Displaying publications 21 - 40 of 226 in total

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  1. Ant-termite interactions: an important but under-explored ecological linkage
    Tuma J, Eggleton P, Fayle TM
    Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc, 2020 06;95(3):555-572.
    PMID: 31876057 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12577
    Animal interactions play an important role in understanding ecological processes. The nature and intensity of these interactions can shape the impacts of organisms on their environment. Because ants and termites, with their high biomass and range of ecological functions, have considerable effects on their environment, the interaction between them is important for ecosystem processes. Although the manner in which ants and termites interact is becoming increasingly well studied, there has been no synthesis to date of the available literature. Here we review and synthesise all existing literature on ant-termite interactions. We infer that ant predation on termites is the most important, most widespread, and most studied type of interaction. Predatory ant species can regulate termite populations and subsequently slow down the decomposition of wood, litter and soil organic matter. As a consequence they also affect plant growth and distribution, nutrient cycling and nutrient availability. Although some ant species are specialised termite predators, there is probably a high level of opportunistic predation by generalist ant species, and hence their impact on ecosystem processes that termites are known to provide varies at the species level. The most fruitful future research direction will be to evaluate the impact of ant-termite predation on broader ecosystem processes. To do this it will be necessary to quantify the efficacy both of particular ant species and of ant communities as a whole in regulating termite populations in different biomes. We envisage that this work will require a combination of methods, including DNA barcoding of ant gut contents along with field observations and exclusion experiments. Such a combined approach is necessary for assessing how this interaction influences entire ecosystems.
    Matched MeSH terms: Ecology
  2. Special issue on the Challenges in Environmental Science and Engineering, CESE-2013: 29 Oct.-2 Nov., EXCO, Daegu, South Korea. Preface
    Jegatheesan JV, Shu L, Kim D, Bae J, Zakaria Z, Navaratna D
    Bioresour Technol, 2014 Aug;165:1-2.
    PMID: 24906212 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2014.05.083
    Matched MeSH terms: Ecology*
  3. Special section on the Challenges in Environmental Science and Engineering, CESE-2014: 12-16 Oct., Persada Johor International Convention Centre, Johor Bahru, Malaysia
    Jegatheesan JV, Ahmad WA, Kim D, Shu L, Shu HY
    Bioresour Technol, 2015 Aug;190:429-30.
    PMID: 26028479 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2015.05.047
    Matched MeSH terms: Ecology/trends*
  4. Fulltext Simple quality control technique to identify dissolved oxygen diffusion issues with biochemical oxygen demand bottle incubations
    Johnathan Daniel Maxey, Hartstein, Neil David, Penjinus, Dorathy, Kerroux, Alan
    Borneo Journal of Marine Science and Aquaculture, 2017;1(1):75-79.
    MyJurnal
    Stratified estuaries are home to expanding aquaculture activities whose ecological footprints can be observed through trends in microbial community respiration in the water column. Bottle incubations are widely used to measure water column community respiration in marine and freshwater ecosystems by measuring the flux of dissolved oxygen occurring in the bottle over a period of time. When in situ dissolved oxygen (DO) concentrations are markedly different than DO concentration of the incubation medium the potential for diffusion of oxygen across the bottle opening is great and may be especially pronounced in strongly stratified systems with relatively low rates of pelagic oxygen consumption. We incubated 60 Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) bottles filled with sterilized water with DO concentrations ranging from 2.51 mg O2 L-1 to 10.03 mg O2 L-1 for 24 hours in a temperature controlled water bath. There was a significant relationship when DO flux was set as a function of initial DO (DO Flux = -0.0017x + 0.0085, r2 = 0.72, p < 2.2 e-16). DO fluxes ranged from -0.012 mg O2 L-1 hour-1 to 0.005 mg O2 L-1 hour-1 for bottles incubated with initial DO ranging from 10.03 mg O2 L-1 to 3.31 mg O2 L-1, respectively. These results suggest that diffusion across the ground glass seal of BOD bottles is possible and that extra precaution through parallel diffusion controls should be considered when measuring pelagic respiration using BOD bottle incubations in systems with relatively low or relatively high in situ DO concentrations.
