Summary 1.Termites are major decomposers in tropical regions and play an important role in soil processes. This study measured the impact of land-use intensification on the termite assemblage of lowland rain forest in Jambi Province, on the Indonesian island of Sumatra. Termite composition was assessed in seven land-use types along a disturbance gradient, from primary forest, through different silvicultural systems, to grassland and cultivated land without trees. A range of environmental variables was also measured. 2. Termite species richness and relative abundance declined as follows: primary forest > selectively logged forest > mature 'jungle rubber' (a diverse agro-forest dominated by rubber trees) > mature rubber plantation > young Paraserianthes falcataria plantation (a softwood tree) > Imperata cylindrica grassland > cassava garden. Termite richness fell from 34 species in the primary forest to one species in the cassava garden. The relative abundance of soil-feeding termites showed a significantly greater decline along the gradient than did wood-feeding termites. 3. Of the environmental variables, woody plant basal area was most strongly correlated with termite species richness ( r = 0·973) and relative abundance ( r = 0·980). This reflects the response of forest-adapted termites to progressive simplification of the physical structure of the habitat, resulting in the reduction of canopy cover and alteration in microclimate, and the loss of feeding and nesting sites. 4. Synthesis and applications . Comparisons with other studies show that the decline in termite species richness and relative abundance seen at Jambi is a general trend that occurs elsewhere when forests are converted to other land uses. To help mitigate the loss of termites when forests are disturbed, we recommend the following management practices: the use of reduced-impact logging techniques, maximizing forest patch size and connectivity, minimizing length of forest edges, and leaving dead wood to decay in situ .

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Multi-taxon surveys were conducted in species-rich, lowland palaeotropical and neotropical forested landscapes in Sumatra, Indonesia and Mato Grosso, Brazil. Gradient-directed transects (gradsects) were sampled across a range of forested land use mosaics, using a uniform protocol to simultaneously record vegetation (vascular plant 123Biodivers Conserv (2013( ) 22:1909( -1930( DOI 10.1007 species, plant functional types (PFTs) and vegetation structure), vertebrates (birds, mammals) and invertebrates (termites), in addition to measuring site and soil properties, including carbon stocks. At both sites similar correlations were detected between major components of structure (mean canopy height, woody basal area and litter depth) and the diversities of plant species and PFTs. A plant species to PFT ratio [spp.:PFTs] was the best overall predictor of animal diversity, especially termite species richness in Sumatra. To a notable extent vegetation structure also correlated with animal diversity. These surrogates demonstrate generic links between habitat structural elements, carbon stocks and biodiversity. They may also offer practical low-cost indicators for rapid assessment in tropical forest landscapes.

Abstract. Lestari P, Budiarti A, Fitriana Y, Susilo FX, Swibawa IG, Sudarsono H, Suharjo R, Hariri AM, Purnomo, Nuryasin, Solikhin, Wibowo L, Jumari, Hartaman M. 2020. Identification and genetic diversity of Spodoptera frugiperda in Lampung Province, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 21: 1670-1677. Spodoptera frugiperda is one of the most recent invasive and destructive insect pest in Indonesia. Recently, it has been reported that this pest was found in some cornfield areas in Sumatera, including Lampung. This research was performed to confirm the presence of S. frugiperda in Lampung Province by collecting and identifying larvae of Spodoptera found in the field as well as investigation on the genetic diversity of the established populations and to observe the damage caused by this pest on cornfields in the Lampung Province. The observation was conducted from February-April 2019 at four locations (districts) representing corn-producing areas in Lampung, namely Lampung Selatan, Lampung Timur, Pesawaran and Pringsewu, each location comprising five plots. The plot is a cornfield with plants aged 14-40 days after planting. Twenty plants were randomly chosen in every plot as plant samples to collect the Spodoptera larvae and to calculate the absolute plant damage caused by the larvae. The absolute plant damage was analyzed by dividing the attacked plants with total plants observed and multiply by 100%. Identification of the Spodoptera larvae was performed based on morphological characters and molecular techniques using sequence analysis of Cytochrome c Oxidase subunit I (COI) gene. The result confirmed that the larvae found in the cornfield in Lampung were S. frugiperda. There was no nucleotides variation in the sequence of COI gene among S. frugiperda found in Lampung Province (Lampung Selatan, Lampung Timur, Pesawaran and Pringsewu) as well as S. frugiperda that was found in corn from foreign countries. The absolute plant damage caused by this pest in the four districts of Lampung was in the range of 26.50-70%.

