Long-tailed macaque (Macaca fascicularis) has the potential to be a good biological indicator for toxic exposure because they have an almost similar physiology and behaviour to humans. The objective of this study is to determine the concentration of lead (Pb) in hair samples of long-tailed macaques which were found in and out of the Kuala Selangor Nature Park (KSNP) area. The hypothesis is long-tailed macaques that live in the anthropogenic area (outside KSNP) may be exposed to high levels of lead compared to long-tailed macaques living in the forest area (inside KSNP). Analysis of hair samples were carried out using Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS). The study found that the average mean of lead concentration in the anthropogenic area is 6.31 μg/g while for the forest area it is 3.16 μg/g. Lead concentration in the two areas are statistically insignificant. Nevertheless, lead concentration in the anthropogenic area recorded a slightly higher mean concentration than in the forest area. Even so, results of this study indicate that long-tailed macaques in Kuala Selangor are not exposed to high levels of lead. This study is the first in Malaysia to utilise long-tailed macaques as a biological indicator for testing the concentration of toxic substances in the environment. This study is still in its early stages; thus, future research requires improvements.
Tarsius bancanus borneanus (kera hantu) pertama kali dicam oleh Elliot pada
tahun 1990 merupakan spesies endemik yang boleh ditemui di kepulauan Borneo yang
terdiri dari Sabah dan Sarawak (Malaysia), Brunei Darussalam dan Kalimantan, Indonesia.
Sub-spesies ini telah disenaraikan sebagai haiwan yang terlindung sepenuhnya di bawah
Ordinan Perlindungan Hidupan Liar Sarawak (1998) dan disenaraikan sebagai spesies
yang terdedah kepada kepupusan oleh IUCN. Kajian ini telah dijalankan di Universiti Putra
Malaysia Kampus Bintulu Sarawak (UPMKB), dari Oktober 2014 hingga Mac 2015. Menerusi
persampelan tangkap-lepas yang meliputi kawasan seluas 37 ha hutan sekunder dan 7.13
ha hutan yang dipulihara, sebanyak 16 ekor kera hantu telah ditangkap menggunakan jaring
kabut manakala seekor kera hantu telah berjaya ditangkap semula. Kepadatan populasi
kera hantu yang ditangkap menggunakan jaring kabut di dalam hutan sekunder adalah
38 individu/km² manakala 28 individu/km² dicatatkan bagi hutan yang dipulihara. Dengan
menggunakan kaedah penangkapan per satu unit usaha (net-jam), masa purata bagi
seekor kera hantu ditangkap di dalam hutan sekunder adalah 26.6 jam/haiwan dan 30 jam/
haiwan di dalam hutan yang dipulihara. Keputusan membuktikan data mengenai kehadiran
kera hantu di dalam kedua-dua hutan sekunder dan hutan yang dipulihara terutamanya di
kampus UPMKB sekaligus menonjolkan nilai pemuliharaan kawasan hutan tersebut.
Chironomus javanus (Kieffer) and Chironomus kiiensis Tokunaga were redescribed from materials collected from a rice field in Pulau Pinang, Malaysia. The larvae can only be distinguished after careful preparation and examination using a compound microscope, but the pupae were not useful to differentiate C. javanus from C. kiiensis. The adult specimens showed clear body and wing characteristics for rapid and accurate identification.
Fasciolosis is a water and food-borne disease caused by the liver fluke Fasciola hepatica and Fasciola gigantica. This disease is widespread in different parts of the world. Lymnaeidae and Planorbidae snails are the intermediate hosts of these flukes. Snail population management is a good tool to control fasciolosis because gastropods represent the weakest link in the life-cycle of trematodes. Chlorophyll can be extracted from any green plant. Chlorophyllin was prepared from spinach in 100% ethanol by using different types of chemicals. The chlorophyll obtained from spinach was transformed into water-soluble chlorophyllin. In the present paper, toxicity of chlorophyllin against the snail Lymnaea acuminata was time and concentration dependent. The toxicity of extracted and pure chlorophyllin at continuous 4 h exposure of sunlight was highest with lethal concentration (LC50) of 331.01 mg/L and 2.60 mg/L, respectively, than discontinuous exposure of sunlight up to 8 h with LC50 of 357.04 mg/L and 4.94 mg/L, respectively. Toxicity of extracted chlorophyllin was noted in the presence of different monochromatic visible lights. The highest toxicity was noted in yellow light (96 h, LC50 392.77 mg/L) and the lowest in green light (96 h, LC50 833.02 mg/L). Chlorophyllin in combination with solar radiation or different wavelength of monochromatic visible lights may become a latent remedy against the snail L. acuminata. It was demonstrated that chlorophyllin was more toxic in sunlight. Chlorophyllin is ecologically safe and more economical than synthetic molluscicides which have the potential to control the incidence of fasciolosis in developing countries.
