Displaying publications 121 - 140 of 382 in total

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  1. Plant reproductive phenology over four years including an episode of general flowering in a lowland dipterocarp forest,Sarawak, Malaysia
    Sakai S, Momose K, Yumoto T, Nagamitsu T, Nagamasu H, Hamid AA, et al.
    Am J Bot, 1999 Oct;86(10):1414-36.
    PMID: 10523283
    The first systematic observation of a general flowering, a phenomenon unique to lowland mixed-dipterocarp forests in Southeast Asia, is presented. During general flowering, which occurs at irregular intervals of 3-10 yr, nearly all dipterocarp species together with species of other families come heavily into flower. We monitored reproductive phenology of 576 individual plants representing 305 species in 56 families in Sarawak, Malaysia. Observations continued for 53 mo from August 1992 and covered one episode of a general flowering cycle. Among 527 effective reproductive events during 43 mo, 57% were concentrated in the general flowering period (GFP) of 10 mo in 1996. We classified 257 species into flowering types based on timing and frequency of flowering. The most abundant type was "general flowering" (35%), which flowered only during GFP. The others were "supra-annual" (19%), "annual" (13%), and "sub-annual" (5%) types. General flowering type and temporal aggregation in reproductive events were commonly found among species in various categories of taxonomic groups, life forms, pollination systems, and fruit types. Possible causes for general flowering, such as promotion of pollination brought about by interspecific synchronization and paucity of climatic cues suitable for flowering trigger, are proposed, in addition to the predator satiation hypothesis of Janzen (1974).
    Matched MeSH terms: Forests
  2. Fulltext Plant DNA barcodes and assessment of phylogenetic community structure of a tropical mixed dipterocarp forest in Brunei Darussalam (Borneo)
    Heckenhauer J, Abu Salim K, Chase MW, Dexter KG, Pennington RT, Tan S, et al.
    PLoS One, 2017;12(10):e0185861.
    PMID: 29049301 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0185861
    DNA barcoding is a fast and reliable tool to assess and monitor biodiversity and, via community phylogenetics, to investigate ecological and evolutionary processes that may be responsible for the community structure of forests. In this study, DNA barcodes for the two widely used plastid coding regions rbcL and matK are used to contribute to identification of morphologically undetermined individuals, as well as to investigate phylogenetic structure of tree communities in 70 subplots (10 × 10m) of a 25-ha forest-dynamics plot in Brunei (Borneo, Southeast Asia). The combined matrix (rbcL + matK) comprised 555 haplotypes (from ≥154 genera, 68 families and 25 orders sensu APG, Angiosperm Phylogeny Group, 2016), making a substantial contribution to tree barcode sequences from Southeast Asia. Barcode sequences were used to reconstruct phylogenetic relationships using maximum likelihood, both with and without constraining the topology of taxonomic orders to match that proposed by the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group. A third phylogenetic tree was reconstructed using the program Phylomatic to investigate the influence of phylogenetic resolution on results. Detection of non-random patterns of community assembly was determined by net relatedness index (NRI) and nearest taxon index (NTI). In most cases, community assembly was either random or phylogenetically clustered, which likely indicates the importance to community structure of habitat filtering based on phylogenetically correlated traits in determining community structure. Different phylogenetic trees gave similar overall results, but the Phylomatic tree produced greater variation across plots for NRI and NTI values, presumably due to noise introduced by using an unresolved phylogenetic tree. Our results suggest that using a DNA barcode tree has benefits over the traditionally used Phylomatic approach by increasing precision and accuracy and allowing the incorporation of taxonomically unidentified individuals into analyses.
    Matched MeSH terms: Forests*
  3. Fulltext Physiological implications of life at the forest interface of oil palm agriculture: blood profiles of wild Malay civets (Viverra tangalunga)
    Evans MN, Guerrero-Sanchez S, Kille P, Müller CT, Bakar MSA, Goossens B
    Conserv Physiol, 2020;8(1):coaa127.