This paper discusses the effects of land use practices and land use change on soil biota (fungi, bacteria, protists and representatives of the majority of terrestrial invertebrate phyla) and the consequences this may have for internal regulation of below-ground biodiversity by representatives within below-ground communities and for key functions in the agroecosystem. An overview of the broad groups of organisms (viz., epigeic, anecic and endogeic species) and examples of groups of soil biota, their habitats and food preferences are provided. Maintenance and restoration of soil structure, modification of pest and disease pressures and securing decomposition and nutrient cycles are some of the important ecological functions of soil biota. The food web theory and models and their effects on the structure, functioning and stability of the below-ground part of ecosystems are discussed. Case studies are presented showing the decline in species richness of earthworms as a result of land management in Indonesia and the Philippines, the changing roles of ants in agroecosystems in Lampung Province (Indonesia), and soil fertility restoration in tea plantations using earthworms and organic fertilizers from Tamil Nadu, India.

The White-Bellied Planthopper (Hemiptera: Delphacidae) Infesting Corn Plants in South Lampung, Indonesia. Corn plants in South Lampung were infested by newly-found delphacid planthoppers. The planthopper specimens were collected from heavily-infested corn fields in Natar area, South Lampung. We identified the specimens as the white-bellied planthopper Stenocranus pacificus Kirkaldy (Hemiptera: Delphacidae), and reported their field population abundance.

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui daya racun ekstrak umbi gadung (Discorea hispida Dennst) terhadap hama keong emas (Pomacea sp.) dan ikan lele (Clarias sp.). Penelitian ini dilakukan di Rumah Kaca Balai Proteksi Tanaman Pangan dan Hortikultura, Gadingrejo, Kabupaten Pringsewu pada bulan Maret sampai Mei 2016. Penelitian disusun dalam rancangan kelompok teracak sempurna (RKTS), dalam percobaan terhadap keong emas dengan 3 ulangan. Sebagai perlakuan adalah 7 taraf ekstrak umbi gadung yaitu P0 (0 g/l), P1 (5 g/l), P2 (10 g/l), P3 (15 g/l), P4 (20 g/l), P5 (25g/l) dan P6 (30 g/l). Percobaan terhadap ikan lele dengan 4 ulangan. Percobaan perlakuan adalah 5 taraf ekstrak umbi gadung yaitu P0 (0 g/l), P1 (2,5 g/l), P2 (5 g/l), P3 (7,5 g/l) dan P4 (10 g/l).Data diolah dan disajikan dalam bentuk tabel. Data dari uji daya racun tersebut dianalisis dengananalisis probit menggunakan SPSS version 23 for windows. Rata-rata daya racun (LT-50) dan (LC-50) ditentukan dengan taraf nyata 5%. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa ekstrak umbi gadung bersifat lebih toksik terhadap ikan lele dibandingkan keong emas, hal ini ditunjukkan oleh besarnya LT-50 dan LC-50. Nilai LT-50 ekstrak umbi gadung terhadap keong emas pada konsentrasi 30 g/l (2,5 hari) dan pada konsentrasi 5 g/l (13,9 hari), sedangkan nilai LC-50nya adalah (0,024 g/l). Nilai LT-50 ekstrak umbi gadung terhadap ikan lele pada konsentrasi 10 g/l (1,9 hari) dan pada konsentrasi 2,5 g/l (4,8 hari), sedangkan nilai LC-50nya adalah (0,005 g/l).

Degradation of tropical rain forest might exert impacts on biodiversity loss and affect the function and stability of the related ecosystems. The objective of this study was to study the impact of land use systems (LUS) on the diversity and abundance of beetle functional groups in Jambi area, Sumatra. This research was carried out during the rainy season (May-June) of 2004. Inventory and collection of beetles have been conducted using winkler method across six land use systems, i.e. primary forest, secondary forest, Imperata grassland, rubber plantation, oilpalm plantation, and cassava garden. The result showed that a total of 47 families and subfamilies of beetles was found in the study area, and they were classified into four major functional groups, i.e. herbivore, predator, scavenger, and fungivore. There were apparent changes in proportion, diversity, and abundance of beetle functional groups from forests to other land use systems. The bulk of beetle diversity and abundance appeared to converge in primary forest and secondary forest and predatory beetles were the most diverse and the most abundant of the four major functional groups.