Lowland tropical forest in Peninsular Malaysia consist a valuable dipterocarp timber species. In fact, dipterocarp tree species growth well when the ecology is maintained and their growth are dependent on the micro cl...Lowland tropical forest in Peninsular Malaysia consist a valuable dipterocarp timber species. In fact, dipterocarp tree species growth well when the ecology is maintained and their growth are dependent on the micro climate and also affected by lithology types. This study was carried out to identify and map tree species dominancy by lithology types at Hulu Sedili Forest Reserve （HSFR） using Geographic Information System （GIS） technique. Different lithology type maps were derived namely Igneous, Sedimentary and Limestone. Through GIS operations tree species data collected from pre-felling inventory and ground survey were overlaid with lithology features. Results showed that at Sedimentary and Igneous types, the presence of dipterocarpaceae family is only 3.09%, and non-dipterocarpaceae family was 96.91%. Syzygium spp. （19.83%） was the most abundance in Igneous and Sedimentary. Meanwhile, Elateriospermum tapos （9.92%） and Lauraceae＇s family （7.22%） were found to be the most dominant species in Sedimentary types, Macaranga spp. （11.21%） and Elateriospermum tapos （11.02%） in igneous types. However, a Limestone type was discarded from analysis due to unavailable pre-felling data. Thus, this study indicated that there was variation in species dominancy of different lithology types. On the other hand, GIS demonstrated its capability as a useful tool in identifying and maps the location of trees species based on lithology types.展开更多
Recursion by herbivores is the repeated use of the same site or plants. Recursion by wild animals is rarely investigated but may be ubiquitous. Optimal foraging theory predicts site recursion as a function of the qual...Recursion by herbivores is the repeated use of the same site or plants. Recursion by wild animals is rarely investigated but may be ubiquitous. Optimal foraging theory predicts site recursion as a function of the quality of the site, extent of its last use, and time since its last use because these influence site resource status and recovery. We used GPS collars, behaviour and site sampling to investigate recursion to foraging sites for two elephant Elephas maximus borneensis herds in the Lower Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary, Borneo, over a 12 month period. Recursion occurred to 48 out of 87 foraging sites and was most common within 48 hours or between 151-250 days, indicating two different types ofrecursion. Recursion was more likely to occur if the site had previously been occupied for longer. Moreover, the time spent at a site at recursion was the same as the time spent at the site on the first occasion. The number of days that had passed between the first visit and recursion was also positively correlated with how much time was spent at the site at recursion. Habitat type also influenced the intensity of site-use, with more time spent at recursion within riverine/open grass areas along forest margins compared to other habitat types. Recursion is a common behaviour used by the elephants and its pattern suggests it may be a foraging strategy for revisiting areas of greater value. The qualities of recursion sites might usefully be incorporated into landscape management strategies for elephant conservation in the area [Current Zoology 60 （4）： 551-559, 2014].展开更多
To understand road characteristics and landscape features associated with high road mortality of amphibians in Zoige Wetland National Nature Reserve, we surveyed road mortality along four major roads after rainfall in...To understand road characteristics and landscape features associated with high road mortality of amphibians in Zoige Wetland National Nature Reserve, we surveyed road mortality along four major roads after rainfall in May and September 2007. Road mortality of three species, Rana kukunoris, Nanorana pleskei and Bufo minshanicus, was surveyed across 225 transects （115 in May and 110 in September）. Transects were 100 m long and repeated every two kilometers along the four major roads. We used model averaging to assess factors that might determine amphibian road mortality. We recorded an average of 24.6 amphibian road mortalities per kilometer in May and 19.2 in September. Among road characteristics, road width was positively associated with road morality for R. kukunori and B. minshanicus. Traffic volume also increased the road mortality of B. minshanicus in September. Of the landscape features measured, area proportions of three types of grassland （wet, mesic and dry） within 1 km of the roads, particularly that of wet grassland, significantly increased road mortality for R. kukunori and total mortality across all three species. To most effectively reduce road mortality of amphibians in the Zoige wetlands, we suggest better road design such as avoiding wet grasslands, minimizing road width, underground passes and traffic control measures. The implementation of pub- lic transit in the area would reduce traffic volume, and hence mortality展开更多