    PMID: 33408869 DOI: 10.1093/conphys/coaa127
    Agricultural development is a major threat to global biodiversity, and effective conservation actions are crucial. Physiological repercussions of life alongside human-modified landscapes can undermine adaptable species' health and population viability; however, baseline data are lacking for many wildlife species. We assessed the physiological status of a generalist carnivore, the Malay civet (Viverra tangalunga), persisting within an extensively human-modified system in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. We characterized hematology and serum biochemistry panels from civets sampled across a mosaic landscape comprising tropical forest fragments and oil palm plantations. Intra-population variation in certain blood parameters were explained by expected biological drivers such as sex, age category and sampling season. Furthermore, we determined several erythrocyte measures, immune cell counts and dietary biochemistry markers significantly varied with proximity to oil palm plantation boundaries. These findings were supported by a case study, whereby blood profiles of GPS collared male civets were contrasted based on their exclusive use of forests or use of oil palm plantations. These data provide robust and valuable first insights into this species' physiological status and suggest agricultural landscapes are impacting the persisting population.
    Matched MeSH terms: Forests
  4. Phylogenetic turnover along local environmental gradients in tropical forest communities
    Baldeck CA, Kembel SW, Harms KE, Yavitt JB, John R, Turner BL, et al.
    Oecologia, 2016 10;182(2):547-57.
    PMID: 27337965 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-016-3686-2
    While the importance of local-scale habitat niches in shaping tree species turnover along environmental gradients in tropical forests is well appreciated, relatively little is known about the influence of phylogenetic signal in species' habitat niches in shaping local community structure. We used detailed maps of the soil resource and topographic variation within eight 24-50 ha tropical forest plots combined with species phylogenies created from the APG III phylogeny to examine how phylogenetic beta diversity (indicating the degree of phylogenetic similarity of two communities) was related to environmental gradients within tropical tree communities. Using distance-based redundancy analysis we found that phylogenetic beta diversity, expressed as either nearest neighbor distance or mean pairwise distance, was significantly related to both soil and topographic variation in all study sites. In general, more phylogenetic beta diversity within a forest plot was explained by environmental variables this was expressed as nearest neighbor distance versus mean pairwise distance (3.0-10.3 % and 0.4-8.8 % of variation explained among plots, respectively), and more variation was explained by soil resource variables than topographic variables using either phylogenetic beta diversity metric. We also found that patterns of phylogenetic beta diversity expressed as nearest neighbor distance were consistent with previously observed patterns of niche similarity among congeneric species pairs in these plots. These results indicate the importance of phylogenetic signal in local habitat niches in shaping the phylogenetic structure of tropical tree communities, especially at the level of close phylogenetic neighbors, where similarity in habitat niches is most strongly preserved.
    Matched MeSH terms: Forests
  5. Fulltext Phylogenetic classification of the world's tropical forests
    Slik JWF, Franklin J, Arroyo-Rodríguez V, Field R, Aguilar S, Aguirre N, et al.
    Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 2018 02 20;115(8):1837-1842.
    PMID: 29432167 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1714977115
    Knowledge about the biogeographic affinities of the world's tropical forests helps to better understand regional differences in forest structure, diversity, composition, and dynamics. Such understanding will enable anticipation of region-specific responses to global environmental change. Modern phylogenies, in combination with broad coverage of species inventory data, now allow for global biogeographic analyses that take species evolutionary distance into account. Here we present a classification of the world's tropical forests based on their phylogenetic similarity. We identify five principal floristic regions and their floristic relationships: (i) Indo-Pacific, (ii) Subtropical, (iii) African, (iv) American, and (v) Dry forests. Our results do not support the traditional neo- versus paleotropical forest division but instead separate the combined American and African forests from their Indo-Pacific counterparts. We also find indications for the existence of a global dry forest region, with representatives in America, Africa, Madagascar, and India. Additionally, a northern-hemisphere Subtropical forest region was identified with representatives in Asia and America, providing support for a link between Asian and American northern-hemisphere forests.
