Diversity of soil arthropods in secondary forest area in Bengkulu

Abstract

University sites are generally used as conservation areas in many countries. The secondary forest plays pivotal role in maintaining biodiversity in urban area. One of the creatures that live in secondary forest areas is arthropods. Moreover, there is only limited study about the diversity of soil arthropods in secondary forest of University of Bengkulu (UNIB). This study aimed to calculate the diversity of arthropod species as one of the measurement parameters in biodiversity. The samples were collected from soil and litter taken randomly in the secondary forest area at University of Bengkulu. A total of 5 locations within five replications were placed in the Berlese funnel. The results showed moderate diversity with an index value of 1.18, moderate evenness with an index value of 0.41, and moderate dominance with an index value of 0.56 in the habitat. UNIB secondary forest is being habituated and is still in the category of developing ecosystem. It is estimated that the number of species and populations will increase over time.