Swasti Prawidya Mukti / 308222410852 / Final Assigment of Translation 2

Population Explosion = Minor Ecosystem Apocalypse

The case of population explosion of caterpillar in Probolinggo District is happening until now; it occurs in three subdisctricts, namely Leces, Tegalsiwalan, and Bantaran. This phenomenon is an example of population imbalance triggered by multiple factors. Recent analysis shows that the main cause of the uncontrolled population is imbalance of population in the wild. The vanishing of natural predator is being the main problem that leads to the spreading of caterpillar population explosion in many subdistricts in Probolinggo. Since the first time it was discovered, the huge colony of caterpillar with fast growing has spread even wider now. At first it was only in three subdistricts, but only in two weeks they already reach as far as five other subdistricts in Probolinggo. Economically, until now there has not been a significant damage to people's crops done by the caterpillars. However, sociologically the uncontrolled growth of their number has caused a lot of disturbance to people's other activities, for the sting of these caterpillars can make skin itches and bruised by the poisons in their hairs. As a result, many of the people's activities has been in disarray, for instance many children do not go to school using afraid of being stung by the caterpillars as an excuse. As for the farmers, they are severely at disadvantage after the caterpillars eat their young mango leaves, and it is difficult to recover the loss because mango is a seasonal fruit. Supporting Climate Take for example the population explosion of grasshopper occurred in Kupang, NTT. According to IW Mudita (2004), a professor specialized in plant pest and disease in Udana, population explosion of grasshopper will not occur if the temperature is too high or rain does not fall until 30 days after the eggs are laid. Morphologically, the nymph of grasshopper is different from larva which looks a lot like adult insect. The Andrewartha-Birch theory states that any change of pest

population that turns into explosion is highly affected by the climate. Climate impact is not just the switch from rainy season to dry, and vice versa, but more to global climate phenomena known as the El Nino and La Nina. These climate phenomena can turn an area into drier or wetter than its normal state. The abnormal climate has made it possible for grasshoppers to be more actively multiply and move from solitaria phase to gregaric phase. According to Beritahabitat (29/07/07) in Sumba there are two types of migrant, either from the Northern hemisphere (around November March when it is winter in north) or Southern hemisphere ( around May - August when it is winter in the south). They come to tropical region to look for food and some to breed. If the temperature in their original place gets warmer, instinctively they will shorten their migration period. Actually many of them are pest eaters, such as Swallows (Hirundinidae), Bee-eaters (Meropidae), Kingfishers (Halcyonidae), or Falcons and Eagles (Accipitridae). If their presence decrease in the lowlands, while local insectivorous birds decide to move uphill, then ecosystem imbalance will come about. The rising population of insects will be incontrollable. As a result, there will be more crops vanished by the attack of insect pests. Moreover, the unstable climate change also leads to the extinctions of those animals who fails to migrate. For example birds that could only fly in short distance and unable to migrate further across oceans and continents, they will be surely extinct faster. Here the natural selection is present already, and ecosystem imbalance will happen right through. Absence of Natural Predator It has been an ordinary thing if the imbalance in the ecosystem will trigger and catalyze the growth of certain species. According to some conservation organization, population explosion occurs in Probolinggo is brought about by the shrinking number of the natural predator of insects, including the caterpillar butterfly. After the eggs hatch, the population gets harder to control because naturally they should be controlled by the predators. The disturbance in natural balance is an effect of the vanishing of the caterpillars' eaters, the insectivorous birds, in Probolinggo so

that the population explosion of the pest happens. Agung Pramana, professor of Animal Physiology at Brawijaya University, states that the attack of caterpillars can happen because they have lost their natural enemies. If there is any, their number is not proportional. That is why the population of caterpillars suddenly breaks out in that area. The out break of caterpillars in Probolinggo is an evidence that their natural enemies has disappeared. (Media Indonesia, 2011) Bird hunting in a large number happens to many kinds of singing birds such as Prenjak, Cinenen, and Jalak. The existence of these birds is mistreated, they are illegally poached to be sold in bird markets to satisfy people's hobby. If this goes on, the natural imbalance will surely come to pass. Massive bird hunting is one of the main causes of ecological disaster. To avoid ecological disaster, illegal poaching should be stopped, and it needs further preventive actions so that the ecosystem chain would not be broken from poaching. If the epidemic occur, then the cause is the broken food chain. From the case above, it is clear that the weather anomaly and the decreasing population of natural predator has been the cause of a species' population explosion. We never know, when will this kind of case continue to appear if the public awareness is getting lower.