    Matched MeSH terms: Forests*
  6. Fulltext Persistent mosquito fogging can be detrimental to non-target invertebrates in an urban tropical forest
    Lee NSM, Clements GR, Ting ASY, Wong ZH, Yek SH
    PeerJ, 2020;8:e10033.
    PMID: 33062440 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.10033
    Background: Human population growth has led to biodiversity declines in tropical cities. While habitat loss and fragmentation have been the main drivers of urban biodiversity loss, man-made interventions to reduce health risks have also emerged as an unintentional threat. For instance, insecticide fogging to control mosquito populations has become the most common method of preventing the expansion of mosquito-borne diseases such as Dengue. However, the effectiveness of fogging in killing mosquitoes has been called into question. One concern is the unintended effect of insecticide fogging on non-target invertebrates that are crucial for the maintenance of urban ecosystems. Here, we investigate the impacts of fogging on: (1) target invertebrate taxon (Diptera, including mosquitoes); (2) non-target invertebrate taxa; and (3) the foraging behavior of an invertebrate pollinator taxon (Lepidoptera) within an urban tropical forest.

    Methods: We carried out fogging with Pyrethroid insecticide (Detral 2.5 EC) at 10 different sites in a forest situated in the state of Selangor, Peninsular Malaysia. Across the sites, we counted the numbers of knocked-down invertebrates and identified them based on morphology to different taxa. We constructed Bayesian hierarchical Poisson regression models to investigate the effects of fogging on: (1) a target invertebrate taxon (Diptera) 3-h post-fogging; (2) selected non-target invertebrate taxa 3-h post-fogging; and (3) an invertebrate pollinator taxon (Lepidoptera) 24-h post-fogging.

    Results: A total of 1,874 invertebrates from 19 invertebrate orders were knocked down by the fogging treatment across the 10 sites. Furthermore, 72.7% of the invertebrates counted 3-h post-fogging was considered dead. Our regression models showed that given the data and prior information, the probability that fogging had a negative effect on invertebrate taxa 3-h post-fogging was 100%, with reductions to 11% of the pre-fogging count of live individuals for the target invertebrate taxon (Diptera), and between 5% and 58% of the pre-fogging count of live individuals for non-target invertebrate taxa. For the invertebrate pollinator, the probability that fogging had a negative effect 24-h post-fogging was also 100%, with reductions to 53% of the pre-fogging count of live individuals.

    Discussion: Our Bayesian models unequivocally demonstrate that fogging has detrimental effects on one pollinator order and non-target invertebrate orders, especially taxa that have comparatively lower levels of chitinisation. While fogging is effective in killing the target order (Diptera), no mosquitos were found dead in our experiment. In order to maintain urban biodiversity, we recommend that health authorities and the private sector move away from persistent insecticide fogging and to explore alternative measures to control adult mosquito populations.

    Matched MeSH terms: Forests
  7. Peat fires: emissions likely to worsen
    Laurance SG, Laurance WF
    Nature, 2015 Nov 19;527(7578):305.
    PMID: 26581280 DOI: 10.1038/527305a
    Matched MeSH terms: Forests
  8. Partitioning of soil phosphorus among arbuscular and ectomycorrhizal trees in tropical and subtropical forests
    Liu X, Burslem DFRP, Taylor JD, Taylor AFS, Khoo E, Majalap-Lee N, et al.
    Ecol Lett, 2018 05;21(5):713-723.