Land reclamation in Penang began two decades ago and is still rampant with
large reclamation projects planned to be executed in the near future. The present study
provides the first information on effects of land reclamation in Penang towards the coastal
macroinvertebrates. This study assessed the abundance, diversity, and evenness of
coastal invertebrates assumed to be the foremost affected when land is reclaimed. Three
kinds of areas were focused on: reclaimed, unclaimed (adjacent to reclaimed), and
undisturbed. A total of 53 species of macroinvertebrates from 10 classes (Gastropoda,
Bivalvia, Polychaeta, Malacostraca, Maxillopoda, Echinoidea, Polyplacophora,
Branchiopoda, Scaphopoda, and Holothuroidea) were sampled. Reclaimed areas were
moderately rich in species averaging 11 species compared to 7 species in adjacent and
14 in undisturbed areas. Species richness was the highest in Teluk Aling (an undisturbed
area) with 22 species, and was the lowest in Gurney Drive (an adjacent area) with 2
species. The average species diversity and evenness on reclaimed land was the lowest
with values of 1.9974 and 0.5787, respectively. The diversity was higher by 5.07% in
adjacent areas and by 22.92% in undisturbed areas compared to reclaimed areas.
Species evenness was 29.75% higher in unreclaimed areas and 17.87% higher in
undisturbed areas compared to reclaimed areas. Land reclamation reduces species
diversity and evenness, and to a lesser extent, species richness.
Exploiting natural resources for bioactive compounds is an attractive drug discovery strategy in search for new anti-malarial drugs with novel modes of action. Initial screening efforts in our laboratory revealed two preparations of soil-derived actinomycetes (H11809 and FH025) with potent anti-malarial activities. Both crude extracts showed glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK3β)-inhibitory activities in a yeast-based kinase assay. We have previously shown that the GSK3 inhibitor, lithium chloride (LiCl), was able to suppress parasitaemia development in a rodent model of malarial infection. The present study aims to evaluate whether anti-malarial activities of H11809 and FH025 involve the inhibition of GSK3β. The acetone crude extracts of H11809 and FH025 each exerted strong inhibition on the growth of Plasmodium falciparum 3D7 in vitro with 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50) values of 0.57 ± 0.09 and 1.28 ± 0.11 µg/mL, respectively. The tested extracts exhibited Selectivity Index (SI) values exceeding 10 for the 3D7 strain. Both H11809 and FH025 showed dosage-dependent chemo-suppressive activities in vivo and improved animal survivability compared to non-treated infected mice. Western analysis revealed increased phosphorylation of serine (Ser 9) GSK3β (by 6.79 to 6.83-fold) in liver samples from infected mice treated with H11809 or FH025 compared to samples from non-infected or non-treated infected mice. A compound already identified in H11809 (data not shown), dibutyl phthalate (DBP) showed active anti-plasmodial activity against 3D7 (IC50 4.87 ± 1.26 µg/mL which is equivalent to 17.50 µM) and good chemo-suppressive activity in vivo (60.80% chemo-suppression at 300 mg/kg body weight [bw] dosage). DBP administration also resulted in increased phosphorylation of Ser 9 GSK3β compared to controls. Findings from the present study demonstrate that the potent anti-malarial activities of H11809 and FH025 were mediated via inhibition of host GSK3β. In addition, our study suggests that DBP is in part the bioactive component contributing to the anti-malarial activity displayed by H11809 acting through the inhibition of GSK3β.
Experiments were carried out in the laboratory and greenhouse to determine the growth inhibitory effects of Grassohopper's cyperus (Cyperus iria L.) on the seedlings of 5 Malaysian rice varieties namely MR211, MRQ74, MR220, MR84 and MR232. Three concentrations of the aqueous extract of the weed (12.5, 25.0 and 50.0 g/l) and weed debris (5, 10 and 20 g dry debris/1000 g soil) were used to test the allelopathic effect of C. iria on the growth of the rice plants. The weed leaf, stem and root extracts reduced the growth of the rice seedlings and showed selective activity in the varieties. The C. iria leaf and stem extracts showed comparatively higher growth inhibitory effects than those from the root. The weed extract caused more reduction in the root length of the rice plant compared to the shoot length. Among the rice varieties tested, MR232 was found to be more susceptible to the weed inhibitory effect. The leaf extract of C. iria at full strength caused root and shoot reduction of MR232 by 88.1% and 73.1% respectively (compared to the control). In most cases the fresh weight of the rice seedlings were more affected than the plant height. Weed debris caused significant reduction of leaf chlorophyll content in all the rice varieties tested with the exception of MR211. The chlorophyll content of MR232 was greatly affected by the weed debris which caused reduction of 36.4% compared to the control. The inhibitory effects of weed extracts and debris on rice growth parameters were found to be concentration dependent.
