Forests Of Borneo Research Articles

Public goods, public services and by‐product mutualism in an ant–fern symbiosis

Mutualism can evolve when organisms make novel connections that happen to benefit all parties. When such connections involve a host that provides a public good for multiple visitor species, selection for reciprocal cooperation is only likely if the host has the power to preferentially increase the fitness of those visitors that provide a better quality service. In contrast, when interactions form between multiple visitors and a host that lacks the power to partition the public good, we predict that interactions are likely to persist only as by‐product mutualisms, in which symbiosis benefits both host and visitor, but in which neither partner makes costly investments. Focusing on the symbiosis between ants and litter trapping epiphytes in the canopy of lowland dipterocarp rain forest in Borneo, we show that at least 71 ant species share the public good of housing within the root‐mass of epiphytic bird's nest ferns (Asplenium spp.). Ferns supporting a higher biomass of ants experienced less herbivory, and experimental exclusions of ants from fronds confirmed that this is caused by the ants protecting the ferns from herbivores. These results establish that there are clear by‐product benefits for both parties of housing for ants and protection for ferns. If these benefits were to drive selection for reciprocal cooperation, we would expect larger ferns to support ant colonies that were larger or colonies that produce more reproductive individuals. This was not the case. Larger ferns instead supported more ant colonies, indicating that the housing provided by the fern is a public good that is not restricted to better cooperating ant species. Mutualism via novel connections is thus unlikely to evolve between a host and multiple partners, even if there are clear by‐product benefits to all parties, unless the host can direct benefits to cooperators.

A large-scale forest fragmentation experiment: the Stability of Altered Forest Ecosystems Project

Opportunities to conduct large-scale field experiments are rare, but provide a unique opportunity to reveal the complex processes that operate within natural ecosystems. Here, we review the design of existing, large-scale forest fragmentation experiments. Based on this review, we develop a design for the Stability of Altered Forest Ecosystems (SAFE) Project, a new forest fragmentation experiment to be located in the lowland tropical forests of Borneo (Sabah, Malaysia). The SAFE Project represents an advance on existing experiments in that it: (i) allows discrimination of the effects of landscape-level forest cover from patch-level processes; (ii) is designed to facilitate the unification of a wide range of data types on ecological patterns and processes that operate over a wide range of spatial scales; (iii) has greater replication than existing experiments; (iv) incorporates an experimental manipulation of riparian corridors; and (v) embeds the experimentally fragmented landscape within a wider gradient of land-use intensity than do existing projects. The SAFE Project represents an opportunity for ecologists across disciplines to participate in a large initiative designed to generate a broad understanding of the ecological impacts of tropical forest modification.

Below-ground secondary succession in tropical forests of Borneo

Abstract:As the destruction and severe disturbance of primary tropical forest continues, it is important to understand how these forests may recover from perturbations. Considerable work has been done on above-ground recovery but below-ground processes are less well understood. To determine changes in root mass during tropical secondary succession in lowland forests of Central Borneo, samples were taken from stands of increasing ages since abandonment of agriculture (1, 3, 14 and 31 y) with a primary forest control (six plots from 1-y-old stands and three from all other ages). Root mass and elemental concentrations were determined and soils were chemically analysed. There was no increase in root mass with stand age for fine-root (< 2 mm diameter) or small-root (< 5 mm diameter) mass but there was a trend for coarse-root mass (5–10 mm diameter) to increase with stand age. Negative correlations were shown between root mass and soil nutrient status. Fine-root C concentrations increased with stand age but there was no clear effect of stand age on fine-root N or P. Fine-root mass did not increase significantly with stand age suggesting a rapid recovery; instead, soil nutrient status appeared to be the most important factor controlling root mass. Of the soil nutrients measured in this study, N had a stronger control over root mass than P suggesting that this element may be limiting during secondary succession in tropical lowland forests of Borneo.