    PMID: 29536604 DOI: 10.1111/ele.12939
    Partitioning of soil phosphorus (P) pools has been proposed as a key mechanism maintaining plant diversity, but experimental support is lacking. Here, we provided different chemical forms of P to 15 tree species with contrasting root symbiotic relationships to investigate plant P acquisition in both tropical and subtropical forests. Both ectomycorrhizal (ECM) and arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) trees responded positively to addition of inorganic P, but strikingly, ECM trees acquired more P from a complex organic form (phytic acid). Most ECM tree species and all AM tree species also showed some capacity to take up simple organic P (monophosphate). Mycorrhizal colonisation was negatively correlated with soil extractable P concentration, suggesting that mycorrhizal fungi may regulate organic P acquisition among tree species. Our results support the hypothesis that ECM and AM plants partition soil P sources, which may play an ecologically important role in promoting species coexistence in tropical and subtropical forests.
    Matched MeSH terms: Forests
  9. Fulltext PRELIMINARY STUDY OF SPIDER DIVERSITY IN UITM NEGERI SEMBILAN KUALA PILAH CAMPUS FOREST RESERVE
    Farida Hamimi Ahmad Dasran, Nursyazni Abdul Rahim
    Journal of Academia Universiti Teknologi MARA Negeri Sembilan, 2021;9(1):91-96.
    MyJurnal
    UiTM Negeri Sembilan Kuala Pilah Campus Forest Reserve was a lowland rainforest canopy located in Kampung Beting, Kuala Pilah, which hold various habitats for a wide range of organisms. Many of the species, however, were poorly known and documented. Therefore, a preliminary study was conducted to record the diversity of spider fauna in UiTM Kuala Pilah Campus Forest Reserve in two separate areas using three different methods: hand picking, net sweeping and pitfall traps. The present study resulted in 85 samples of spiders from seven families (Araneidae, Ctenidae, Eutichuridae. Oxyopidae, Pholcidae, Salticidae, and Sparassidae) and 13 genera. There were 29 individuals from four families collected from Site A, and 56 individuals from seven families collected from Site B. Salticidae spiders had dominated both sites with 62% of total samples collected. The second dominant family was Araneidae, which constituted 15% of the samples, followed by Ctenidae (6%), Oxyopidae (6%), Eutichuridae (5%), Sparassidae (4%), and Pholcidae (2%). This ecosystem’s spider fauna was qualitatively rich due to diverse microhabitats that represented the high flora and fauna diversity in UiTM Negeri Sembilan Kuala Pilah Campus Forest Reserve. However, the study did not reflect the full spider inventory as fewer sampling periods and areas were conducted. Therefore, additional sampling activities and study periods are anticipated to submit to the inventory of the organisms.
    Matched MeSH terms: Forests
  10. Fulltext PLANT CONSERVATION STATUS AND SPECIES DIVERSITY OF HUTAN LIPUR JERAM LINANG, KELANTAN
    Siti Mariam, M.N, Jivitra, B.
    UMT Journal of Undergraduate Research, 2019;1(4):37-50.
    MyJurnal
    utan Lipur Jeram Linang in Kelantan was carried out within 0.1 ha plot. All vascular plants (except lianas and epiphytes) were enumerated and identified. A total of 255 taxa representing 121 species belonging to 87 genera in 47 families were identified. Among these were 24 species endemic to Peninsular Malaysia and 47 species with medicinal values. Plants were categorized according to growth forms as follows: 67% trees, 17% shrubs, 7% palms, 6% herbs, and 3% ferns. Based on Important value index (IVI), Elateriospermum tapos, Goniothalamus umbrosus, and Monocarpia marginalis were the most dominant species whilst Rubiaceae, Arecaceae and Fabaceae were the three most diverse families. Species diversity was high based on the Shannon-Weiner index with the value of 4.38. In this study, two species from Dipterocarpaceae, which were Dipterocarpus grandiflorus and Shorea collina, were listed as Endangered (E) and Critically Endangered (CE) species respectively according to IUCN Red List. Information gained from this study showed that the forest harbored high plant diversity and endemism, so proper management is needed to protect and conserve this forest for sustainability and development.
