Megachiropteran diversity patterns and processes in oil palm production landscape

Oil palm industry is one of the main economic drivers in Southeast Asia. It has caused tropical deforestation on a massive scale in producing countries. Forest conversion to commercial oil palm agriculture has decimated habitats of countless native flora and fauna species. Large-scale plantations...

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Main Author: Che Shaffine, Muhamad Syafiq
Format: Thesis
Language:English
Published: 2017
Subjects:
Online Access:http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/70901/1/FH%202017%2010%20IR.pdf
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spelling my-upm-ir.709012019-08-29T07:18:31Z Megachiropteran diversity patterns and processes in oil palm production landscape 2017-05 Che Shaffine, Muhamad Syafiq Oil palm industry is one of the main economic drivers in Southeast Asia. It has caused tropical deforestation on a massive scale in producing countries. Forest conversion to commercial oil palm agriculture has decimated habitats of countless native flora and fauna species. Large-scale plantations and smallholdings are two distinctive oil palm production systems. Smallholdings would host a greater biodiversity than large-scale plantations. Habitat complexity in smallholdings is influenced by multiple farming practices (i.e. polyculture and monoculture). However, little is known on the effects of such farming practices in oil palm smallholdings on mammal biodiversity, particularly megachiropteran bats. This study aimed to find the best farming practice to reconcile oil palm production and biodiversity conservation. Mist-nets were used to trap frugivorous bats at 120 smallholdings in Peninsular Malaysia. The species richness and abundance of frugivorous bats between monoculture and polyculture smallholdings were compared and their relationships with vegetation structure characteristics were investigated. The results revealed that species richness (total megachiropteran bat species) and abundance (total individual from each species of megachiropteran bat) were significantly greater in polyculture smallholdings than monoculture smallholdings. The result also found that 28.21% of the model variations in species richness were explained by the habitat characteristics measured including the number of dead standing oil palms and immature oil palms, non-grass cover, height of non-grass cover, and farming practice. This shows greater habitat complexity is required for the maintenance of frugivorous bats. Therefore, in order to conserve farmland biodiversity in oil palm production landscapes, either smallholding or plantation, commercial growers should implement polyculture rather than monoculture farming. Bats - Conservation Palm oil industry Biodiversity conservation 2017-05 Thesis http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/70901/ http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/70901/1/FH%202017%2010%20IR.pdf text en public masters Universiti Putra Malaysia Bats - Conservation Palm oil industry Biodiversity conservation
institution Universiti Putra Malaysia
collection PSAS Institutional Repository
language English
topic Bats - Conservation
Palm oil industry
Biodiversity conservation
spellingShingle Bats - Conservation
Palm oil industry
Biodiversity conservation
Che Shaffine, Muhamad Syafiq
Megachiropteran diversity patterns and processes in oil palm production landscape
description Oil palm industry is one of the main economic drivers in Southeast Asia. It has caused tropical deforestation on a massive scale in producing countries. Forest conversion to commercial oil palm agriculture has decimated habitats of countless native flora and fauna species. Large-scale plantations and smallholdings are two distinctive oil palm production systems. Smallholdings would host a greater biodiversity than large-scale plantations. Habitat complexity in smallholdings is influenced by multiple farming practices (i.e. polyculture and monoculture). However, little is known on the effects of such farming practices in oil palm smallholdings on mammal biodiversity, particularly megachiropteran bats. This study aimed to find the best farming practice to reconcile oil palm production and biodiversity conservation. Mist-nets were used to trap frugivorous bats at 120 smallholdings in Peninsular Malaysia. The species richness and abundance of frugivorous bats between monoculture and polyculture smallholdings were compared and their relationships with vegetation structure characteristics were investigated. The results revealed that species richness (total megachiropteran bat species) and abundance (total individual from each species of megachiropteran bat) were significantly greater in polyculture smallholdings than monoculture smallholdings. The result also found that 28.21% of the model variations in species richness were explained by the habitat characteristics measured including the number of dead standing oil palms and immature oil palms, non-grass cover, height of non-grass cover, and farming practice. This shows greater habitat complexity is required for the maintenance of frugivorous bats. Therefore, in order to conserve farmland biodiversity in oil palm production landscapes, either smallholding or plantation, commercial growers should implement polyculture rather than monoculture farming.
format Thesis
qualification_level Master's degree
author Che Shaffine, Muhamad Syafiq
author_facet Che Shaffine, Muhamad Syafiq
author_sort Che Shaffine, Muhamad Syafiq
title Megachiropteran diversity patterns and processes in oil palm production landscape
title_short Megachiropteran diversity patterns and processes in oil palm production landscape
title_full Megachiropteran diversity patterns and processes in oil palm production landscape
title_fullStr Megachiropteran diversity patterns and processes in oil palm production landscape
title_full_unstemmed Megachiropteran diversity patterns and processes in oil palm production landscape
title_sort megachiropteran diversity patterns and processes in oil palm production landscape
granting_institution Universiti Putra Malaysia
publishDate 2017
url http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/70901/1/FH%202017%2010%20IR.pdf
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