Insect Ecology Group
Wendy Wang
PhD Student
wyw@cam.ac.uk
(01223) 768919
Research Interests
I have always had a sustained interest in arthropods (insects, crustaceans, spiders inclusive), in particular the immense diversity of species extant within this phylum. While arthropods, especially insects, are presumably the most diverse group in the tropics, the sheer extent of their diversity and its implications on ecosystem functions remain largely enigmatic. Most studies of tropical biodiversity tend to focus on a select few of what are deemed more “charismatic” groups such as birds and butterflies, neglecting species such as ants and parasitoids which may have potentially important influences on ecosystems. This apparent bias may have dire consequences on ecosystem sustainability if biodiversity studies are used to inform crucial conservation decisions. I therefore hope to do my bit by helping to mitigate this paucity in diversity studies on the unsung invertebrate heroes that engineer and impact the ecosystem, particularly ants.
My current project focuses on the assessment of ant biodiversity in Malaysian oil palm plantations in relation to stand age and across spatial scales. The massive expansion and intensification of oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) agriculture poses one of the greatest threats to the world’s biodiversity, particularly in Southeast Asia, namely Malaysia and Indonesia. Oil palm expansion occurs mostly at the expense of huge tracts of primary or secondary (logged) forests, where significant losses of biodiversity are assumed to be incurred during the conversion of tropical forest to plantation. Despite the severity of its consequences, there are relatively few detailed studies of the effects of conversion to oil palm on biodiversity. For instance, we have hardly any information on how spatial scale and the age of an oil palm plantation might affect biodiversity. It is often assumed that diversity is relatively homogeneous across large spatial scales and during the growth of the crop in agricultural habitat, but various studies have shown that effects vary between specific species.
The aim of this project is to test the aforementioned assumptions by looking at ant biodiversity in oil palm plantations in Sabah, Malaysia. I will also assess ant biodiversity in primary forests across comparable spatial scales as a robust control. Ants are ideal subjects for biodiversity studies: they are sensitive to environmental change; they are keystone species, functioning at many trophic levels in an ecosystem; and their taxonomy is well known, making their identification relatively straightforward. Results from this research will be potentially important in developing more sustainable and wildlife-friendly management practices in oil palm plantations of the future.
I was previously from the National University of Singapore (NUS), where I worked on elucidating the function of coloured facial bands in two local species of mangrove crabs (Perisesarma sp.) for my final year thesis. Work to publish the thesis results is underway. I have also had experience with spectral analysis of UV colouration/markings of various insects as a research assistant in the NUS Behavioural Ecology Lab. My other stints in the field include assisting with banded leaf monkey tracking in forest reserves in Singapore and also behavioural data collection at the Meerkat Project in the Kalahari.