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Birds defend oil palms from herbivorous insects.

Lian Pin Koh1

  • 1Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, 106A Guyot Hall, Princeton, New Jersey 08544, USA. lkoh@princeton.edu

Ecological Applications : a Publication of the Ecological Society of America
|June 10, 2008
PubMed
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Insectivorous birds provide natural pest control in oil palm agriculture by reducing herbivory damage. Conserving bird populations strengthens economic justifications for biodiversity conservation in farming landscapes.

Area of Science:

  • Ecology
  • Agricultural Science
  • Conservation Biology

Background:

  • Top-down forces regulate herbivore populations in high-productivity, low-diversity agricultural systems.
  • Trophic cascades are predicted following predator removal, but effects on agricultural herbivory are understudied.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To test if insectivorous birds indirectly defend oil palms (Elaeis guineensis) from herbivorous insects.
  • To investigate the impact of predator removal on herbivory rates in an agricultural context.

Main Methods:

  • A bird-exclosure experiment was conducted in an oil palm system.
  • Herbivory damage to oil palms was assessed in the presence and absence of insectivorous birds.

Main Results:

Related Experiment Videos

  • Excluding insectivorous birds significantly increased herbivory damage to oil palms.
  • A positive correlation between bird density and the reduction in herbivory was observed, though not statistically significant.

    • Conclusions:

    • Insectivorous birds offer a valuable natural pest control service in oil palm agriculture.
    • These findings support the economic rationale for conserving natural habitats and biodiversity within agricultural landscapes.