Bach Ma Research Articles

Islands of Felicity? – The Effect of Land Cover Changes in and around Protected Areas: A Case Study of Bach Ma National Park, Vietnam

In recent decades, Vietnam’s network of protected areas experienced extensive growth. More than 160 terrestrial and marine protected areas (approximately 2.2 million ha) associated with remarkable reforestation demonstrate major changes within environmental policies. Nevertheless, the degradation of the existing natural forest communities, the associated loss of species and decreasing resilience suggest that Vietnam has still not reached a satisfactory point of conserving these natural habitats. The current study presents an impressive example of land cover change over a period of approximately 40 years at the Bach Ma National Park. Deforestation and degradation processes are a result of illegal activities and land use changes, a consequence of the increasing population. However, land use conflicts often occur outside of protected areas where land cover changes are concentrated and accelerated.

Phamartes coronatus gen. nov. sp. nov. a new genus and species of stick insect from Bach Ma National Park, central Vietnam (Phasmida, Diapheromeridae, Necrosciinae).

A new genus and species of stick insect Phamartes coronatus gen. nov. sp. nov. from Bach Ma National Park, central Vietnam is described and illustrated from both sexes and the egg. The genus is most closely related to Oxyartes Stål, 1875, but easily distinguishable by the presence of fully developed alae, the head armature and the split and asymmetrical anal segment, a character previously unknown in Necrosciinae.

Chemical composition of essential oil of the Litsea cambodiana Lecomte and Litsea salmonea A. Chev. from Bach Ma national park

The essential oil of Litsea cambodiana and Litsea salmonea collected from Bachma National Park in July 2012 was isolated by the steam distillation. By using capillary GC and GC/MS methods the oil yield of two plant species was 0.30%, 0.23%, respectively. Fourty one components have been identified that accounts more than 98.71% of the oil from leaf of Litsea cambodiana. The major constituents of this oil were β-caryophyllene (28.36%), camphene (17.10%) and bicyclogermacrene (12.26%). Thirty three components were identified in stems oil of Litsea salmonea, which presented about 84.62% of the total composition of the oil. The major constituents of the essential oil were cis methyl isoeugenol (26.27%), (E)-nerolidol (11.60%), 3-methyl-1-phenyloxidole (8.57%) and (Z)- 9-octadecenamide (7.46%).

USING BMWP SCORING SYSTEM, ASPT INDICES AND AQUATIC INSECTS TO ASSESS THE WATER QUALITY OF SOME STREAMS OF BACH MA AREA IN THUA THIEN HUE PROVINCE

Aquatic insects have been used to evaluate the water quality of Bach Ma area in Thua Thien Hue province through the BMWP scoring system for Vietnam and ASPT indices. The study was carried out between March and December of 2010. As a result, 27 families of aquatic insects belonging to 3 orders (Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera and Trichoptera) were recognised. Among these, 18 families belong to the list of the BMWP Viet scoring system. The data analysis shows that the BMWPViet scores are relatively high, the biotic indices (ASPT) range from 7.10 to 8.71. Aquatic insects have been used as biotic indices to classify the water quality as fairly clean (Oligosaprobe) or very clean. This evaluation corresponds to the water quality assessed by phisio-chemical methods. Keywords: Aquatic insects, Ephemeroptera, Trichoptera, Plecoptera, Bach Ma National Park, ASPT biotic index, water quality.

Reproductive activity and advertisement calls of the Asian common toad Duttaphrynus melanostictus (Amphibia, Anura, Bufonidae) from Bach Ma National Park, Vietnam

We examined differences in reproductive activities and intraspecific variations in advertisement calls of Duttaphrynus melanostictus (Schneider, 1799) that lives in a tropical region of central Vietnam. The snout-vent length (SVL) of sexually mature males ranged from 50.2 to 70.3 mm, while that of females ranged from 65.2 to 97.3 mm. Histological analyses of testes revealed that sperm was not present throughout the year, indicating discontinuous reproductive activity for adult males. Adult females were captured year-round, but reproductive females were observed only during months of the auxiliary rainy season (mainly April to July), indicating that females reproduce seasonally. We also estimated levels of within-male variation of each call property and the influences of the ambient temperature, humidity, and the SVL of calling males on acoustic features. The call rate and pulse rate showed intermediate levels of variation, whereas the dominant frequency and call duration were the most stereotyped properties. One-way analyses of variance for six acoustic properties showed that the call rate, pulse rate, and rise time significantly differed (p < 0.05) among localities. Advertisement calls were a series of groups of 56 to 244 (145 ± 54) pulses with an average call duration of 26.722 s, an average pulse rate of 11.69 pulses/s, and an average dominant frequency of 1.293 kHz. The results of the multiple regressions for possible effects of temperature, humidity, and SVL on the six acoustic properties indicated that the dominant frequency, pulse rate, call duration, and rise time were positively significant. In Bach Ma National Park, when air temperature in the recording area decreased to <16.6°C, and advertisement calls of adult males virtually ceased in all three populations.

Condylospora vietnamensis, a new Ingoldian hyphomycete isolated from fallen leaves in Vietnam

A new Ingoldian hyphomycete was isolated from fallen leaves in Bach Ma National Park, Vietnam, and is described here as Condylospora vietnamensis. This fungus is different from four known Condylospora species in morphological characteristics, having U- or N-shaped conidia.

&lt;i&gt;Condylospora vietnamensis&lt;/i&gt;, a new Ingoldian hyphomycete isolated from fallen leaves in Vietnam

A new Ingoldian hyphomycete was isolated from fallen leaves in Bach Ma National Park, Vietnam, and is described here as Condylospora vietnamensis. This fungus is different from four known Condylospora species in morphological characteristics, having U- or N-shaped conidia.