    Matched MeSH terms: Ecology
  5. Fulltext Pittosporum peridoticola (Pittosporaceae), a new ultramafic obligate species restricted to Kinabalu Park (Sabah, Malaysia)
    Sugau JB, van der Ent A
    Bot Stud, 2015 Dec;57(1):4.
    PMID: 28510789 DOI: 10.1186/s40529-016-0119-9
    BACKGROUND: Kinabalu Park, in Sabah (Malaysia) on Borneo Island, is renowned for the exceptionally high plant diversity it protects, with at least 5000 plant species enumerated to date. Discoveries of plant novelties continue to be made in Sabah, especially on isolated ultramafic outcrops, including in the genus Pittosporum (Pittosporaceae) with P. linearifolium from Bukit Hampuan on the southern border of the Park, and P. silamense from Bukit Silam in Eastern Sabah, both narrow endemics restricted to ultramafic soils.

    RESULTS: A distinctive new species of Pittosporum (P. peridoticola J.B.Sugau and Ent, sp. nov.) was discovered on Mount Tambuyukon in the north of Kinabalu Park during ecological fieldwork. The diagnostic morphological characters of this taxon are discussed and information about the habitat in which it grows is provided. The soil chemistry in the rooting zone of P. peridoticola has high magnesium to calcium quotients, high extractable nickel and manganese concentrations, but low potassium and phosphorus concentrations, as is typical for ultramafic soils. Analysis of foliar samples of various Pittosporum-species originating from ultramafic and non-ultramafic soils showed a comparable foliar elemental stoichiometry that is suggestive of 'Excluder-type' ecophysiology.

    CONCLUSION: Pittosporum peridoticola is an ultramafic obligate species restricted to Kinabalu Park with only two known populations within the boundaries of the protected area. It is vulnerable to any future stochastic landscape disturbance events, such as forest fires or severe droughts, and therefore its conservation status is 'Near Threatened'.

    Matched MeSH terms: Ecology
  6. Biodiversity characterization in Malaysia through biology and genetics
    Tan, Soon Guan
    Buletin Persatuan Genetik Malaysia, 2009;14(1):3-7.
    MyJurnal
    The world’s biodiversity is not distributed uniformly throughout the globe. Some areas such as the tropical rainforests, seas and coral reefs teem with the varieties of life whereas others such as some deserts and polar regions are almost devoid of them (Gaston, 2000). Malaysia, with her tropical jungles and seas, is rich with biodiversity. She is fortunate to have had eminent pioneers such as Ridley (1967), Corner (1972), Soepadmo (1972) and Whitmore (1983) to study her flora and Medway (1968) and Lim (1991) to study her fauna taxonomy. Other pioneers in Malaysian biology included Berry, Dhaliwal and Mohsin. These pioneers are then ably followed by workers such as Latiff, Kiew, Go, Khoo, Davidson, Saberi, Omar, Jambari, Idris, Zekri, Teo, Marziah, Tan, Mukherjee, Shapor, Yusoff, Azmi and many others studying the various subdisciplines of biology. In addition to the more obvious large plants and animals, microorganisms and aquatic organisms had not been neglected either. Workers such as Nawawi, Verghese, Ho and Faridah are known
    for their work on fungi while Fatimah, Phang, Japar and Anton had studied algae, seaweeds, diatoms and seagrasses. However, some of these workers have now either retired or are soon going to attain retirement age and the worrying part is that there are not many younger
    workers keen to pursue research in taxonomy and biosystematics, a prerequisite to further studies in ecology, genetics, biotechnology which in turn are prerequisites for rational conservation, management and sustainable utilization of our rich biological resources. With each passing day species are becoming extinct sometimes without us even knowing that they had ever existed. Even in a developed country such as the USA, one third of her plant and animal species are at risk of extinction (McCann, 2000). Hence, taxonomic and biosystematic studies of our plants, animals and microbes whether terrestrial or aquatic, freshwater and marine, should be priority areas. So should studies on their reproductive biology, life cycles, physiology, feeding habits, migration patterns, predators and their sensitivities to environmental changes.