The Ecology of Podocarps in Tropical Montane Forests of Borneo: Distribution, Population Dynamics, and Soil Nutrient Acquisition

We review the ecology of podocarps on various soil types in Borneo, largely relying on our studies conducted on Mount Kinabalu. Podocarps are generally abundant in montane forests, but their abundance varies with soil nutrient status, and they can occur in lowland forests where soil nutrients are scarce. These patterns suggest control by soil nutrients rather than by temperature. Analyses of population structure, growth rate, and crown light conditions in montane forests indicate that podocarps are generally shade intolerant and require canopy gaps or sparse canopy for regeneration. Podocarps have greater maximum tree sizes than most co-occurring angiosperm species in Mount Kinabalu forests. Once they reach the upper canopy layer, they persist for a long time because of their long life span, allowing them to regenerate in rare events of canopy disturbance. The roots of two podocarp species (Dacrycarpus imbricatus and Dacrydium gracile) showed a greater acid phosphatase activity when compared with angiosperm roots within the same lower montane forest. Moreover, an analysis using lipid biomarkers indicated that saprophytic fungi are more abundant in the soils beneath the two podocarps than beneath angiosperms, and a fungal biomarker lipid correlated with soil acid phosphatase activity. The dominance of saprophytic fungi appears to be related to high soil acid phosphatase activity, suggesting feedback effects between the podocarps and soil microbial communities. These results indicate that podocarps are efficient in the acquisition of phosphorus from the acidic montane soils and decomposing litter. We suggest that the architectural and life history advantages and physiological adaptations to nutrient limitation are essential for the persistence of podocarps, despite their lower shade tolerance as compared to angiosperms.

Three new species and a new name in Southeast Asian Gomphandra (Stemonuraceae / Icacinaceae s.l.)

Three new species of Gomphandra (Stemonuraceae / Icacinaceae s.l.) are described from Malesia, and a new name is proposed for a misidentified species. Gomphandra palustris is known from peat swamp forests in Borneo, Sarawak, G. halconensis is known from the Philippines, Mindoro, Mt Halcon, and G. conklinii from the Philippines, Ifugao Province, Banaue. Gomphandra rarinervis is offered as a new name for Stemonurus puberulus, which was incorrectly synonymised with G. papuana by Sleumer. This commonly collected taxon is known from Madang and Morobe Provinces in Papua New Guinea and does not overlap in distribution with G. papuana.

The lowland forest tree community in Malinau, Kalimantan (Indonesian Borneo): results from a one-hectare plot

Background: While Borneo's forests are globally recognised for their diverse vegetation many regions remain uncharacterised. Aims: We examine the tree community in one hectare of lowland (hill) forest near the Malinau River. Methods: We objectively sited a 1-ha plot in primary forest. All stems over 30 cm girth were measured and identified. Results: Stem basal area was typical for Asian rain forests, but the numbers of stems (759) and species (205) were high. The most abundant species were Gluta wallichii, Cleistanthus bakonensis and Lithocarpus cantleyanus, while those contributing most to basal area were Shorea venulosa, Dipterocarpus lowii and Calophyllum lowii. Dipterocarpaceae was the dominant family amongst the largest stems and contributes a third of stand basal area (11.5 m2). Thirty-three secondary species contribute 24% of stems and 16% of the plot's basal area. Conclusions: This is one of the richest hectares of forest trees reported from Indonesia. Species possess broad edaphic preferences and diverse biogeographic affinities. Tree species density likely reflects disturbance history and climatic stability as well as a combination of site factors reflecting the complex local geology, rugged landscape context, and associated edaphic variation. Further botanical explorations in Malinau and other poorly known regions of Borneo are required.