Miscellaneous taxonomic notes on Elatostema (Urticaceae) from China and its adjacent area

Based on examination of specimens and field observations of Elatostema J. R. Forster & G. Forster (Urticaceae) from China and its adjacent area, one new species, E. vietnamense Q. Lin & L. D. Duan from Bach Ma Natl. Park, Thua Thien-Hue Province, Vietnam, is described and illustrated. Pellionia ambigua Wedd. from Khasi Hills, Churra, Assam (=Meghalaya), India and P. rhizomatosa Gagnep. from Annam, Vietnam are transferred as Elatostema ambiguum (Wedd.) Q. Lin and E. rhizomatosum (Gagnep.) Q. Lin, respectively. Elatostema glochidioides W. T. Wang from Guangxi and Guizhou and Provinces, China is regarded as a new synonym of E. ramosissimum Rein.

A new species of Smicromorpha (Hymenoptera, Chalcididae) from Vietnam, with notes on the host association of the genus

Smicromorpha masneri Darling, sp. n. is described from Bach Ma National Park, Thua Thien-Hue Province, Vietnam. This is the first confirmed record for the genus on mainland southeast Asia. It is generally accepted that species of Smicromorpha are parasitoids of green tree or weaver ants, Oecophylla smaragdina (Fabricius) but this is first rearing record of these parasitoids from the nests of weaver ants.

DNA Methylation Signatures within the Human Brain

DNA methylation is a heritable modification of genomic DNA central to development, imprinting, transcriptional regulation, chromatin structure, and overall genomic stability. Aberrant DNA methylation of individual genes is a hallmark of cancer and has been shown to play an important role in neurological disorders such as Rett syndrome. Here, we asked whether normal DNA methylation might distinguish individual brain regions. We determined the quantitative DNA methylation levels of 1,505 CpG sites representing 807 genes with diverse functions, including proliferation and differentiation, previously shown to be implicated in human cancer. We initially analyzed 76 brain samples representing cerebral cortex (n=35), cerebellum (n=34), and pons (n=7), along with liver samples (n=3) from 43 individuals. Unsupervised hierarchical analysis showed clustering of 33 of 35 cerebra distinct from the clustering of 33 of 34 cerebella, 7 of 7 pons, and all 3 livers. By use of comparative marker selection and permutation testing, 156 loci representing 118 genes showed statistically significant differences--a >or=17% absolute change in DNA methylation (P<.004)--among brain regions. These results were validated for all six genes tested in a replicate set of 57 samples. Our data suggest that DNA methylation signatures distinguish brain regions and may help account for region-specific functional specialization.

A New Species of the Genus Colilodion Besuchet (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Pselaphinae) from Vietnam

A new pselaphine species, Colilodion thienmu n. sp., is described from Mt. Bach Ma in Central Vietnam. SEM photographs of this species are provided and morphological notes are given in this study.

Vocal Diversity and Taxonomy of Nomascus in Cambodia

It is usually thought that Nomascus gabriellae is the only Nomascus sp. in Cambodia. We studied vocal diversity among different wild populations of Nomascus in Cambodia to assess their taxonomic relationships and to examine whether their vocal patterns correspond to forms previously described for Nomascus leucogenys siki and Nomascus gabriellae. We tape-recorded crested gibbon songs in southern Mondulkiri Province, in central Rattanakiri Province, and in 2 different districts of the Virachey National Park in northern Rattanakiri. We also tape-recorded typical songs of Nomascus leucogenys siki near the type locality of the taxon in the Bach Ma National Park in central Vietnam. We analyzed 40 song bouts from different gibbon groups, including 151 phrases of 33 females and 235 phrases of 39 males. Discriminant analyses revealed marked separation of the most southern songs (Mondulkiri) from those of all other localities. Vocal differences among the 3 gibbon populations in northeast Cambodia (Rattanakiri) are less pronounced; they do not differ more among each other than each of them differs from the northernmost sample from Bach Ma (Vietnam). Vocal characteristics of the study populations revealed no cline, and populations do not differ significantly in vocal variability. We conclude that Cambodian crested gibbons represent 2 distinct taxa: Those from southern Mondulkiri are Nomascus gabriellae, those from northeast Cambodia (Rattanakiri) closely correspond to the sample from Bach Ma (Vietnam) and, together with the latter, represent a different taxon. We provisionally assign them to Nomascus leucogenys siki because of the close geographic distance between Bach Ma and the type locality of the taxon. We postulate that a taxonal boundary exists between southern Mondulkiri and central Rattanakiri and discuss the possible factors that may have acted as distribution barriers.

Change Detection of Forest and Habitat Resources from 1973 to 2001 in Bach Ma National Park, Vietnam, Using Remote Sensing Imagery

SUMMARY Land cover changes have not been well documented in Vietnam. This paper presents new information relevant to land cover modifications and to resource inventory such as forest management and wildlife habitats. Formed in 1991, Bach Ma National Park and its buffer zone is one of the richest regions for biodiversity in Asia, providing habitat for endangered species. The paper assesses the major forest cover changes using Remote Sensing Imagery (Landsat: MSS, TM, +ETM) between the years prior to the establishment of national park status and the years following. Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) was used across sensors; for the study area five regions were identified where major land-cover changes have occurred. Between 1973 and 2001 it is estimated that approximately 45 % of the buffer zone was modified, or lost its forest cover, with most changes occurring around 1989, just prior to the park establishment. These changes can most likely be attributed to forest and resource extrapolation tha...