    Matched MeSH terms: Ecology
  7. Application of molecular markers in Malaysian fisheries genetic resources
    Tan, Soon Guan, Bhassu, Subha, Rosly Hassan
    Buletin Persatuan Genetik Malaysia, 2005;11(2):0-0.
    MyJurnal
    The Malaysian fish production is about 1.5 million metric tonnes and 86.9% of this comes from the marine sector and 13.1% from the inland sector. This included fish production by capture and culture. (DOF, 2002). Fisheries genetic resources need to have a value in terms of economic, ecological and social uses and they need to characterized. This is the mandate to FAO and it is also necessary for fisheries management and aquaculture development. The vast aquatic diversity that exists in Malaysia consist of numerous taxa of marine and freshwater fishes, crustaceans, mollusks, plants and animals. These figures could be an underestimate to the actual figure. The levels of genetic diversity includes ecosystems, communities, population, genotypes and individual genes. A knowledge of the genetic background of a species and its population structure is essential for its management, breeding and conservation programmes in fisheries. Problems like how to choose the right candidates for breeding, identifiying and monitoring lines, families and individuals, monitoring and control of inbreeding, inheritance of simple traits and genetic improvement through selection for favourable gene and gene combinations can potentially be answered through the use of molecular markers in the management of fisheries genetic resources.
    Matched MeSH terms: Ecology
  8. Dissolved nutrients and chlorophyll a status of the Setiu River, Terengganu, Malaysia
    Suhaimi S, Tahir NM, Suriyati S
    Bull Environ Contam Toxicol, 2004 Dec;73(6):1094-100.
    PMID: 15674725
    Matched MeSH terms: Ecology
  9. Fulltext Studies on the relationship between fluorescent antibody response and ecology of malaria in Malaysia
    Collins WE, Warren M, Skinner JC, Fredericks HJ
    Bull World Health Organ, 1968;39(3):451-63.
    PMID: 4882987
    The fluorescent antibody (FA) technique was used to detect the presence of malarial antibody in populations living in 3 different ecological areas of Malaysia. Serum samples were tested using Plasmodium falciparum, P. vivax, P. malariae and P. fieldi antigens. An area of hyperendemic malaria had a good correlation between the antibody responses and active parasitaemias. The percentage and intensity of responses increased with the age of the individuals. In an area of hypoendemic malaria, each of 17 sites had ecological conditions which would favour or discourage the transmission of malaria. The reasons for high FA responses in some villages and low responses in others were readily apparent. The effect of even limited control programmes on the malarial ecology could be measured by an examination of the antibody responses. An aboriginal population receiving suppressive drugs had FA responses indicating both past experience and the effect of the drug programme.
    Matched MeSH terms: Ecology
  10. Fulltext Preferred Aedes aegypti larval habitats in urban areas
    Cheong WH
    Bull World Health Organ, 1967;36(4):586-9.
    PMID: 5299457
    Matched MeSH terms: Ecology*
  11. Potential human health risks from toxic metals via mangrove snail consumption and their ecological risk assessments in the habitat sediment from Peninsular Malaysia
    Cheng WH, Yap CK
    Chemosphere, 2015 Sep;135:156-65.
