Monitoring of arboreal arthropod communities across a land-use gradient in Sumatra, Indonesia

Within the framework of the EFForTS project, I study arthropod community change along an agricultural transformation gradient from lowland rainforest to smallholder plantations of rubber and oil palm in Sumatra, Indonesia. In close collaboration with counterparts and students at Bogor Agricultural University and University of Jambi, we identify the collected specimen primarily by morphology, employing classic taxonomy. We also use community phylogenetic methods to understand how local land-use change induces trait shifts, and stable isotopes to quantify trophic position change of the affected arthropod communities.

Peer-reviewed Publications
  • Wildermuth B, Penanhoat A, Sennhenn-Reulen H, Matevski D, Drescher J, Aubry-Kientz M, Seidel D, Schuldt A (2024) Canopy structure influences arthropod communities within and beyond tree identity effects: Insights from combining LiDAR data, insecticidal fogging and machine learning regression modelling. Ecological Indicators 160:111901 doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2024.111901
  • Dhiya'Ulhaq NU, Dupérré N, Buchori D, Scheu S, Drescher J (2024) Four new species of Utivarachna Kishida, 1940 (Araneae: Trachelidae) from Sumatra. Zootaxa 5418: 551-575 doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5418.5.6
  • Potapov AM, Drescher J, Darras K, Wenzel A, ..., Scheu S (2024) Rainforest transformation reallocates energy from green to brown food webs. Nature doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-07083-y
  • Potapov AM, Chen TW, ..., Drescher J, ..., Scheu S (2023) Global fine-resolution data on springtail abundance and community structure. Scientific Data doi.org/10.1038/s41597-023-02784-x
  • Pollierer MM*, Drescher J*, Potapov A, ..., Scheu S (2023) Rainforest conversion to plantations fundamentally alters energy fluxes and functions in canopy arthropod food webs. Ecology Letters doi.org/10.1111/ele.14276
  • Darras H, Berney C, Hasin S, Drescher J, Felldhaar H, Keller L (2023) Obligate chimerism in male yellow crazy ants. Science 380: 55-58 doi.org/10.1126/science.adf0419
  • Mawan A, Hartke TR, ..., Scheu S, Drescher J (2022) Response of arboreal Collembola communities to the conversion of lowland rainforest into rubber and oil palm plantations. BMC Ecology and Evolution (22) 144 doi.org/10.1186/s12862-022-02095-6
  • Kasmiatun, Hartke TR, ..., Scheu S, Drescher J (2022) Rainforest conversion to smallholder cash crops leads to varying declines of beetles (Coleoptera) on Sumatra. Biotropica 55: 119-131 doi.org/10.1111/btp.13165
  • Ramos D, Hartke TR, ..., Scheu S, Drescher J (2022) Rainforest conversion to rubber and oil palm reduces abundance, biomass and diversity of canopy spiders. PeerJ 10:e13898 doi.org/10.7717/peerj.13898
  • Klimes P, Drescher J, ..., Scheu S, Matos-Maraví P (2022) Uncovering cryptic diversity in the enigmatic ant genus Overbeckia and insights into the phylogeny of Camponotini (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Formicinae). Invertebrate Systematics 36: 557-579 doi.org/10.1071/IS21067
  • Azhar A, Hartke TR, ..., Scheu S, Drescher J (2022) Rainforest conversion to cash crops reduces abundance, biomass and species richness of parasitoid wasps in Sumatra, Indonesia. Agricultural and Forest Entomology: 1– 10 doi.org/10.1111/afe.12512
  • Kreider JJ, Chen TW, Hartke TR, ..., Scheu S, Drescher J (2021) Rainforest conversion to monocultures favors generalist ants with large colonies. Ecosphere 12: e03717 doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.3717
  • Rizqulloh MN, Drescher J, ..., Widyastuti R (2021) Effects of rainforest transformation to monoculture cash crops on soil living ants (Formicidae) in Jambi Province, Sumatra, Indonesia. IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science 771: 012031 doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/771/1/012031
  • Junggebauer A, Hartke TR, ..., Scheu S, Drescher J (2021) Changes in diversity and community assembly of jumping spiders (Araneae: Salticidae) after rainforest conversion to rubber and oil palm plantations. PeerJ 9:e11012 doi.org/10.7717/peerj.11012