Remote sensing of the tropical rain forest boundary layer using pulsed Doppler lidar

Abstract. Within the framework of the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) Oxidant and Particle Photochemical Processes (OP3) project, a pulsed Doppler lidar was deployed for a 3 month period in the tropical rain forest of Borneo to remotely monitor vertical and horizontal transport, aerosol distributions and clouds in the lower levels of the atmosphere. The Doppler velocity measurements reported here directly observe the mixing process and it is suggested that this is the most appropriate methodology to use in analysing the dispersion of canopy sourced species into the lower atmosphere. These data are presented with a view to elucidating the scales and structures of the transport processes, which effect the chemical and particulate concentrations in and above the forest canopy, for applications in the parameterisation of climate models.

TREE FLORA ON FRESHWATER WET HABITATS IN LOWLAND OF BORNEO: DOES WETNESS COOL THE SITES?

SUZUKI, E. 2010. Tree flora on freshwater wet habitats in lowland of borneo: does wetness cool the sites?. Reinwardtia 13(2): 199-210. - The floristic records of lowland forests of Borneo in dry (not inundated) and wet (kerangas and peat swamp) habitats, and in montane forest of West Java were compared to clarify the characteristics of the flora in the lowland wet habitats. The data was flora of trees (DBH is equal to or more than 4.8 cm) in 12, 7, and 3 plots in dry lowland, wet lowland and mountain, respectively (20.9 ha in total). Plots in dry habitats had 42 to 53 families in 1 ha, except two plots on river banks (33 and 37 families). Plots in wet habitats and in mountain had 32 - 45 and 21 - 40 families, respectively. The clusters of plots in dendrogram using number of species in family mostly coincided with the difference in habitats. The preference for wet habitats existed in some families: Aquifoliaceae, Icacinaceae, Thymelaeaceae, Guttiferae, Myrtaceae, and Anacardiaceae though most families including Dipterocarpaceae and Euphorbiaceae had no tendency. Myristicaceae, Meliaceae, and Sapindaceae preferred dry habitats. Some species consisting of the flora of tropical mountains were found occasionaly in wet habitats of lowland though very rarely in dry habitats. There was a weak but singificant correlation between preference for wet habitats and abundance in Japanese tree flora of each family. These results suggest that the wet habitat where the forest floor is periodically filled with water has cooler environment than dry habitat, and families adapted cooler climate prefer the former.

Phylogeny of the genus Teloganopsis Ulmer, 1939 with a redescription of Teloganopsis media Ulmer, 1939 and the description of a new Oriental species (Ephemeroptera: Ephemerellidae)

Teloganopsis puigae n. sp., a new species of Ephemerellidae from a Dipterocarpacea forest of Borneo, is described. Teloganopsis was considered as a monotypic genus for a long time, but a recent new systematic concept reveals that it encompasses 14 species. In order to know the phylogenetic position of Teloganopsis puigae n. sp. within the Teloganopsis genus, a cladistic analysis is also performed. Teloganopsis maculocaudata (Ikonomov, 1961) is removed from synonymy with T. mesoleuca (Brauer, 1857).

Within‐nest abundance of a tropical cockroach Pseudoanaplectinia yumotoi associated with Crematogaster ants inhabiting epiphytic fern domatia in a Bornean dipterocarp forest

Many epiphytic ferns in tropical forest canopies have domatia that provide habitat for arboreal arthropods such as ants. Two species of fern that were predominantly occupied by Crematogaster difformis ants were collected from the canopy of a forest in Borneo. In the fern domatia, two cockroach species, Pseudoanaplectinia yumotoi and Blatta sp., were found to live with C. difformis. Pseudoanaplectinia yumotoi were found in large numbers and accounted for approximately 20% of the total arthropod population, while Blatta sp. comprised only 1% of the arthropods living in the domatia. Behavioural experiments were conducted to evaluate the response of C. difformis workers to newly introduced cockroaches of each species and to allospecific ant workers. Crematogaster difformis workers were highly aggressive and quickly attacked allospecific workers. Both cockroach species could fend off ant attacks; however, dead Blatta sp. were often attacked by the ants while dead P. yumotoi were infrequently bothered.