    PMID: 25950409 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2015.04.013
    Samples of mangrove snails Nerita lineata and surface sediments were collected from nine geographical sampling sites in Peninsular Malaysia to determine the concentrations of eight metals. For the soft tissues, the ranges of metal concentrations (μg g(-1) dry weight (dw)) were 3.49-9.02 for As, 0.69-6.25 for Cd, 6.33-25.82 for Cu, 0.71-6.53 for Cr, 221-1285 for Fe, 1.03-50.47 for Pb, and 102.7-130.7 for Zn while Hg as 4.00-64.0 μg kg(-1) dw(-1). For sediments, the ranges were 21.81-59.49 for As, 1.11-2.00 for Cd, 5.59-28.71 for Cu, 18.93-62.91 for Cr, 12973-48916 for Fe, 25.36-172.57 for Pb, and 29.35-130.34 for Zn while for Hg as 2.66-312 μg kg(-1) dw(-1). To determine the ecological risks on the surface habitat sediments, sediment quality guidelines (SQGs), the geochemical indices, and potential ecological risk index (PERI) were used. Based on the SQGs, all the metals investigated were most unlikely to cause any adverse effects. Based on geoaccumulation index and enrichment factor, the sediments were also not polluted by the studied metals. The PERI values based on As, Cd, Cu, Cr, Hg, Pb and Zn in this study were found as 'low ecological risk'. In order to assess the potential health risks, the estimated daily intakes (EDI) of snails were found to be all lower than the RfD guidelines for all metals, except for Pb in some sites investigated. Furthermore, the calculated target hazard quotients (THQ) were found to be less than 1. However, the calculated total target hazard quotients (TTHQ) from all sites were found to be more than 1 for high level consumers except KPPuteh. Therefore, moderate amount of intake is advisable to avoid human health risks to the consumers.
    Matched MeSH terms: Ecology
  12. Ecological risk estimation of organophosphorus pesticides in riverine ecosystems
    Wee SY, Aris AZ
    Chemosphere, 2017 Dec;188:575-581.
    PMID: 28917209 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2017.09.035
    Pesticides are of great concern because of their existence in ecosystems at trace concentrations. Worldwide pesticide use and its ecological impacts (i.e., altered environmental distribution and toxicity of pesticides) have increased over time. Exposure and toxicity studies are vital for reducing the extent of pesticide exposure and risk to the environment and humans. Regional regulatory actions may be less relevant in some regions because the contamination and distribution of pesticides vary across regions and countries. The risk quotient (RQ) method was applied to assess the potential risk of organophosphorus pesticides (OPPs), primarily focusing on riverine ecosystems. Using the available ecotoxicity data, aquatic risks from OPPs (diazinon and chlorpyrifos) in the surface water of the Langat River, Selangor, Malaysia were evaluated based on general (RQm) and worst-case (RQex) scenarios. Since the ecotoxicity of quinalphos has not been well established, quinalphos was excluded from the risk assessment. The calculated RQs indicate medium risk (RQm = 0.17 and RQex = 0.66; 0.1 ≤ RQ  1 (high risk) was observed for both the general and worst cases of chlorpyrifos, but only for the worst cases of diazinon at all sites from downstream to upstream regions. Thus, chlorpyrifos posed a higher risk than diazinon along the Langat River, suggesting that organisms and humans could be exposed to potentially high levels of OPPs.
    Matched MeSH terms: Ecology/methods*
  13. The genus Hormiops Fage, 1933 (Hormuridae, Scorpiones), a palaeoendemic of the South China Sea: systematics and biogeography
    Monod L
    C. R. Biol., 2014 Oct;337(10):596-608.
    PMID: 25282174 DOI: 10.1016/j.crvi.2014.07.009
    The monotypic genus Hormiops Fage, 1933 is so far only known from two groups of granitic islands off the coasts of Peninsular Malaysia and Vietnam. Examination of newly collected material from both archipelagos and of the type series of Hormiops davidovi Fage, 1933 reveals previously disregarded morphological differences sufficient to assign the Malaysian specimens to a distinct species, described here as Hormiops infulcra sp. nov. An updated diagnosis of the genus, as well as a dichotomic key enabling the determination of Hormiops from its close relatives, Hormurus Thorell, 1876 and Liocheles Sundevall, 1833 are also provided. The phylogenetic position, distribution pattern, and ecology of these insular scorpions suggest that they are palaeoendemics, remnants of a previously more widely distributed lineage. A biogeographical model is proposed for the genus based on these observations and on a synthesis of palaeogeographical and palaeoenvironmental data currently available for Sundaland.
    Matched MeSH terms: Ecology
  14. Fulltext Three lessons for gender equity in biodiversity conservation
    Lau JD
    Conserv Biol, 2020 12;34(6):1589-1591.