    Matched MeSH terms: Forests
  11. Orchids of cloud forest in Genting Highlands, Pahang, Malaysia
    Ng YJ, Go R, Rosimah Nulit, Khor HE, Tan MC, Farah Alia Nordin, et al.
    Sains Malaysiana, 2012;41:505-526.
    An inventory of orchid species diversity was carried out in cloud forest of Genting Highlands, which is one of the most developed highland areas in Peninsular Malaysia. Since 1967, construction of roads and hotel complexes has had a serious impact on its physical environment and vegetation. Habitat destructions together with climate change might have caused some orchid species to be extirpated locally or extinct. The cloud forest of Genting Highlands consists of four major peaks, Gunung Ulu Kali, Gunung Chin Chin, Gunung Lari Tembakau and Gunung Mengkuang. However, not much study on orchid diversity was conducted in these areas, therefore, this study is timely and essential to evaluate the current orchid diversity after a gap of three decades. Combined findings from the current study, previous published works and specimens deposited in local herbaria, including those at the Universiti Malaya, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Forest Researh Institute of Malaysia and Biology Department, Faculty of Science, Universiti Putra Malaysia and Singapore Botanic Gardens, an updated list of orchid species found in the cloud forests of Genting Highlands is presented. A total of 134 orchid taxa were recorded, comprised of 51 genera, 132 species, 1 subspecies and 2 varieties, of which 46 are new records to Genting Highlands. Hymenorchis javanica, a species previously reported as endemic to West Jawa was recently discovered in Gunung Ulu Kali. Thirty-three species discovered during this study are currently classified as endemic to Peninsular Malaysia, of which 20 are endemic to Pahang, Perak and Selangor and a very narrowly endemic species; Corybas villosus to Gunung Ulu Kali. Through our observations, most of the orchid species in Gunung Ulu Kali are very susceptible to disappearance due to loss of habitat and local climate change. An assessment of conservation status according to IUCN criterion revealed that 47 orchid taxa from Gunung Ulu Kali were threatened with extinction. Conservation actions were suggested to conserve the orchid diversity in the cloud forest areas of Genting Highlands.
    Matched MeSH terms: Forests
  12. Fulltext Orangutans venture out of the rainforest and into the Anthropocene
    Spehar SN, Sheil D, Harrison T, Louys J, Ancrenaz M, Marshall AJ, et al.
    Sci Adv, 2018 06;4(6):e1701422.
    PMID: 29963619 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.1701422
    Conservation benefits from understanding how adaptability and threat interact to determine a taxon's vulnerability. Recognizing how interactions with humans have shaped taxa such as the critically endangered orangutan (Pongo spp.) offers insights into this relationship. Orangutans are viewed as icons of wild nature, and most efforts to prevent their extinction have focused on protecting minimally disturbed habitat, with limited success. We synthesize fossil, archeological, genetic, and behavioral evidence to demonstrate that at least 70,000 years of human influence have shaped orangutan distribution, abundance, and ecology and will likely continue to do so in the future. Our findings indicate that orangutans are vulnerable to hunting but appear flexible in response to some other human activities. This highlights the need for a multifaceted, landscape-level approach to orangutan conservation that leverages sound policy and cooperation among government, private sector, and community stakeholders to prevent hunting, mitigate human-orangutan conflict, and preserve and reconnect remaining natural forests. Broad cooperation can be encouraged through incentives and strategies that focus on the common interests and concerns of different stakeholders. Orangutans provide an illustrative example of how acknowledging the long and pervasive influence of humans can improve strategies to preserve biodiversity in the Anthropocene.
    Matched MeSH terms: Forests
  13. Orangutan populations are certainly not increasing in the wild
    Meijaard E, Sherman J, Ancrenaz M, Wich SA, Santika T, Voigt M
    Curr Biol, 2018 11 05;28(21):R1241-R1242.