Botanical richness and endemicity patterns of Borneo derived from species distribution models

This study provides a Borneo‐wide, quantitative assessment of botanical richness and endemicity at a high spatial resolution, and based on actual collection data. To overcome the bias in collection effort, and to be able to predict the presence and absence of species, even for areas where no collections have been made, we constructed species distribution models (SDMs) for all species taxonomically revised in Flora Malesiana. Species richness and endemicity maps were based on 1439 significant SDMs. Mapping of the residuals of the richness‐endemicity relationship identified areas with higher levels of endemicity than can be expected on the basis of species richness, the endemicity hotspots. We were able to identify one previously unknown region of high diversity, the high mountain peaks of East Kalimantan; and two additional endemicity hotspots, the Müller Mountains and the Sangkulirang peninsula. The areas of high diversity and endemicity were characterized by a relatively small range in annual temperature, but with seasonality in temperatures within that range. Furthermore, these areas were least affected by El Niño Southern Oscillation drought events. The endemicity hotspots were found in areas, which were ecologically distinct in altitude, edaphic conditions, annual precipitation, or a combination of these factors. These results can be used to guide conservation efforts of the highly threatened forests of Borneo.

On the detection of dynamic responses in a drought-perturbed tropical rainforest in Borneo

The dynamics of aseasonal lowland dipterocarp forest in Borneo is influenced by perturbation from droughts. These events might be increasing in frequency and intensity in the future. This paper describes drought-affected dynamics between 1986 and 2001 in Sabah, Malaysia, and considers how it is possible, reliably and accurately, to measure both coarse- and fine-scale responses of the forest. Some fundamental concerns about methodology and data analysis emerge. In two plots forming 8 ha, mortality, recruitment, and stem growth rates of trees ≥10 cm gbh (girth at breast height) were measured in a ‘pre-drought’ period (1986–1996), and in a period (1996–2001) including the 1997–1998 ENSO-drought. For 2.56 ha of subplots, mortality and growth rates of small trees (10–<50 cm gbh) were found also for two sub-periods (1996–1999, 1999–2001). A total of c. 19 K trees were recorded. Mortality rate increased by 25% while both recruitment and relative growth rates increased by 12% for all trees at the coarse scale. For small trees, at the fine scale, mortality increased by 6% and 9% from pre-drought to drought and on to ‘post-drought’ sub-periods. Relative growth rates correspondingly decreased by 38% and increased by 98%. Tree size and topography interacted in a complex manner with between-plot differences. The forest appears to have been sustained by off-setting elevated tree mortality by highly resilient stem growth. This last is seen as the key integrating tree variable which links the external driver (drought causing water stress) and population dynamics recorded as mortality and recruitment. Suitably sound measurements of stem girth, leading to valid growth rates, are needed to understand and model tree dynamic responses to perturbations. The proportion of sound data, however, is in part determined by the drought itself.

Tree Flora of Sabah and Sarawak project – progress and future activities

Tropical forests in Borneo (Brunei Darussalam, Kalimantan, Sabah and Sarawak) are considered as one of the twelve mega biodiversity centres in the world. However, until now, there is no up-to-date or complete documentation on the flora of the island. The Tree Flora of Sabah and Sarawak Project, jointly undertaken by the Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM), the Forestry Department of Sabah and Forestry Department of Sarawak since 1991, is aimed at providing detailed and up-to-date botanical and ecological information on the tree resources of Sabah and Sarawak. Since its implementation, the project has established a close collaboration with and received generous help from botanists from local and international institutions/herbaria around the world. Up to 2007, a total of 1 745 species in 72 families and 267 genera have been revised and published in six volumes of the Tree Flora. These include the discovery and publication of 188 new species in 37 genera and 25 families. In addition, the project also published two Botanical Gazetteers, i.e. Sabah (1995) and Sarawak (2006) Gazetteers. Besides this, the project had carried out a number of activities such as botanical expeditions and various kinds of related workshops to achieve the objectives of the project.