  • Panjaitan R, Drescher J, ..., Scheu S, Hidayat P (2020) Diversity of butterflies (Lepidoptera) across rainforest transformation systems in Jambi, Sumatra, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 21: 5119-5127 doi.org/10.13057/biodiv/d211117
  • Nazarreta R, Hartke TR, Hidayat P, Scheu S, Buchori D, Drescher J (2020) Rainforest conversion to smallholder plantations of rubber or oil palm leads to species loss and community shifts in canopy ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Myrmecological News 30: 175-186 doi.org/10.25849/myrmecol.news_030:175
  • Grass I, ..., Drescher J, ..., Daniel R, ..., M, Krashevska V, ..., Panjaitan R, ..., Potapov A, ..., Scheu S, ..., Wollni M (2020) Trade-offs between multifunctionality and profit in tropical smallholder landscapes. Nature Communications 11: 1186 doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-15013-5
  • Darras K, ..., Drescher J, ..., Scheu S, ..., Veldkamp E (2019) Reducing fertilizer and avoiding herbicides in oil palm plantations – Ecological and Economic valuations. Frontiers in Forests and Global Change 2: 65 doi.org/10.3389/ffgc.2019.00065
  • Panjaitan R, ..., Drescher J, Scheu S (2019) Diversity of butterflies (Lepidoptera) caught by using fruit traps in Bukit duabelas and Harapan Forest landscape. AIP Conference Proceedings 2120, 070015 doi.org/10.1063/1.5115732
  • Drescher J, Rembold K, ..., Kreft H, Scheu S (2016) Ecological and socio-economic functions across tropical land use systems after rainforest conversion. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B 371: 1694 doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2015.0275
  • Drescher J, Feldhaar H, Blüthgen N (2011) Interspecific aggression and resource monopolization of the invasive ant Anoplolepis gracilipes in Malaysian Borneo, Biotropica, 43(1), 93-99 doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-7429.2010.00662.x
  • Drescher J, Blüthgen N, Schmitt T, Bühler J, Feldhaar H (2010) Societies drifting apart? Behavioural, genetic and chemical differentiation between supercolonies in the yellow crazy ant Anoplolepis gracilipes. PLoS ONE, 5(10), e13581 doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0013581
  • Stys P, Banar P, Drescher J (2010) A new Oncylocotis Stål (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Enicocephalidae) from Sabah: A predacious species associated with the Yellow Crazy Ant, Anoplolepis gracilipes (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), Zootaxa, 2651, 27-42 doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.2651.1.2
  • Drescher J, Blüthgen N, Feldhaar H (2007) Population structure and intraspecific aggression in the invasive ant species Anoplolepis gracilipes in Malaysian Borneo, Molecular Ecology, 16, 1453-1465 doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-294X.2007.03260.x
  • Feldhaar H, Drescher J, Blüthgen N (2006) Characterization of microsatellite markers for the invasive ant species Anoplolepis gracilipes, Molecular Ecology Notes, 6, 912-914 doi.org/10.1111/j.1471-8286.2006.01397.x
Books and Field Guides
  • Hidayat P, Siddikah F, Kasmiatun, Noerdjito WA, Amrulloh R, Hiola MS, Najmi L, Nazarreta R, Scheu S, Buchori D, Drescher J (2022) Guidebook of beetles and weevils of Jambi, Sumatra, Indonesia. e-Publishing Penerbit BRIN, ISBN-13 (15) 978-623-7425-71-7 doi.org/10.55981/brin.321
  • Buchori D, Hidayat P, Nazarreta R, Ardiyanti RM, Siddikah F, Amrulloh R, Azhar A, Kasmiatun, Scheu S, Drescher J (2022) Keanekaragaman Serangga Hutan Hujan Tropis Dataran Rendah di Provinsi Jambi, Sumatra: Dampak Perubahan Tata Guna Lahan. e-Publishing Penerbit BRIN, ISBN-13 (15) 978-602-496-282-1 doi.org/10.55981/brin.280
  • Nazarreta R, Buchori D, Hashimoto Y, Hidayat P, Scheu S, Drescher J (2021) A guide to the ants of Jambi (Sumatra, Indonesia): Identification key to ant genera and images of the EFForTS collection. e-Publishing, Penerbit BRIN, ISBN-13 (15) 978-602-496-257-9 doi.org/10.14203/brin.273
  • Panjaitan R, Hidayat P, Peggie D, Buchori D, Scheu S, Drescher J (2021) The butterflies of Jambi (Sumatra, Indonesia): An EFForTS field guide. e-Publishing Penerbit BRIN, ISBN-13 (15) 978-602-496-270-8 doi.org/10.14203/press.370
Media and Public Outreach