Predation of potential insect pests in oil palm plantations, rubber tree plantations, and fruit orchards

• Published in: Ecology and evolution Vol. 10; no. 2; pp. 654 - 661
• Main Authors: Denan, Nuradilah, Wan Zaki, Wan Mamat, Norhisham, Ahmad R., Sanusi, Ruzana, Nasir, Dzulhelmi Muhammad, Nobilly, Frisco, Ashton‐Butt, Adham, Lechner, Alex M., Azhar, Badrul
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England John Wiley & Sons, Inc 01.01.2020; John Wiley and Sons Inc; Wiley
• Subjects: Agricultural ecosystems; Agricultural land; Agricultural management; Anthropogenic factors; Arthropoda; Arthropods; artificial caterpillar; Biodiversity; Birds; Caterpillars; Chemical pest control; Ecological function; Ecosystem services; Environmental degradation; Environmental effects; Farming systems; Fruits; Global positioning systems; GPS; Heterogeneity; Insects; Land use; Landscape; Mammals; monoculture; Orchards; Original Research; Pest control; Pesticide use reduction; Pesticides; Pests; Plantations; polyculture; Predation; Predators; Rubber; Rubber trees; Trees; Undergrowth; Understory; Variables; Vegetable oils; Vegetation; Malaysia; artificial caterpillar; monoculture; polyculture; biodiversity; ecosystem services
• ISSN: 2045-7758; 2045-7758
• DOI: 10.1002/ece3.5856

In human‐modified landscapes, important ecological functions such as predation are negatively affected by anthropogenic activities, including the use of pesticides and habitat degradation. Predation of insect pests is an indicator of healthy ecosystem functioning, which provides important ecosystem services, especially for agricultural systems. In this study, we compare predation attempts from arthropods, mammals, and birds on artificial caterpillars in the understory, between three tropical agricultural land‐use types: oil palm plantations, rubber tree plantations, and fruit orchards. We collected a range of local and landscape‐scale data including undergrowth vegetation structure; elevation; proximity to forest; and canopy cover in order to understand how environmental variables can affect predation. In all three land‐use types, our results showed that arthropods and mammals were important predators of artificial caterpillars and there was little predation by birds. We did not find any effect of the environmental variables on predation. There was an interactive effect between land‐use type and predator type. Predation by mammals was considerably higher in fruit orchards and rubber tree than in oil palm plantations, likely due to their ability to support higher abundances of insectivorous mammals. In order to maintain or enhance natural pest control in these common tropical agricultural land‐use types, management practices that benefit insectivorous animals should be introduced, such as the reduction of pesticides, improvement of understory vegetation, and local and landscape heterogeneity. Arthropods were the most dominant predators, followed by mammals and birds. Predation by mammals was considerably higher in fruit orchards and rubber tree than in oil palm plantations. Natural predators should be promoted as an alternative to chemical insecticides.