Tropical montane cloud forests in Malaysia: current state of knowledge

Abstract

ABSTRACT Taking 1500 m elevation as the approximate lower limit of upper montane cloud forest occurrence in Malaysia, 0.72% of the total land area of the country may be considered to be potentially covered by tropical montane cloud forests (TMCF). Delineation of TMCF is not easy due to the interplay of climatic and topographic features (including the “mass-elevation” effect). Some studies have shown that the lifting condensation level (cloud base) occurs around 1200 m.a.s.l. in Peninsular Malaysia, at c . 1800–2000 m on large mountains like Mt. Kinabalu (Borneo), and as low as c . 700 m on small, outlying coastal mountains (e.g. Gunung Silam, Sabah). Published information on the biodiversity of TMCF in Malaysia is scattered. Important tree families in montane forests include Ericaceae, Myrtaceae, Coniferae, Fagaceae, and Lauraceae, which are often blanketed with epiphytes, ferns, bryophytes, and liverworts. About 3000–4000 vascular plant species are found in the montane forests of Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo. There is a distinct montane community amongst most classes of vertebrates and some invertebrates, but the fauna of TCMF is mostly a small sub-set of the overall montane fauna. About 18 mammal species in Borneo and 10 in Peninsular Malaysia are strictly montane but none are truly restricted to cloud forests. Bird diversity is well studied but limited information is available on the number of species that are cloud forest specialists. Patchy records are available for butterflies, moths, mollusks, and herpetofauna. Studies on the capture of cloud water in Malaysian cloud forests are rare. […]