    PMID: 30399343 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2018.09.052
    A recent report, published by the Government of Indonesia with support from the Food and Agricultural Organization and Norway's International Climate and Forest Initiative, states that orangutan populations (Pongo spp.) have increased by more than 10% in Indonesia from 2015 to 2017, exceeding the government target of an annual 2% population increase [1]. This assessment is in strong contrast with recent publications that showed that the Bornean orangutan (P. pygmaeus) lost more than 100,000 individuals in the past 16 years [2] and declined by at least 25% over the past 10 years [3]. Furthermore, recent work has also demonstrated that both Sumatran orangutans (P. abelii) and the recently described Tapanuli orangutan (P. tapanuliensis) lost more than 60% of their key habitats between 1985 and 2007, and ongoing land use changes are expected to result in an 11-27% decline in their populations by 2020 [4,5]. Most scientific data indicate that the survival of these species continues to be seriously threatened by deforestation and killing [4,6,7] and thus all three are Critically Endangered under the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List.
    Matched MeSH terms: Forests
  14. Fulltext Open-source project (OSPs) platform for outdoor quadcopter
    Nawawi, S.W., S. Sabikan
    Journal of Advanced Research Design, 2015;24(1):13-27.
    MyJurnal
    In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in quadcopter technology
    implementation in the real world; for instance in real estate photography, aerial surveying, periodic
    forest monitoring, and search/rescue missions. Generally, each quadcopter implementation required
    different sensors which are needed to attach and integrate into quadcopter system. However, the most
    critical part in almost cases is preparing the quadcopter flight performance and capability to be suited
    in any outdoor applications. Because of that reason, this paper has proposed an implementation of
    Open-Source Project (OSPs) platform as autonomous Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) quadcopter
    development that can be fitted for any outdoor applications or even in research experimental purposes.
    We started out with an explanation about the general approach that has been used in the development
    of a quadcopter testbed, and then followed with detail explanations in the OSP platform approach.
    The OSP platform is the most popular approach. The main reason is because of their flexibility in both
    hardware and software. The basic quadcopter configuration for autonomous flight also presented and
    applied. This paper also provided several outdoor experiments results in uncontrolled environment
    that have been executed using our developed testbed to evaluate their performance, such as attitude
    and altitude stabilization, interference and vibration effect, and trajectory mapping generation.
    Finally, throughout this project, we realized that the OPSs quadcopter platform has offered almost
    complete frameworks in the development of quadcopter for any outdoor applications or even as a
    research testbed system.
    Matched MeSH terms: Forests
  15. On the genus Systaria (Araneae: Clubionidae) in Southeast Asia: new species from caves and forests
    JÄger P
    Zootaxa, 2018 Oct 26;4504(4):524-544.
    PMID: 30486007 DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4504.4.5
    The genus Systaria Simon 1897 is reviewed in Southeast Asia and eight new species are described: S. lannops spec. nov. from Thailand (female), S. longinqua spec. nov. (male, female) and S. luangprabang spec. nov. (female) from Laos, S. procera spec. nov. (male, female) and S. bregibec spec. nov. (male) from Cambodia, S. bifidops spec. nov. from Malaysia (male), S. panay spec. nov. (female) and S. princesa spec. nov. (male, female) from Philippines. S. elberti (Strand 1913) is illustrated and partly re-described. Informal groups of species are proposed for the first time. Distribution ranges and habitat preferences are mapped.
    Matched MeSH terms: Forests
  16. Fulltext Oil palm plantations in Peninsular Malaysia: Determinants and constraints on expansion
    Shevade VS, Loboda TV
    PLoS One, 2019;14(2):e0210628.
