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 

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Assessing the effects of oil palm replanting on arthropod biodiversity

Our findings indicate that total arthropod abundance is resilient to replanting of oil palm, but that replanting changes total arthropod and spider community composition and decreases spider abunda...

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.

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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 https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🕷️" title="Spinne" aria-label="Emoji: Spinne"> abundance and species richness in some microhabitats, and long-term changes in https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🕷️" title="Spinne" aria-label="Emoji: Spinne"> 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

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