文摘Lowland tropical forest in Peninsular Malaysia consist a valuable dipterocarp timber species. In fact, dipterocarp tree species growth well when the ecology is maintained and their growth are dependent on the micro climate and also affected by lithology types. This study was carried out to identify and map tree species dominancy by lithology types at Hulu Sedili Forest Reserve （HSFR） using Geographic Information System （GIS） technique. Different lithology type maps were derived namely Igneous, Sedimentary and Limestone. Through GIS operations tree species data collected from pre-felling inventory and ground survey were overlaid with lithology features. Results showed that at Sedimentary and Igneous types, the presence of dipterocarpaceae family is only 3.09%, and non-dipterocarpaceae family was 96.91%. Syzygium spp. （19.83%） was the most abundance in Igneous and Sedimentary. Meanwhile, Elateriospermum tapos （9.92%） and Lauraceae＇s family （7.22%） were found to be the most dominant species in Sedimentary types, Macaranga spp. （11.21%） and Elateriospermum tapos （11.02%） in igneous types. However, a Limestone type was discarded from analysis due to unavailable pre-felling data. Thus, this study indicated that there was variation in species dominancy of different lithology types. On the other hand, GIS demonstrated its capability as a useful tool in identifying and maps the location of trees species based on lithology types.
文摘Recursion by herbivores is the repeated use of the same site or plants. Recursion by wild animals is rarely investigated but may be ubiquitous. Optimal foraging theory predicts site recursion as a function of the quality of the site, extent of its last use, and time since its last use because these influence site resource status and recovery. We used GPS collars, behaviour and site sampling to investigate recursion to foraging sites for two elephant Elephas maximus borneensis herds in the Lower Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary, Borneo, over a 12 month period. Recursion occurred to 48 out of 87 foraging sites and was most common within 48 hours or between 151-250 days, indicating two different types ofrecursion. Recursion was more likely to occur if the site had previously been occupied for longer. Moreover, the time spent at a site at recursion was the same as the time spent at the site on the first occasion. The number of days that had passed between the first visit and recursion was also positively correlated with how much time was spent at the site at recursion. Habitat type also influenced the intensity of site-use, with more time spent at recursion within riverine/open grass areas along forest margins compared to other habitat types. Recursion is a common behaviour used by the elephants and its pattern suggests it may be a foraging strategy for revisiting areas of greater value. The qualities of recursion sites might usefully be incorporated into landscape management strategies for elephant conservation in the area [Current Zoology 60 （4）： 551-559, 2014].
文摘To understand road characteristics and landscape features associated with high road mortality of amphibians in Zoige Wetland National Nature Reserve, we surveyed road mortality along four major roads after rainfall in May and September 2007. Road mortality of three species, Rana kukunoris, Nanorana pleskei and Bufo minshanicus, was surveyed across 225 transects （115 in May and 110 in September）. Transects were 100 m long and repeated every two kilometers along the four major roads. We used model averaging to assess factors that might determine amphibian road mortality. We recorded an average of 24.6 amphibian road mortalities per kilometer in May and 19.2 in September. Among road characteristics, road width was positively associated with road morality for R. kukunori and B. minshanicus. Traffic volume also increased the road mortality of B. minshanicus in September. Of the landscape features measured, area proportions of three types of grassland （wet, mesic and dry） within 1 km of the roads, particularly that of wet grassland, significantly increased road mortality for R. kukunori and total mortality across all three species. To most effectively reduce road mortality of amphibians in the Zoige wetlands, we suggest better road design such as avoiding wet grasslands, minimizing road width, underground passes and traffic control measures. The implementation of pub- lic transit in the area would reduce traffic volume, and hence mortality
