Vegetation Analysis of the Area Surrounding a Wild Nest of Stingless Bees Tetragonula laeviceps (Smith, 1857) in Sumedang Regency, West Java

Abstract

Indonesia is a mega biodiversity country that has a very abundant diversity of plants. Plant diversity is inseparable from the role of insects that help to pollinate them. One such insect is the stingless bee Tetragonula laeviceps, a bee that has a relatively small-to-medium body size and does not have a sting. Sumedang Regency is one of the regencies in the province of West Java; most of the Sumedang area consists of mountains and has protected forest areas with high biodiversity. The purpose of this study is to determine the biodiversity index of the vegetation around the Tetragonula laeviceps wild nests. Data collection is carried out using the method of inventory and systematic checkered lines, with a total plot of 320. The results of the study show that the vegetation is composed of 229 plant species from 75 families. The most dominant vegetation type with the highest value of KR, FR, DR, and INP in all plant categories is the Aren tree species (Arenga pinnata). The Shannon–Wiener diversity index in this tree category is 3186, the pole category is 3107, the sapling category is 3418, the seedling category is 3657, and the understory plants category is 3409, with all of the plant categories included in the high-diversity category.