    PMID: 32104932 DOI: 10.1111/cobi.13487
    Amid a growing global agenda, biodiversity conservation has embraced gender equity as a pillar of equitable and effective practice. Gender equity has become enshrined in the global environment and development agenda through global commitments, policy and funding. However, for various reasons, conservation biodiversity often takes a simplistic view of gender as synonymous with women or as a dualism between women and men. This narrow view risks promoting inequitable processes and ineffective outcomes. Deeper engagement with feminist theory, and feminist political ecology in particular, could help advance biodiversity conservation's approach to how gender is understood, framed and integrated. Engaging with lessons from feminist political ecology can help advance gender equity in conservation through attention to power dynamics, intersectionality, and subjectivity.
    Matched MeSH terms: Ecology
  15. Menno Schilthuizen
    Schilthuizen M
    Curr Biol, 2024 Jan 22;34(2):R40-R41.
    PMID: 38262351 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.11.040
    Interview with Menno Schilthuizen, who studies the evolutionary ecology of morphological diversification in related species at the Naturalis Biodiversity Center and Leiden University.
    Matched MeSH terms: Ecology
  16. The application of one health approaches to henipavirus research
    Hayman DT, Gurley ES, Pulliam JR, Field HE
    Curr. Top. Microbiol. Immunol., 2013;365:155-70.
    PMID: 23160861 DOI: 10.1007/82_2012_276
    Henipaviruses cause fatal infection in humans and domestic animals. Transmission from fruit bats, the wildlife reservoirs of henipaviruses, is putatively driven (at least in part) by anthropogenic changes that alter host ecology. Human and domestic animal fatalities occur regularly in Asia and Australia, but recent findings suggest henipaviruses are present in bats across the Old World tropics. We review the application of the One Health approach to henipavirus research in three locations: Australia, Malaysia and Bangladesh. We propose that by recognising and addressing the complex interaction among human, domestic animal and wildlife systems, research within the One Health paradigm will be more successful in mitigating future human and domestic animal deaths from henipavirus infection than alternative single-discipline approaches.
    Matched MeSH terms: Ecology
  17. Fulltext Evidence of local short-distance spawning migration of tropical freshwater eels, and implications for the evolution of freshwater eel migration
    Arai T
    Ecol Evol, 2014 Oct;4(19):3812-9.
    PMID: 25614795 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.1245
    Freshwater eels have fascinated biologists for centuries due to the spectacular long-distance migrations between the eels' freshwater habitats and their spawning areas far out in the ocean and the mysteries of their ecology. The spawning areas of Atlantic eels and Japanese eel were located far offshore in the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean, respectively, and their reproduction took place thousands of kilometers away from their growth habitats. Phylogenetic studies have revealed that freshwater eels originated in the Indonesian region. However, remarkably little is known about the life histories of tropical freshwater eels despite the fact that tropical eels are key to understanding the nature of primitive forms of catadromous migration. This study found spawning-condition tropical freshwater eels in Lake Poso, central Sulawesi, Indonesia, with considerably high gonadosomatic index values and with histologically fully developed gonads. This study provides the first evidence that under certain conditions, freshwater eels have conditions that are immediately able to spawn even in river downstream. The results suggest that, in contrast to the migrations made by the Atlantic and Japanese eels, freshwater eels originally migrated only short distances of <100 kilometers to local spawning areas adjacent to their freshwater growth habitats. Ancestral eels most likely underwent a catadromous migration from local short-distance movements in tropical coastal waters to the long-distance migrations characteristic of present-day temperate eels, which has been well established as occurring in subtropical gyres in both hemispheres.
    Matched MeSH terms: Ecology
  18. Fulltext Reliable, verifiable and efficient monitoring of biodiversity via metabarcoding
    Ji Y, Ashton L, Pedley SM, Edwards DP, Tang Y, Nakamura A, et al.
    Ecol Lett, 2013 Oct;16(10):1245-57.
