. Population and the formation of nests are also influenced by abiotic and biotic factors. The formation of nests is an indication of interactions between species and is an important factor in the study of the population ecology of Oecophylla as a biological control.

Keywords


Ecological population of Oecophylla smaragdina Fabr.; Nests; Oil palm plantion; Ekologi populasi Oecophylla smaragdina Fabr.; Perkebunan kelapa sawit; Sarang

Full Text:

PDF

References


Blüthgen, N., & Stork, N. E. (2007). Ant mosaics in a tropical rainforest in Australia and elsewhere: A critical review. Austral Ecology, 32(1), 93-104.

Boulay, R., Hefetz, A., Soroker, V., & Lenoir, A. (2000). Camponotus fellah colony integration: Worker individuality necessitates frequent hydrocarbon exchanges. Journal Animal Behaviour, 59(6), 1127-1133.

Crozier, R. H., Newey, P. S., Schluens, E. A., & Robson, S. K. A. (2010). A masterpiece of evolution–Oecophylla weaver ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Journal Myrmecological News, 13(5), 57-71.

Crozier, R. H., & Pamilo, P. (1996). Evolution of social insect colonies: Sex allocation and kin selection. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Crozier, Rh., & Dix, M. W. (1979). Analysis of two genetic models for the innate components of colony odor in social Hymenoptera. Journal Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 4, 217-224.

Dejean, A., Leroy, C., Corbara, B., Roux, O., Céréghino, R., Orivel, J., & Boulay, R. (2010). Arboreal ants use the “‘velcroh principle’” to capture very large prey. PLoS ONE, 5(6), 1-7. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0011331.

Domisch, T., Risch, A. C., & Robinson, E. J. H. (2016). 7 r Wood ant foraging and mutualism with aphids. Wood Ant Ecology and Conservation, 145.

Ellis, S., & Robinson, E. J. H. (2016). Internet food sharing within wood ant colonies: Resource redistribution behavior in a complex system. Behavioral Ecology, 27(2), 660-668.

Ellis, S., Franks, D. W., & Robinson, E. J. H. (2017). Ecological consequences of colony structure in dynamic ant nest networks. Ecology and Evolution, 7(4), 1170-1180.

Falahudin, I. (2012). Peranan semut rangrang (Oecophylla smaragdina) dalam pengendalian biologis pada perkebunan kelapa sawit. Prosiding AICIS 2012. Retrieved from http://digilib.uinsa.ac.id/7542/.

Gordon, D. M., Rosengren, R., & Sundström, L. (1992). The allocation of foragers in redwood ants. Ecological Entomology, 17(2), 114-120.

Harlan, I. (2006). Aktivitas pencarian makan dan pemindahan larva semut rangrang, Oecophylla smaragdina (Formicidae: hymenoptyera) (Undergraduate thesis). IPB, Bogor, Indonesia.

Hölldobler, B., & Wilson, E. O. (1990). The ants. Cambridge: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press.

Lach, L., Parr, C. L., & Abbott, K. L. (2010). Synthesis and perspectives. In L. Lach, C. Parr, & K. Abbott (Eds.), Ant ecology (pp. 305-310). Oxford University Press.

Lenoir, A., Fresneau, D., Errard, C., & Hefetz, A. (1999). Individuality and colonial identity in ants: the emergence of the social representation concept. Information Processing in Social Insects, 219-237.

Lenoir, A., Cuisset, D., & Hefetz, A. (2001). Effects of social isolation on hydrocarbon pattern and nestmate recognition in the ant Aphaenogaster senilis (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). Insectes Sociaux, 48, 101-109.

Lokkers, C. (1990). Colony dynamics of the green tree ant (Oecophylla smaragdina Fab.) in a seasonal tropical climate (Doctoral Dissertation, James Cook University, North Queensland). Retrieved from chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://researchonline.jcu.edu.au/24114/2/02whole.pdf.

Mabelis, A. A. (1983). Interference between wood ants and other ant species (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). Netherlands Journal of Zoology, 34(1), 1-20.

Markus, H. R., & Hamedani, M. G. (2007). Sociocultural psychology. Handbook of Cultural Psychology, 3-39.

McGlynn, T. P., Alonso‐Rodríguez, A. M., & Weaver, M. (2013). A test of species–energy theory: Patch occupancy and colony size in tropical rainforest litter‐nesting ants. Oikos, 122(9), 1357-1361.

Mele, P. Van., & Cuc, N. T. T. (2004). Semut sahabat petani: Meningkatkan hasil buah-buahan dan menjaga kelestarian lingkungan bersama semut rangrang (S. Rahayu, Translation). Jakarta: World Agroforestry Centre.

Nofia, Y., & Zeswita, A. L. (2012). Studi populasi semut rangrang Oecophylla smaragdina (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) di Nagari Sungai Sariak Kabupaten Padang Pariaman. E-Jurnal Mahasiswa Prodi Pend Biologi 2012, 1(1).

Offenberg, J., Havanon, S., Aksornkoae, S., MacIntosh, D. J., & Nielsen, M. G. (2004). Observations on the ecology of weaver ants (Oecophylla smaragdina Fabricius) in a Thai Mangrove Ecosystem and their effect on herbivory of Rhizophora mucronata Lam. Biotropica, 36(3), 344-351.

Offenberg, J., Nielsen, M. G., Macintosh, D. J., Havanon, S., & Aksornkoae, S. (2005). Lack of ant attendance may induce compensatory plant growth. Oikos, 111(1), 170-178.

Offenberg, J. (2007). The distribution of weaver ant pheromones on host trees. Insectes Sociaux, 54, 248-250.

