Really pleased to announce that our latest paper is out now in @JAppliedEcology. In it, we investigate how replanting of oil palm plantations affects arthropod biodiversity.

#OpenAccess link here:

https://bit.ly/2S2t2k7 

*Background*

Oil palm is widely grown across the tropics. Many plantations have already been, or will soon be, replanted. Replanting dramatically changes environmental conditions, but the short- and long-term impacts on biodiversity and ecosystem processes is little known.

To better understand this, we surveyed arthropods across a chronosequence of oil palm that spanned a replanting event. We studied arthropods, as they provide ecosystem services—such as predation and pest control—that benefit oil palm growth. Also, some are pesky pests.

We found that #replanting did not affect total arthropod abundance, but did change composition. Spider-specific analyses showed that replanting caused short-term declines in abundance and species richness in some microhabitats, and long-term changes in composition.

Huge thanks to the fantastic collaborators and funders who enabled this work to happen!

@SarahHLuke
@aka_aryawan
@naim07
@EdgarCTurner
@BEFTAprogramme
@ZoologyMuseum
@Cambridge_Uni
@CamZoology
@Gates_Cambridge
@JesusCollegeCam
@InsectGroup