Termite assemblage structure in Batam Island, Indonesia

Abstract

Termite’s biodiversity is known to be strongly affected by disturbance, particularly in an urban area. The present study evaluated termite biodiversity and distribution in Batam Botanical Garden, an urban conservation area in Batam Island. In the surveyed area, termites could play a major beneficial role through the promotion of essential ecological processes in ecosystems, such as soil modification and rehabilitation; as well as their well-established role as pests for vegetation. Therefore, biodiversity evaluation of termite is very important to identify economically and ecologically important species. Termite survey had been conducted by a 100 × 2 m belt-transect. Transect area was divided into 20 sections (5 × 2 m), in which each section was surveyed for 30 minutes by two trained people. In total, 106 specimens (15 termite genera) were collected from three sampling sites: Plantation, Mangrove forest, and Forest.

Non-destructive detection of tree deterioration due to termite attack in plant conservation areas

“…Termites categorized as wood destroyers and becoming harmful pests are wood-eating types of wood-eating groups (I and II) and types of mushrooms growing (Group IIf / mushroom growing terminates). Termites that eat humus and soil (Groups III and IV) play an essential ecological role in the ecosystem as soil engineers, such as soil modification and rehabilitation [8].…”

“…Most of the stakes were recovered in sound condition. Temperature, humidity, and altitude substantially impact termite distribution [8,25]. Increasing altitude reduces the number of individual termite species [26].…”

“…Termites are destructive insects that attack trees. The termite genera of Macrotermes, Microtermes, Odontotermes, and Coptotermes frequently attack trees [8,9]. The Coptotermes group's reputation as a significant termite pest in Indonesia was well-known [10].…”

Termite Assemblage and Damage on Tree Trunks in Fast-Growing Teak Plantations of Different Age: A Case Study in West Java, Indonesia

“…The sampling was conducted in February 2019 using a belt-transect (100 m × 2 m) for each plantation that was placed near the central area to avoid anthropogenic disturbances [ 26 , 27 , 28 ]. Jones and Eggleton [ 26 ] argued that one supervised transect in a surveyed area was sufficient to provide the required level of sampling efficiency for investigating termite assemblage structures [ 29 , 30 ].…”