Offenberg, J., Cuc, N. T. T., & Wiwatwitaya, D. (2013). The effectiveness of weaver ant (Oecophylla smaragdina) biocontrol in Southeast Asian citrus and mango. Asian Myrmecology, 5(1), 139-149.

Öst, M., Clark, C. W., Kilpi, M., & Ydenberg, R. (2007). Parental effort and reproductive skew in coalitions of brood rearing female common eiders. The American Naturalist, 169(1), 73-86.

Parr, C. L., & Gibb, H. (2010). Competition and the role of dominant ants. Ant Ecology, 77-96.

Peng, R. K., & Christian, K. (2005). Integrated pest management in mango orchards in the Northern Territory of Australia, using the weaver ant, Oecophylla smaragdina, (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) as a key element. International Journal of Pest Management, 51(2), 149-155.

Pfeiffer, M., Chimedregzen, L., & Ulykpan, K. (2003). Community organization and species richness of ants (Hymenoptera/Formicidae) in Mongolia along an ecological gradient from steppe to Gobi desert. Journal of Biogeography, 30(12), 1921-1935.

Ribas, C. R., & Schoereder, J. H. (2002). Are all ant mosaics caused by competition? Oecologia, 131, 606-611.

Risch, A. C., Ellis, S., & Wiswell, H. (2016). 4 r Where and why? Wood ant population ecology. Wood Ant Ecology and Conservation, 81.

Robinson, E. J. H., & Stockan, J. (2016). 13 r Future directions for wood ant ecology and conservation. Wood Ant Ecology and Conservation, 287.

Robinson, N. A., & Robinson, E. J. H. (2008). The population of the red wood ant Formica rufa L. (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) at Gait Barrows National Nature Reserve, Lancashire, England over the 20 years 1986-2006: Nest longevity, reproduction and the effect of management. British Journal of Entomology and Natural History, 21, 225-241.

Rosengren, R., & Sundström, L. (1991). The interaction between red wood ants, Cinara aphids, and pines. A ghost of mutualism past? Ant-Plant Interactions, 80-91.

Sanders, N. J., Crutsinger, G. M., Dunn, R. R., Majer, J. D., & Delabie, J. H. C. (2007). An ant mosaic revisited: Dominant ant species disassemble arboreal ant communities but co‐occur randomly. Biotropica, 39(3), 422-427.

Sangma, J. S. A., & Prasad, S. B. (2021). Population and nesting behaviour of weaver ants, Oecophylla smaragdina from Meghalaya, India. Journal Sociobiology, 68(4), e7204-e7204.

Savolainen, R., & Vepsäläinen, K. (1988). A competition hierarchy among boreal ants: Impact on resource partitioning and community structure. Oikos, 135-155.

Schlüns, E. A., Wegener, B. J., Schlüns, H., Azuma, N., Robson, S. K. A., & Crozier, R. H. (2009). Breeding system, colony, and population structure in the weaver ant Oecophylla smaragdina. Molecular Ecology, 18(1), 156-167.

Schockaert, S., De Cock, M., Cornelis, C., & Kerre, E. E. (2007). Clustering web search results using fuzzy ants. International Journal of Intelligent Systems, 22(5), 455-474.

Sodiq, M., & Martiningsia, D. (2009). Pengaruh Beauveria bassiana terhadap mortalitas semut rangrang Oecophylla smaragdina (F.) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Jurnal Entomologi Indonesia, 6(2), 53.

South Sumatra Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (MCGA). (2016). Environmental factor measurements. Retrieved from https://staklim-sumsel.bmkg.go.id/.

Stockan, J. A., & Robinson, E. J. H. (2016). Wood ant ecology and conservation. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Suhara. (2009). Semut rangrang (Oecophylla smaradigna). Bandung: Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia.

Suin, N. M. (1997). Ekologi fauna tanah. Jakarta: Bumi Aksara.

Tarumengkeng, R,(1994). Ekologi populasi. Jakarta: Pustaka Sinar Harapan dan Universitas Kristen Krida Wacana.

Van Itterbeeck, J., Sivongxay, N., Praxaysombath, B., & Van Huis, A. (2014). Indigenous knowledge of the edible weaver ant Oecophylla smaragdina Fabricius Hymenoptera: Formicidae from the Vientiane Plain, Lao PDR. Ethnobiology Letters, 5, 4-12.

Wells, K., Pfeiffer, M., Lakim, M. B., & Linsenmair, K. E. (2004). Arboreal spacing patterns of the large pencil-tailed tree mouse, Chiropodomys major (Muridae), in a rainforest in Sabah, Malaysia. Ecotropica, 10, 15-22.

Wells, K., Lakim, M. B., & Pfeiffer, M. (2006). Nest sites of rodents and tree shrews in Borneo. Ecotropica, 12, 141.

Wetterer, J. K. (2017). Geographic distribution of the African weaver ant, Oecophylla longinoda. Transactions of the American Entomological Society, 143(2), 501-510.

Yanoviak, S. P., & Kaspari, M. (2000). Community structure and the habitat templet: Ants in the tropical forest canopy and litter. Oikos, 89(2), 259-266.




DOI: https://doi.org/10.15408/kauniyah.v18i2.40544

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


This work is licensed under a CC-BY- SA.

Indexed By:

/public/site/images/rachma/logo_moraref_75 /public/site/images/rachma/logo_google_scholar_75_01 /public/site/images/rachma/logo_isjd_120 /public/site/images/rachma/logo_garuda_75 /public/site/images/rachma/logo_crossref_120/public/site/images/rachma/logo_base_2_120 /public/site/images/rachma/neliti-blue_75   /public/site/images/rachma/dimensions-logo_120