A bacterium was isolated from sludge-contaminated soil in a petroleum refinery and tested for its ability to degrade aliphatic hydrocarbon compounds present in petroleum sludge. The isolate was grown on minimal salt media agar supplemented with 1% (w/v) petroleum sludge. The isolate was tentatively identified as Methylobacterium s p. s t rain ZASH based on the partial 16s rDNA molecular phylogeny. The bacterium grew optimally between the temperatures of 30°C and 35°C, pH 7 and 7.5, 0.5% and 1.5% (v/v) Tween 80 as the surfactant, and between 1% and 2% (w/v) peptone as the nitrogen source. The constants derived from the Haldane equation were μmax = 0.039 hr-1, Ks = 0.385% (w/v) total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH) or 3,850 mg/L TPH, and Ki =1.12% (w/v) TPH or 11,200 mg/L. The maximum biodegradation rate exhibited by this strain was 19 mg/L/hr at an initial TPH concentration of 10,000 mg/L. Gas chromatography analysis revealed that after 15 days the strain was able to degrade all aliphatic n-alkanes investigated with different efficiencies. Shorter n-alkanes were generally degraded more rapidly than longer n-alkanes with 90% removal for C-12 compared to only 30% removal for C-36. The addition of sawdust did not improve bacterial degradation of petroleum hydrocarbons, but it assisted in the removal of remaining undegraded hydrocarbons through adsorption.
A molybdenum reducing bacterium with the novel ability to decolorise the azo dye Metanil Yellow is reported. Optimal conditions for molybdenum reduction were pH 6.3 and at 34°C. Glucose was the best electron donor. Another requirement includes a narrow phosphate concentration between 2.5 and 7.5 mM. A time profile of Mo-blue production shows a lag period of approximately 12 hours, a maximum amount of Mo-blue produced at a molybdate concentration of 20 mM, and a peak production at 52 h of incubation. The heavy metals mercury, silver, copper and chromium inhibited reduction by 91.9, 82.7, 45.5 and 17.4%, respectively. A complete decolourisation of the dye Metanil Yellow at 100 and 150 mg/L occurred at day three and day six of incubations, respectively. Higher concentrations show partial degradation, with an approximately 20% decolourisation observed at 400 mg/L. The bacterium is partially identified based on biochemical analysis as Bacillus sp. strain Neni-10. The absorption spectrum of the Mo-blue suggested the compound is a reduced phosphomolybdate. The isolation of this bacterium, which shows heavy metal reduction and dye-decolorising ability, is sought after, particularly for bioremediation.
The biochemical changes in two Selaginella species namely, S. tamariscina (Beauv.) Spring and S. plana (Desv. ex Poir.) Heiron., as induced by desiccation and subsequent rehydration were explored. Plants were allowed to dehydrate naturally by withholding irrigation until shoot's relative water content (RWC) reached <10%. After which, dehydrated plants were watered until fully rehydrated states were obtained which was about 90% RWC or more. Desiccation-tolerance characteristics were observed in S. tamariscina while desiccation-sensitivity features were seen in S. plana. Membrane integrity was maintained in S. tamariscina but not in S. plana as evidenced in the relative electrolyte leakage measurements during desiccation phase and the subsequent rehydration stage. Pigment analyses revealed conservation of some chlorophylls and carotenoids during desiccation and reaching control levels following rehydration in S. tamariscina. Very low pigment contents were found in S. plana during desiccation phase and the pigments were not recovered during rehydration attempt. Meanwhile, compatible solute determination showed rise in total sugar and proline contents of desiccated S. tamariscina only, indicating presence of biochemical protection machineries in this species and absence of such in S. plana during dehydrating conditions. These data indicate that one key element for desiccation-tolerance in lower vascular plants is the ability to protect tissues from severe damages caused by intense desiccation.
