Mealworm predation rates in Biodiversity and Ecosystem Function in Tropical Agriculture (BEFTA) plots, Kandista and Ujun Tanjung estates, Indonesia

Data comprise mealworm predation rates measured after 24 hours exposure to invertebrates in mature oil palm (2014), and mature and replanted oil palm (2016-2017) plots as part of a large-scale ecological experiment programme (the Biodiversity and Ecosystem Function in Tropical Agriculture project, established in 2013). Eighteen plots were examined across three estates - plots in Ujung Tanjung and Kandista estates were planted in 1987 to 1992 and are mature or over-mature oil palm, while Libo plots (2016-2017 dataset only) were replanted in 2014. Plots were organised in triplets and in in Ujung Tanjung and Kandista, for each triplet one plot was assigned to each of three vegetation treatments: Reduced vegetation cover, normal vegetation management and enhanced vegetation cover. Freshly-killed mealworms (larvae of darkling beetles, Tenebrionidae sp.) were glued onto oil palm fronds trimmed so that ca. 10 cm of each of six leaflets remained. Exclusion and stratum treatments in factorial combinations were applied: caged and uncaged, canopy and ground. The cage exclusion treatments were designed so that most invertebrates could access the fronds but vertebrates could not.

本数据集为2013年启动的大型生态实验计划——热带农业生物多样性与生态系统功能项目（Biodiversity and Ecosystem Function in Tropical Agriculture project）的组成部分，收录了两类样地中黄粉虫的捕食率测定数据：2014年成熟油棕林样地，以及2016-2017年成熟与补植油棕林样地，所有数据均为黄粉虫与无脊椎动物接触24小时后的测定结果。研究共在3个油棕种植园布设18个样地：Ujung Tanjung与Kandista种植园的样地于1987至1992年定植，属于成熟或过成熟油棕林；Libo样地（仅对应2016-2017年数据集）于2014年完成补植。样地以三联组为单元布设，在Ujung Tanjung与Kandista种植园中，每个三联组内的3个样地分别接受3种植被管理处理：低植被覆盖、常规植被管理与高植被覆盖。将刚处死的黄粉虫（mealworm，拟步甲科Tenebrionidae未知种的幼虫）黏附于经修剪的油棕复叶上，保留6片小叶，每片小叶长约10厘米。研究采用析因设计设置排除处理与层位处理的组合方案：笼养与无笼养、冠层与地面，其中笼养排除处理的设计目标为允许绝大多数无脊椎动物接触试验叶轴，但将脊椎动物排除在外。