Natural cavities in polyculture plantations are important for the conservation of honeybees. This study was aimed to determine the diversity, nest sizes, and fluctuations in the use of sites for nesting by Apis cerana Fabr. in polyculture plantations in two altitudes in West Sumatra. A census method was used to obtain the data variables in 10 plantations (five locations for each altitute). Polyculture plantations used as the study sites were dominated by coconut in lowland areas and coffee in highland areas. The results showed that nesting sites of Apis cerana were found amongst 18 species of plants belonging to 15 families (12 species in lowlands and seven species in highlands). Most of the nests were placed on Cocos nucifera (coconut) trees in lowland sites, and on Erythria variegata (dadap) in highland sites. Nests were also found to be located mostly in the cavities of trees with diameter 21-60 cm. Nest entrances were located at 228.31 cm above ground surface (ags) in highland and at 116.04 cm ags in lowlands. The nest entrances in highlands measured 12.21 by 3.73 cm (height and width), and in the lowlands 14.93 by 7.36 cm. The percentage of tree cavities used for nesting was statically higher in lowland (40.73%) compared to high land (17.86%), but it fluctuated very slightly in both high or lowland areas during observation. The percentage of trees with nests decreased in December and January but increased in February, with the same patterns found in both high and lowlands. Our research suggests that higher tree diversity in polyculture plantations promotes increased use by honeybees for nesting. Thus, the more tree diversity in polyculture plantations the better it could conserve natural honey bees populations.

Overfishing, the use of unfriendly-environmental fishing gears, changes of environmental water conditions and diversity of habitats are threaten the continuity of Bujuk fish (Channa lucius) and generate the morphologycal diversity. Consequently, appropriate conservation efforts are needed to preserve the fish. The first phase of these efforts were done through morphological approach. The research was held in 2010 in Singkarak Lake West Sumatera Province, in floodplain, Pematang sub-district Lindung Mendahara Ulu Regency East Tanjung Jabung, Province of Jambi, and in floodplain Mentulik Regency Kampar Kiri Hilir Riau Province. The aims of the research were to analyze the morphological characteristic of the fish with Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and to determine the range of similarity between populations of the fish. Determination of the location of fish sampling was conducted by proposive sampling in which there were 30 samples for every research location. The measurement of the specimen was done by digital calipers on the left of the body, at 4 meristic characters and 19 morphometric characters. The data obtained were analyzed by One Way ANOVA and principal component analysis using Statistical software version 13. The results showed that based on the analysis of morphological characteristics of bujuk fish, populations that exist in Lake Singkarak were different from those of Pematang Lindung floodplain sub-district Mendahara Ulu Regency East Tanjung Jabung Jambi Province and Mentulik Regency floodplain Kampar Kiri Hilir Province Riau. The meristic difference was on the number of scales along the lateral line with a value of 0.783. While the main difference on morphometric characters were the snout length with a value of 0.848, and length of upper jaw with a value of 0.847. Thus, the study showed that the fish was isolated geographically into two groups, which were Jambi-Riau population and Singkarak Lake population.

Butterflies are important insect used as bioindicator in addition to their attractiveness in nature. In the wild, butterflies actually use broad spectrum of food sources rather than just sipping nectar as commonly known. This study aimed to collect butterflies that may use substances produced by decaying carrion. It used Carrion Bite Traps baited with decaying fishes or shrimps and set at Harau Valley Nature Reserve areas from April to June 2019. The traps were checked every 24 hours for seven consecutive days at valley site, conservation site sites and plantations site. A total 35 butterfly species that belong to 24 genera and four families identified from 90 collected individuals. Nymphalidae became butterfly family with the highest species number observed (30), while three other families with few species recorded, i.e. Hesperidae with three species, Lycaenidae and Pieridae with one species each. This result might suggest specific trophic of Nymphaeidae compared to other butterfly families. Species diversity for butterflies in relation to decaying carrion was high (3.24), indicating the effectiveness of carrion as bait for butterflies in biodiversity rapid assessment.

No abstract

Research of fluctuations in Diptera's larvae in Phytotelmata had been conducted at three locations in West Sumatra, Indonesia; Padang, Bukittinggi and Payakumbuh; which aimed to determine the number and fluctuations Diptera larvae in Phytotelmata. The results obtained; the highest number of individual larvae Diptera in Phytotelmata was 7109 Aedes albopictus larvae (49.56%), followed by larvae of Culex tritaeniorhynchus with 2409 individuals (16.80%). Larvae fluctuated every month and tent to increase in November and December. There was no difference in the number of Diptera larvae individuals inhabiting pandan, taro, and pineapple, but there were significant differences between the three types of Phytotelmata (pandanus, taro and pineapple) with bamboo (p < 0.05). Number of individual larvae in Phytotelmata negatively correlated with temperature and rainfall, but positively correlated with humidity (r = 0.44: p < 0.05).