Ornate threadfin bream (Nemipterus hexodon) is an economically important fishery species in Southeast Asia. In Thailand, N. hexodon decreased dramatically due to overexploitation for commercial purposes. To construct an effective sustainable management plan, genetic information is necessary. Thus, in our study, the population genetic structure and demographic history of N. hexodon were investigated using 419 bp of the mitochondrial DNA sequence in cytochrome oxidase subunit I gene (mtDNA COI). A total of 142 samples was collected from nine localities in the Gulf of Thailand (Chonburi, Samut Songkhram, Surat Thani, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Songkhla), and the Andaman Sea (Satun, Trang, Krabi, Phang Nga). Fourteen polymorphic sites defined 18 haplotypes, revealing a high haplotype diversity and low nucleotide diversity among nine localities. The analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) analysis, pairwise F ST , and minimum spanning network result revealed that the genetic structure of N. hexodon was separated into two populations: the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman Sea population. The genetic structure of N. hexodon can be explained by a disruption of gene flow from the geographic barrier and the Pleistocene isolation of the marine basin hypothesis. Neutrality tests, Bayesian skyline analysis, mismatch distribution, and the estimated values of population growth suggested that N. hexodon had experienced a population expansion. The genetic information would certainly help us gain insight into the population genetic structure of N. hexodon living on the coast of Thailand.
This study aimed at determining the effects of propagation medium and cutting types on the early growth performance of fig (Ficus carica L.) root and shoot. The experiment was conducted at the Glasshouse and Nursery Complex (GNC), International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM). The split-plot design was employed with the main plot (propagation medium) and sub-plot (types of cutting). The propagation medium were sand:topsoil (1:3) (M1), topsoil:peat:sawdust (1:1:1) (M2) and peat:perlite (1:1) (M3). Two types of cutting were semi-hardwood (C1) and hardwood (C2). As a result, there were a significant effect of propagation medium on measured parameters. This study revealed that the most effective propagation medium and cutting types for the propagation of fig were a combination of peat and perlite at 1:1 ratio (M3) and hardwood cutting (C2), respectively as evidenced by significantly higher root and shoot growth quality as compared to other treatments.
A total of 82 isolates of microfungi were isolated from 6 sandy soil samples collected from Teluk Aling beach, Pulau Pinang. The soil microfungi were isolated by using direct isolation, debris isolation and soil dilution techniques. Based on morphological characteristics, seven genera of microfungi were identified namely, Fusarium (42%), Aspergillus (24%), Trichoderma (13%), Curvularia (9%), Colletotrichum (6%), Helminthosporium (4%) and Penicillium (2%). The most common species isolated was Fusarium solani followed by Fusarium semitecum, Aspergillus niger, Trichoderma viride, Curvularia clavata, Curvularia lunata, Helminthosporium velutinum, Colletotrichum sp. and Penicillium chrysogenum. From the present study, it appears that the sandy beach contains a microfungi reservoir comprising of a variety of genera which contributes significantly to the ecological functioning of a marine ecosystem.
Mating studies were conducted on 78 isolates of Fusarium species section Liseola from rice, sugarcane and maize. From the crosses with tester strains of Gibberella fujikuroi species complex, 64.1% (50 out of 78 isolates) were cross-fertile with tester strains of mating populations A to E. The results of the mating studies showed that of the 50 isolates, 19 belonged to mating population A (Gibberella moniliformis), 18 to mating population B (Gibberella sacchari), 4 to mating population E (Gibberella subglutinans), 6 to mating population D (Gibberella intermedia) and 3 to mating population C (G. fujikuroi). Identification of several mating populations from rice, sugarcane and maize could be important biological entities under field conditions.
A total of 13 Colletotrichum isolates were obtained from different banana cultivars (Musa spp.) with symptoms of anthracnose. Colletotrichum isolates from anthracnose of guava (Psidium guajava) and water apple (Syzygium aqueum) were also included in this study. Based on cultural and morphological characteristics, isolates from banana and guava were identified as Colletotrichum musae and from water apple as Colletotrichum gloeosporiodes. Isolates of C. musae from banana and guava had similar banding patterns in a randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis with four random primers, and they clustered together in a UPGMA analysis. C. gloeosporiodes from water apple was clustered in a separate cluster. Based on the present study, C. musae was frequently isolated from anthracnose of different banana cultivars and the RAPD banding patterns of C. musae isolates were highly similar but showed intraspecific variations.