Population fluctuations of light-attracted chrysomelid beetles in relation to supra-annual environmental changes in a Bornean rainforest

In Southeast Asian tropical rainforests, two events, severe droughts associated with the El Niño-Southern Oscillation and general flowering, a type of community-wide mass flowering, occur at irregular, supra-annual intervals. The relationship between these two supra-annual events and patterns of insect population fluctuations has yet to be clearly elucidated. Leaf beetles (Chrysomelidae) are major herbivores and flower-visitors of canopy trees, affecting their growth and reproduction and, in turn, affected by tree phenology; but their population fluctuations in the Southeast Asian tropics have not been extensively investigated. We examined population fluctuation patterns of the 34 most dominant chrysomelid species in relation to the two supra-annual events by conducting monthly light-trapping over seven years in a lowland dipterocarp forest in Borneo. Our results showed large community variation in population fluctuation patterns and a supra-annual (between-year) variation in abundance for most of the dominant chrysomelids that was significantly larger than the annual (within-year) variation. Specifically, in response to a severe drought in 1998, chrysomelid species exhibited different population responses. These results show that population fluctuations of individual species, rather than the entire assemblage, must be analyzed to determine the effects of changes in environmental conditions on the structure of insect assemblages in the tropics, especially in regions where supra-annual environmental changes are relatively more important than seasonal changes.

Butterfly species and traits associated with selectively logged forest in Borneo

Logging can significantly change the structure of rainforest communities. To better understand how logging drives this change, butterflies and environmental variables were assessed within both unlogged and logged forest in Indonesian Borneo. In the whole dataset, we found local environmental variables and geographic distance combined captured 53.1% of the variation in butterfly community composition; 29.6% was associated with measured local environmental variables, 13.6% with geographic distance between sites, and 9.9% with covariation between geographic distance and environmental variables. The primary axis of variation in butterfly community composition represented a disturbance gradient from unlogged to logged forest. Subsequent axes represented gradients influenced by variables such as canopy cover and total tree density. There were significant associations between environmental variables and geographic range and larval host plant use of species. Specifically, butterflies using trees as larval host plants and those with distributions limited to Borneo were more likely to be present in unlogged forest. By contrast, species that tended to be more abundant in logged forest were those with widespread distributions and those using lianas and grasses as larval host plants. The results of this study highlight the importance of environmental variables and disturbance, e.g., selective logging, in structuring rainforest community diversity. Moreover, they confirm how species traits, such as larval food use and geographic distributions can determine patterns of species abundance following environmental change.

Movement and ranging patterns of a tropical rat (Leopoldamys sabanus) in logged and unlogged rain forests

Abstract Knowledge of how animals move through the environment is important for predicting effects of habitat change on faunal distributions. Logging of tropical rain forests produces habitat changes on multiple scales that may affect movement and habitat use by small mammals. To explore the effects of such habitat changes, we compared movement and ranging patterns of the long-tailed giant rat (Leopoldamys sabanus) in logged and unlogged rain forests in Borneo. On a small scale, movement was quantified using spool-and-line tracks; on a larger scale, movement was quantified via radiotracking. At the small scale, paths (49 tracks of 55.2 m ± 20.7 SD each) were relatively straight, with similar step (straight-line section) length distributions in both forest types. At the larger scale, the rats (16 individuals tracked for 4 nights each, X = 1,443 ± 991 m of movement per night) moved with similar speed through both forest types (mean distance covered per 10-min interval = 32 ± 45 m). Based on telemetry data,...

ボルネオ低地林の生物多様性保全に対する低インパクト伐採施業の有効性(II)大型土壌動物

ボルネオ低地林の生物多様性保全に対する低インパクト伐採施業の有効性(II)大型土壌動物

Another Threat to Borneo's Rainforests?