    PMID: 23910579 DOI: 10.1111/ele.12162
    To manage and conserve biodiversity, one must know what is being lost, where, and why, as well as which remedies are likely to be most effective. Metabarcoding technology can characterise the species compositions of mass samples of eukaryotes or of environmental DNA. Here, we validate metabarcoding by testing it against three high-quality standard data sets that were collected in Malaysia (tropical), China (subtropical) and the United Kingdom (temperate) and that comprised 55,813 arthropod and bird specimens identified to species level with the expenditure of 2,505 person-hours of taxonomic expertise. The metabarcode and standard data sets exhibit statistically correlated alpha- and beta-diversities, and the two data sets produce similar policy conclusions for two conservation applications: restoration ecology and systematic conservation planning. Compared with standard biodiversity data sets, metabarcoded samples are taxonomically more comprehensive, many times quicker to produce, less reliant on taxonomic expertise and auditable by third parties, which is essential for dispute resolution.
    Matched MeSH terms: Ecology/methods*
  19. Application of enrichment factor, geoaccumulation index, and ecological risk index in assessing the elemental pollution status of surface sediments
    Looi LJ, Aris AZ, Yusoff FM, Isa NM, Haris H
    Environ Geochem Health, 2019 Feb;41(1):27-42.
    PMID: 29982907 DOI: 10.1007/s10653-018-0149-1
    Sediment can accumulate trace elements in the environment. This study profiled the magnitude of As, Ba, Cd, Co, Cu, Cr, Ni, Pb, Se, and Zn pollution in surface sediments of the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia. Trace elements were digested using aqua regia and were analyzed using the inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. The extent of elemental pollution was evaluated using with the enrichment factor (EF) and geoaccumulation index (Igeo). This study found that the elemental distribution in the sediment in descending order was Zn > Ba > Cr > Pb > Cu > As > Ni > Co > Se > Cd. Zn concentrations in all samples were below the interim sediment quality guideline (ISQG) (124 mg/kg). In contrast, Cd concentrations (2.34 ± 0.01 mg/kg) at Station 31 (Merlimau) exceeded the ISQG (0.70 mg/kg), and the concentrations of As in the samples from Station 9 (Tanjung Dawai) exceeded the probable effect level (41.60 mg/kg). The Igeo and EF revealed that Station 9 and Station 31 were extremely enriched with Se and Cd, respectively. All stations posed low ecological risk, except Station 31, which had moderate ecological risk. The outputs from this study are expected to provide the background levels of pollutants and help develop regional sediment quality guideline values. This study is also important in aiding relevant authorities to set priorities for resources management and policy implementation.
    Matched MeSH terms: Ecology
  20. Stories and maps, images and archives: multimethod approach to the political ecology of native property rights and natural resource management in Sabah, Malaysia
    Doolittle AA
    Environ Manage, 2010 Jan;45(1):67-81.
    PMID: 18506515 DOI: 10.1007/s00267-008-9144-0
    The study of human-environmental relations is complex and by nature draws on theories and practices from multiple disciplines. There is no single research strategy or universal set of methods to which researchers must adhere. Particularly for scholars interested in a political ecology approach to understanding human-environmental relationships, very little has been written examining the details of "how to" design a project, develop appropriate methods, produce data, and, finally, integrate multiple forms of data into an analysis. A great deal of attention has been paid, appropriately, to the theoretical foundations of political ecology, and numerous scholarly articles and books have been published recently. But beyond Andrew Vayda's "progressive contextualization" and Piers Blaikie and Harold Brookfield's "chains of explanation," remarkably little is written that provides a research model to follow, modify, and expand. Perhaps one of the reasons for this gap in scholarship is that, as expected in interdisciplinary research, researchers use a variety of methods that are suitable (and perhaps unique) to the questions they are asking. To start a conversation on the methods available for researchers interested in adopting a political ecology perspective to human-environmental interactions, I use my own research project as a case study. This research is by no means flawless or inclusive of all possible methods, but by using the details of this particular research process as a case study I hope to provide insights into field research that will be valuable for future scholarship.
    Matched MeSH terms: Ecology
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