    PMID: 30785883 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0210628
    Agricultural expansion is one of the leading causes of deforestation in the tropics and in Southeast Asia it is predominantly driven by large-scale production for international trade. Peninsular Malaysia has a long history of plantation agriculture and has been a predominantly resource-based economy where expanding plantations like those of oil palm continue to replace natural forests. Habitat loss from deforestation and expanding plantations threatens Malaysian biodiversity. Expanding industrial plantations have also been responsible for drainage and conversions of peatland forests resulting in release of large amounts of carbon dioxide. The demand for palm oil is expected to increase further and result in greater pressures on tropical forests. Given Malaysia's high biophysical suitability for oil palm cultivation, it is important to understand patterns of oil palm expansion to better predict forest areas that are vulnerable to future expansion. We study natural forest conversion to industrial oil palm in Peninsular Malaysia between 1988 and 2012 to identify determinants of recent oil palm expansion using logistic regression and hierarchical partitioning. Using maps of recent conversions and remaining forests, we characterize agro-environmental suitability and accessibility for the past and future conversions. We find that accessibility to previously existing plantations is the strongest determinant of oil palm expansion and is significant throughout the study period. Almost all (> 99%) of the forest loss between 1988 and 2012 that has been converted to industrial oil palm plantations is within 1 km from oil palm plantations that have been established earlier. Although most forest conversions to industrial oil palm have been in areas of high biophysical suitability, there has been an increase in converted area in regions with low oil palm suitability since 2006. We find that reduced suitability does not necessarily restrict conversions to industrial oil palm in the region; however, lack of access to established plantations does.
    Matched MeSH terms: Forests
  17. Fulltext Oil palm cultivation critically affects sociality in a threatened Malaysian primate
    Holzner A, Balasubramaniam KN, Weiß BM, Ruppert N, Widdig A
    Sci Rep, 2021 May 14;11(1):10353.
    PMID: 33990658 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-89783-3
    Human-induced habitat alterations globally threaten animal populations, often evoking complex behavioural responses in wildlife. This may be particularly dramatic when negatively affecting social behaviour, which fundamentally determines individual fitness and offspring survival in group-living animals. Here, we provide first evidence for significant behavioural modifications in sociality of southern pig-tailed macaques visiting Malaysian oil palm plantations in search of food despite elevated predation risk. Specifically, we found critical reductions of key positive social interactions but higher rates of aggression in the plantation interior compared to the plantation edge (i.e. plantation areas bordering the forest) and the forest. At the plantation edge, affiliation even increased compared to the forest, while central positions in the macaques' social network structure shifted from high-ranking adult females and immatures to low-ranking individuals. Further, plantations also affected mother-infant relationships, with macaque mothers being more protective in the open plantation environment. We suggest that although primates can temporarily persist in human-altered habitats, their ability to permanently adapt requires the presence of close-by forest and comes with a trade-off in sociality, potentially hampering individual fitness and infant survival. Studies like ours remain critical for understanding species' adaptability to anthropogenic landscapes, which may ultimately contribute to facilitating their coexistence with humans and preserving biodiversity.
    Matched MeSH terms: Forests
  18. Fulltext Occurrence, environmental implications and risk assessment of Bisphenol A in association with colloidal particles in an urban tropical river in Malaysia
    Shehab ZN, Jamil NR, Aris AZ
    Sci Rep, 2020 11 23;10(1):20360.
    PMID: 33230250 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-77454-8
    Phase distribution of emerging organic contaminants is highly influential in their presence, fate and transport in surface water. Therefore, it is crucial to determine their state, partitioning behaviour and tendencies in water environments. In this study, Bisphenol A was investigated in both colloidal and soluble phases in water. BPA concentrations ranged between 1.13 and 5.52 ng L-1 in the soluble phase and n.d-2.06 ng L-1 in the colloidal phase, respectively. BPA was dominant in the soluble phase, however, the colloidal contribution ranged between 0 and 24% which implied that colloids can play a significant role in controlling BPA's transportation in water. Urban and industrial areas were the main sources of BPA while forest areas displayed lower levels outside the populated domains. pH levels were between 6.3 and 7.4 which might have affected BPA's solubility in water to some extent. The particle size distribution showed that the majority of the particles in river samples were smaller than 1.8 µm in diameter with a small presence of nanoparticles. Zeta potential varied between - 25 and - 18 mV, and these negative values suggested instability of particles. Furthermore, BPA was positively correlated with BOD, COD and NH3-N which might indicate that these organic compounds were released concurrently with BPA. RQ assessment showed low levels of risk towards algae and fish in the study area.
