Bees and wasps in the tropical lowland rainforest transformation in Jambi, Sumatra

Abstract

Abstract Bees and wasps are beneficial insects for the stability of ecosystem function. This study aimed to explore the bees and wasps and their relationship with the environmental factors in the three habitats, i.e., oil palm and rubber plantation, jungle rubber and adjacent villages in Harapan Forest, Jambi, Sumatra, Indonesia. Bees and wasps were collected using sweeping method and the environmental factors were recorded during collection time. The correlation between the number of species and environmental factors was analyzed using Principal Component Analysis (PCA). Apis and Tetragonula were the two most common bees in all habitats and villages. The number of bee and wasp species in oil palm and rubber plantations was positively correlated with temperature and light intensity but negatively correlated with humidity. We found a higher number of bee species, i.e., 26 species, compared to seven species of wasps. The highest number of bees and wasps (16 species) was found in the oil palm plantation. Both jungle rubber and adjacent villages showed the lowest number of nine species of bees and wasps. Our study implied the importance of bees and wasps representing the herbivores and predators in these transformation habitats.