TUMBUHAN INANG dan POPULASI JUMLAH SARANG SEMUT RANGRANG (Oecophilla smaragdina) di HUTAN TAMAN WISATA ALAM BATUPUTIH KOTA BITUNG

Abstract

ABSTRAK

Rangrang ants are one of the non-timber forest product commodities from the fauna group. Weaver
ants have the benefit of regulating ecological functions as decomposers and help pollinate flowering
plants. Economically, weaver ant eggs are used for bird feed. The research was carried out in the
Batuputih Nature Park Forest, Bitung City, North Sulawesi Province, for one month in March 2019. This
study aims to determine the type of host plant and the population of the number of weaver ant nests in
Batuputih TWA. The method used is a systematic strip sampling by recording all trees that have nests and
purposively to determine the sample. The results of the study showed that there were 14 (fourteen) types
of weaver ant host plants, namely sempur (Dillenia indica L) 57, forest walnut (Canarium littorale BI) 48,
titolang (Gastonia serratifolia Miq.) 40, noni (Morinda Citrifolia L.) 33, wood egg (Alstonia angustifolia
Wall.ex A. DC) 32, mamaling (Leea aculeate Blume) 29, ylang (Cananga odorata Lam) 19, waru
(Hibicus tiliaceus L) 15, betel wood (Piper aduncum L) 12, banyan (Ficus benjamina L) 8, ganemo
(Gnetum gnemon L) 7, flower wood (Spathodea campalunata P. Beauv) 3, white teak (Gmelina arborea
Roxb) 1, and seho yaki (Caryota mitis Lour) 4. Average number of nests / species host plant, sempur 6.33
nests, forest walnut 8 nests, titolang 6.6 nests, noni 6.6 nests, egg wood 5.3 nests, mamaling 5.8 nests,
ylang ylang 4.7 nests, waru 15 nests, wood 4 nests of betel, 8 nests of banyan, 3.5 nests of ganemo, 3
nests of flower wood, 1 white teak, 1.3 nests of seho yaki.
Keywords: weaver ants, host plant species, non-timber forest products, batuputih natural tours park.