Bagworm Metisa plana is one of the major pests in Malaysia's oil palm plantation, with infestation resulting in huge economical loss. Currently, the microbial profile of the bagworm has yet to be study. Understanding the biology of the pest such as the bacterial community is crucial as bacteria associated with insects often provide benefits to the insect, giving the insect host a better chance of survival. Here, 16S amplicon sequencing was used to identify the bacteria community of M. plana. Additionally, two comparisons were made, the bacterial communities between two larval stages (early instar stage and late instar stage) from outbreak area; the bacterial communities of late instar stage larvae from non-outbreak between outbreak areas. From this study, it was found that the bacterial community of M. plana consisted of Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Bacterioidetes, Firmicutes and other minor phyla, with Proteobacteria being the most dominant phylum. Furthermore, bacterial genera of M. plana consisted of Pantoea, Curtobacterium, Pseudomonas, Massilia and other minor genera, with Pantoea being the most dominant. It was also found that the alpha and beta diversity in both comparisons were not significantly different. We present our data as a first insight towards the bacterial community of M. plana, paving a way towards understanding the biology of the bagworm M. plana.
Simian betaretrovirus serotype-2 (SRV-2) is an important pathogenic agent in Asian macaques. It is a potential confounding variable in biomedical research. SRV-2 also provides a valuable viral model compared to other retroviruses which can be used for understanding many aspects of retroviral-host interactions and immunosuppression, infection mechanism, retroviral structure, antiretroviral and vaccine development. In this study, we isolated the gene encoding reverse transcriptase enzyme (RT) of SRV-2 that infected Indonesian cynomolgus monkey (Mf ET1006) and predicted the three dimensional structure model using the iterative threading assembly refinement (I-TASSER) computational programme. This SRV-2 RT Mf ET1006 consisted of 547 amino acids at nucleotide position 3284-4925 of whole genome SRV-2. The polymerase active site located in the finger/palm subdomain characterised by three conserved catalytic aspartates (Asp90, Asp165, Asp166), and has a highly conserved YMDD motif as Tyr163, Met164, Asp165 and Asp166. We estimated that this SRV-2 RT Mf ET1006 structure has the accuracy of template modelling score (TM-score 0.90 ± 0.06) and root mean square deviation (RMSD) 4.7 ± 3.1Å, indicating that this model can be trusted and the accuracy can be seen from the appearance of protein folding in tertiary structure. The superpositionings between SRV-2 RT Mf ET1006 and Human Immunodeficiency Virus-1 (HIV-1) RT were performed to predict the structural in details and to optimise the best fits for illustrations. This SRV-2 RT Mf ET1006 structure model has the highest homology to HIV-1 RT (2B6A.pdb) with estimated accuracy at TM-score 0.911, RMSD 1.85 Å, and coverage of 0.953. This preliminary study of SRV-2 RT Mf ET1006 structure modelling is intriguing and provide some information to explore the molecular characteristic and biochemical mechanism of this enzyme.
Tropical peat swamp forest (PSF) is a unique wetland ecosystem with distinct vegetation types. Due to the waterlogged environment, the stand characteristics in this ecosystem are different from those of other inland forests. This paper highlights stand characteristics of a PSF based on our investigation of a 1 ha ecological plot established in a Virgin Jungle Reserve (VJR) at Compartment 100, Pekan Forest Reserve, Pahang, Malaysia. This site is considered a Gonystylus bancanus-rich area. From the inventory, we recorded a total of 49 tree species from 38 genera and 25 families among all trees of ≥ 10 cm in diameter at breast height. Calophyllum ferrugineum var. ferrugineum was the most abundant species, followed by G. bancanus. The forest appeared healthy, as all tree characteristics (crown shape, log grade and climber infestation) generally fell within Classes 1 and 2 (good and moderate categories), with the exception of crown illumination which majority of the trees were rated as class 3 (received less sunlight). The latter finding indicates that most of the trees living under the canopy received minimal illumination. In terms of total tree biomass, we estimated that about 414.6 tonnes exist in this 1 ha area; this tree biomass is higher than in some PSF areas of Sumatra, Indonesia.
A total of 37 fish species from 14 families were observed during surveys conducted from January to March 2005 at 8 selected streams near the Gunung Jerai Forest Reserve. The list includes two species (Rasbora trilineata and Systomus partipentazona) that were visually identified at the lower part of the Sungai Teroi stream. Single specimens of Leiocassis micropogon, Clarias macrocephalus and Hampala macrolepidota were also obtained at certain sampling stations. Devario regina and Systomus binotatus were the most abundant species at all sampling stations. However, the list is still incomplete as the study was carried out over a short time period and there are large areas that have not yet been surveyed. The presence of exotic species (Carassius auratus) at Sungai Badak indicates anthropogenic influences. Therefore, a long-term monitoring program for Gunung Jerai Forest Reserve streams should be planned and carried out to assess the impacts of future development on fish biodiversity and water quality.