Termite diversity and abundance based on altitude in Mount Ungaran, Central Java, Indonesia

Abstract

Abstract. Subekti N, Milanio RR. 2023. Termite diversity and abundance based on altitude in Mount Ungaran, Central Java, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 24: 3332-3337. Termites are social insects whose main diet is the cellulose and lignocellulose found in rotting wood and in some fungi. As the Mount Ungaran area in Central Java, Indonesia, has been converted to agriculture and other purposes, termite habitat has become increasingly narrow, with a reduction in the insects’ food sources. The purpose of this study was to analyze the species of termites found on Mount Ungaran and the factors that influence their lives. In addition, the differences in species according to slope (north, south, east, and west) and altitude were assessed. This research was conducted in three stages: termite collection, termite identification, and data analysis. The main species found in this study were Coptotermes curvignathus Holmgren, 1913, Odontotermes javanicus Holmgren, 1912, Macrotermes gilvus Hagen, 1858, Nasutitermes matangensis Haviland, 1898, and Bulbitermes constrictiformis Holmgren, 1914. Based on a Shannon-Wiener analysis, the west slope had the highest diversity index, which was primarily influenced by four environmental factors (soil pH, soil temperature, soil moisture, and rainfall). In the canonical relationship correspondence analysis, soil pH, light intensity, and canopy cover were the environmental factors that most affected the diversity and abundance of termites on Mount Ungaran. The conclusions that can be drawn from this study are that termite richness varied between slopes and the environmental factors that were the most associated with the variation were soil pH, light intensity, and canopy cover.

Wood decomposers on six community timber species in two different locations

“…are found in residential areas and oil palm plantations. Subekti and Milanio (2023) state that M. gilvus colonies are optimally active for reproduction and foraging at 75%-90% humidity; this humidity is very suitable. Macrotermes gilvus is one of the termite species found in various regions in Indonesia due to its cosmopolite nature (Nandika et al 2015).…”

The diversity and distribution of residential termites in the Minahasa Raya Region, North Sulawesi Province, Indonesia

“…In such developing regions, the high intensity of termite infestation on structures is primarily due to the transformation of large forest areas into urban environments. This change in land use, from a robust natural ecosystem to a new, more homogeneous residential landscape, significantly increases the vulnerability to and investment level of termites (Hasman et al 2019;Subekti and Milanio 2023). Furthermore, the rising abundance of termite infestations can be partly attributed to the simplification of the termites' natural habitat (Lee and Park 2023) This situation is also seen in North Sulawesi Province, with the capital city of Manado, which is in the northern part of Sulawesi Island.…”