    Matched MeSH terms: Forests
  19. Non-volant small mammal data from fragmented forests in Terengganu State
    Khalib NKA, Shafie NJ, Basri HH, Nelson BR, Abdullah MT
    Data Brief, 2018 Dec;21:1514-1520.
    PMID: 30480062 DOI: 10.1016/j.dib.2018.10.061
    This data article is about non-volant small mammal (squirrel, rat and tree shrew) capture from fragmented forest understories within sub-urban areas of Setiu (Peladang Agro Resort and Setiu Wetland Research Station) and inhabited areas of Hulu Terengganu (Saok and Lasir waterfalls) that are situated in Terengganu State, Peninsular Malaysia. Fruits like banana and oil palm were individually placed into each cage before the cages were fastened onto three to five meter height tree branches. The traps were also spatially distributed about ten meters from each other. Under this installation, fifty baited traps were used during the twenty-four nights of sample collection. All animals caught were distinguished by morphology and released at the same location it was caught. The understory data comprise of seven non-volant mammal species from family groups Sciuridae, Muridae and Tupaiidae. Overall, Callosciurus notatus (n = 17, 39%) were dominant in the capture pool from all sites. Comparatively, Sundascriurus tenuis (n = 2, 4%) and Rattus rattus (n = 4, 9.3%) were restricted to Saok Waterfalls and Setiu Wetland. Banana and oil palm fruits did not attract any small mammals during the Lasir Waterfall (Hulu Terengganu) survey. All data were interpret into Shannon, Simpson, Margalef, Menhinik and Evenness indices to individually or collectively distinguish small mammal variety in Terengganu State.
    Matched MeSH terms: Forests
  20. Niche shift in three foraging insectivorous birds in lowland Malaysian forest patches
    Mansor MS, Nor SM, Ramli R, Sah SAM
    Behav Processes, 2018 Dec;157:73-79.
    PMID: 30193765 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2018.09.001
    With the rapid growth of agricultural areas globally, forest birds increasingly encounter fragmented landscapes in which forest patches are surrounded by an agricultural plantation matrix, yet how birds respond behaviourally to this fragmentation is poorly understood. Information on microhabitat requirements of birds is scarce, but nevertheless essential to predicting adaptation of bird species to the patchy landscapes. We investigated foraging patterns of three tropical insectivorous birds, Green Iora Aegithina viridissima, Pin-striped Tit-Babbler Macronus gularis and Chestnut-winged Babbler Cyanoderma erythropterum, to determine whether they vary in foraging methods in different forest patches. Our study area encompassed old-logged lowland forest; one continuous forest and three forest patches. Observations were performed for 15 days every month for a period of 13 months. Information on foraging height, substrate, attack manoeuvres, and foliage density was collected independently for each foraging bird individual. All three species used different foraging substrates and attack manoeuvres in different habitat types. The Green Iora frequently used lower strata when foraging in forest patches as opposed to continuous forest, while the Pin-striped Tit-Babbler tended to forage in more dense vegetation in patches. Only Chestnut-winged Babbler displayed complete foraging plasticity across all study parameters. Different habitat features (e.g., edges, microclimates) between continuous forest and forest patches significantly influenced the foraging strategies of the study species. These changes in foraging strategies suggest that some Malaysian forest birds (e.g. generalist species) can respond behaviourally to fragmentation and habitat loss. Although continuous forest has critically important characteristics that need to be conserved, remnant forest patches are also important as ecological movement corridors and foraging grounds for birds.
    Matched MeSH terms: Forests*
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