51

Arthropod biodiversity across tropical land uses


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
  • Dhiya'uhaq NU, Benjamin SP, Buchori D, Hidayat P, Scheu S, Drescher J (2025) Expanding the taxonomy of crab spiders (Araneae, Thomisidae) in Sumatra: a new genus, five new species, and regional records. ZooKeys 1241: 205-246.
  • Stone J, Luke S, Drescher J, Turner E (2025) The status and role of ants in oil palm landscapes: knowledge gaps and directions for future research. Myrmecological News 35:145-159.
  • Ehlers J, Hartke TR, ..., Scheu S, Pollierer MM, Drescher J (2025) Trophic Change and Community Decline in Acrobat Ants After Rainforest Conversion to Cash Crops. Ecology and Evolution 14 (12).
  • Leponce M, ..., Drescher J, ..., Scheu S, ..., Pascal O (2024) Unveiling the above-ground eukaryotic diversity supported by individual large old trees: the “Life on Trees” integrative protocol. Frontiers in Forests and Global Change 7:1425492.
  • 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
  • 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
  • Potapov AM, Drescher J, Darras K, Wenzel A, ..., Scheu S (2024) Rainforest transformation reallocates energy from green to brown food webs. Nature
  • Potapov AM, Chen TW, ..., Drescher J, ..., Scheu S (2023) Global fine-resolution data on springtail abundance and community structure. Scientific Data
  • 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
  • Darras H, Berney C, Hasin S, Drescher J, Felldhaar H, Keller L (2023) Obligate chimerism in male yellow crazy ants. Science 380: 55-58
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • Kreider JJ, Chen TW, Hartke TR, ..., Scheu S, Drescher J (2021) Rainforest conversion to monocultures favors generalist ants with large colonies. Ecosphere 12: e03717
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • Feldhaar H, Drescher J, Blüthgen N (2006) Characterization of microsatellite markers for the invasive ant species Anoplolepis gracilipes, Molecular Ecology Notes, 6, 912-914
Books and Field Guides
  • Dhiya'Ulhaq NU, Ramos Gutierrez DE, Nazarreta R, Lia M, Pakpahan B, Buchori D, Scheu S, Drescher J (2024) Spiders of Jambi: A Guide to the EFForTS Collection. e-Publishing Penerbit BRIN, ISBN-13 (15) 978-623-8372-67-6
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
Media and Public Outreach
  • Male yellow crazy ants are real-life chimeras. Press release No. 64 - 27.04.2023
  • Afterlife Under Our Feet - A Documentary on Soil Animal Ecology.
  • CRC990-EFForTS Intro film.

Kontakt

51ät Göttingen
Wilhelmsplatz 1 (Aula)
37073 Göttingen
Tel. 0551 39-0

Soziale Medien