![Figure][1] CREDIT: LOUISE MURRAY/ROBERT HARDING WORLD IMAGERY/CORBIS I welcome the recent initiative by the governments of Brunei, Indonesia, and Malaysia to commit to conserve the highly diverse forests on the island of Borneo through the “Heart of Borneo” initiative (“Last-gasp effort to save Borneo's tropical rainforests,” News Focus, 13 July, p. [192][2]). This is timely and hopefully will lead toward improved conservation efforts and more sustainable land use in this beleaguered biodiversity hotspot. However, large areas of Borneo are already under threat from a nonsustainable land use—that of open-cast coal mining. The mining giant BHP Billiton plans to develop a number of coal-mining areas directly within the Heart of Borneo ([1][3]). If these vast surface mines are allowed to proceed, it may lead to a catastrophic destruction of pristine rainforest and associated loss of plant and animal species. If efforts to allow countries with tropical forests to obtain carbon credits from avoided deforestation come to fruition ([2][4]), the forests of Borneo will have value in a different currency, that of their forest-carbon stocks rather than the coal buried beneath them. 1. 1.[↵][5] 1. C. Rewcastle, 2. J. Ungoed-Thomas , “Mining giant to raze apes' forest home,” Sunday Times, 20 (15 July 2007). 2. 2.[↵][6] 1. W. F. Laurance , Biotropica 39, 20 (2007). [OpenUrl][7][CrossRef][8][Web of Science][9] [1]: pending:yes [2]: /lookup/doi/10.1126/science.317.5835.192 [3]: #ref-1 [4]: #ref-2 [5]: #xref-ref-1-1 View reference 1. in text [6]: #xref-ref-2-1 View reference 2. in text [7]: {openurl}?query=rft.jtitle%253DBiotropica%26rft.volume%253D39%26rft.spage%253D20%26rft_id%253Dinfo%253Adoi%252F10.1111%252Fj.1744-7429.2006.00229.x%26rft.genre%253Darticle%26rft_val_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Ajournal%26ctx_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ctx_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Actx [8]: /lookup/external-ref?access_num=10.1111/j.1744-7429.2006.00229.x&link_type=DOI [9]: /lookup/external-ref?access_num=000243294500002&link_type=ISI

A logged forest in Borneo is better than none at all

A logged forest in Borneo is better than none at all

Impact of rain-forest logging on helminth assemblages in small mammals (Muridae, Tupaiidae) from Borneo

Parasites are ubiquitous in wild animals, with host-specific life histories considered as major determinants of prevalence and parasite assemblage patterns. It is predicted that habitat differences in logged rain forests influence population performances of small mammals and consequently may change the infection patterns of local animal populations with regard to endo- and ectoparasites. We investigated patterns of helminth species assemblages (Nematoda, Platyhelminthes) in two rat species (Leopoldamys sabanus, Niviventer cremoriventer) and two tree shrew species (Tupaia tana, T. longipes) in three logged and three unlogged rain forests in Borneo by examining 337 faecal samples with non-invasive faecal egg count (FEC). Nematode eggs prevailed in 95% of all samples with up to five (mean 1.9 ± 1.1) morphotypes. Whereas members of Strongylida were most prevalent in L. sabanus, T. tana and T. longipes, Spirurida dominated in N. cremoriventer that revealed at the same time the lowest average nematode prevalence and FEC. Cestode eggs were only found in L. sabanus and T. tana. Composition and abundance patterns of the parasitic helminth assemblages were influenced by logging. As hypothesized, species richness of nematode morphotypes and mean number of infections per host of T. longipes were larger in logged than in unlogged forest. In contrast, L. sabanus was more heavily infected with cestodes in unlogged than in logged forest and also revealed larger egg counts for strongylids and spirurids in unlogged forest. Our results suggest that forest degradation and altered environmental conditions influence helminth diversity and infection patterns of small mammals with contrasting trends among host species. The inconsistent logging-induced changes in helminth assemblages from different hosts indicate that specific sets of habitat-host-parasite interactions are uniquely influenced by the effects of logging. Consequently, predictions on changes of parasite diversity and prevalence with regard to habitat disturbance need to be based on the individual life histories of the hosts (and the parasites).