Drift Fruits and Seeds on Anak Krakatau Beaches, Indonesia.

Abstract

The disseminules and seedlings on beaches of Anak Krakatau Island on the Sunda Straits between Sumatra and Jawa Islands were surveyed in east monsoon season 1990 and west monsoon season 1991. The island emerged from the sea through many eruptions since 1930. It is close to the other three Krakatau Islands, where plants have been established after a great eruption in 1883. Sixty-six species and 38 families of disseminules were found in 62 transects set on the beaches. Thirty species of these disseminules were possibly produced by mature plants growing on the Krakatau Islands themselves. and the remainder were derived from elsewhere. The former species were mostly coastal plants common on all Krakatau Islands. We also found many disseminules of inland species of Java or Sumatra, although seedlings of these were very rare on the coast. The East Foreland has the most diverse drift flora in both seasons due to the right angle to the predominant currents. It might be one of the reasons why the most advanced vegetation on Anak Krakatau was found on the East Foreland.