Habitat use and diet of the bear cuscus Ailurops ursinus (Temminck, 1824) in various forest ecosystem types in South Sulawesi

The population of the bear cuscus Ailurops ursinus (Temminck, 1824), an arboreal marsupial endemic to Sulawesi, Indonesia, and its satellite islands, is declining rapidly due to poaching and habitat loss, even in protected areas. However, despite concerns over its persistence, little is actually known of this secretive species. This research investigated the characteristics of the selected habitats and diet of the bear cuscus in four ecosystem types (lowland non-dipterocarp forest, lowland limestone forest, lowland monsoon deciduous forest, lowland monsoon evergreen forest). Habitat use data were collected through direct encounters and indirect observations (tracks, signs, secondary information), and analyzed using a chi-square goodness-of-fit test. Habitat characteristics and diet availability were determined using vegetation analysis. Diet data were obtained using direct observations, feed remains, and interviews. The lowland non-dipterocarp forest ecosystem was used significantly more by bear cuscus populations. Its habitats across the four ecosystem types had similar environmental conditions. Fifty-five plant species, eaten mostly as young leaves and leaf buds, encompassed the bear cuscus’ diet, with the Moraceae family being the most representative. Considering the ubiquity of Moraceae in the bear cuscus’ habitat, these results highlight the impact unchecked deforestation will continue to have on lowland Indonesia and its endemic species.

Plant Functional Diversity Is Linked to Carbon Storage in Deciduous Dipterocarp Forest Edges in Northern Thailand

Studies of carbon storage using functional traits have shown that it is strongly affected by functional diversity. We explored the effects of functional diversity on carbon storage at the edge of a deciduous dipterocarp forest (DDF) ecosystem in Thailand. Aboveground biomass carbon (AGBC), soil organic carbon (SOC), and total ecosystem carbon (TEC) were used as indicators of carbon storage. Five functional traits were measured in 49 plant species to calculate the community-weighted mean (CWM) and Rao’s quadratic diversity (FQ). We assessed which functional diversity metrics best-explained carbon storage. The results indicated that AGBC had a significant, positive relationship with the FQ of wood density, and a negative relationship with the CWM of leaf thickness. SOC had a significant, negative association with the FQ of leaf thickness and a positive relationship with the CWM of specific leaf area (SLA). TEC was best predicted by increases in the FQ of wood density and the CWM of SLA. These findings indicate that CWM and FQ are important for understanding how plant traits influence carbon storage in DDF edge ecosystems and suggest that promoting a high diversity of species with dissimilar wood density and high SLA may increase carbon storage in chronically disturbed DDF ecosystems.

Two New Russula Species (Fungi) from Dry Dipterocarp Forest in Thailand Suggest Niche Specialization to This Habitat Type

Dry dipterocarp forests are among the most common habitat types in Thailand. Russulaceae are known as common ectomycorrhizal symbionts of Dipterocarpaceae trees in this type of habitat. The present study aims to identify collections of Russula subsection Amoeninae Buyck from dry dipterocarp forests in Thailand. A multi-locus phylogenetic analysis placed Thai Amoeninae collections in two novel lineages, and they are described here as Russula bellissima sp. nov. and R. luteonana sp. nov. The closest identified relatives of both species were sequestrate species suggesting that they may belong to drought-adapted lineages. The analysis of publicly available ITS sequences in R. subsect. Amoeninae did not confirm evidence of any of the new species occurring in other Asian regions, indicating that dry dipterocarp forests might harbor a novel community of ectomycorrhizal fungi. Macromorphological characters are variable and are not totally reliable for distinguishing the new species from other previously described Asian Amoeninae species. Both new species are defined by a combination of differentiated micromorphological characteristics in spore ornamentation, hymenial cystidia and hyphal terminations in the pileipellis. The new Amoeninae species may correspond to some Russula species collected for consumption in Thailand, and the detailed description of the new species can be used for better identification of edible species and food safety in the region.

Characterizing and forecasting the responses of tropical forest leaf phenology to El Nino by machine learning algorithms

Climate change and global warming have serious adverse impacts on tropical forests. In particular, climate change may induce changes in leaf phenology. However, in tropical dry forests where tree diversity is high, species responses to climate change differ. The objective of this research is to analyze the impact of climate variability on the leaf phenology in Thailand’s tropical forests. Machine learning approaches were applied to model how leaf phenology in dry dipterocarp forest in Thailand responds to climate variability and El Niño. First, we used a Self-Organizing Map (SOM) to cluster mature leaf phenology at the species level. Then, leaf phenology patterns in each group along with litterfall phenology and climate data were analyzed according to their response time. After that, a Long Short-Term Memory neural network (LSTM) was used to create model to predict leaf phenology in dry dipterocarp forest. The SOM-based clustering was able to classify 92.24% of the individual trees. The result of mapping the clustering data with lag time analysis revealed that each cluster has a different lag time depending on the timing and amount of rainfall. Incorporating the time lags improved the performance of the litterfall prediction model, reducing the average root mean square percent error (RMSPE) from 14.35% to 12.06%. This study should help researchers understand how each species responds to climate change. The litterfall prediction model will be useful for managing dry dipterocarp forest especially with regards to forest fires.

Diversity and abundance of insects in the recreational forest of Bukit Keluang, Besut, Terengganu.

Bukit Keluang is one of the famous natural recreational sites in Besut, Terengganu due to their beautiful sandy beaches and beautiful landscapes. Bukit Keluang recreational forest consist coastal and lowland dipterocarp forest. The studies on the biodiversity are never been reported at this area and thus, we aimed to investigate the diversity and abundance of insects in the coastal and inland forest of Bukit Keluang recreational forest. We built two plots which are Plot A in the coastal area and Plot B in the inland forest at Bukit Keluang. For each plot, three types of insect traps were used; yellow pan traps, pitfall traps, and Malaise traps. The traps were left for seven days and all insect samples collected were brought to the laboratory for sorting, enumerating and identifying up to order level. A total of 455 individuals of insects consisted of 10 orders (i.e. Hymenoptera, Diptera, Lepidoptera, Coleoptera, Collembola, Homoptera, Orthoptera, Dermaptera, Blattodea and Isoptera) were successfully collected from the forest of Bukit Keluang. Among them, Hymenoptera order dominated the number of individuals collected at 67.25% followed by Diptera (11.21%) whilst Collembola and Dermaptera were the least abundance order collected at 0.22%, respectively. The coastal forest recorded a total of 271 individuals (nine orders) while inland forest recorded 184 individuals (eight orders). No significant difference (p>0.05) of insect abundance was recorded between both plots. However, the Shannon-Weiner Diversity Index (H’) showed that the diversity of insects in the inland forest was slightly higher (H’=1.52) than the coastal forest (H’=0.86). We conclude that the insects’ diversity in Bukit Keluang is relatively higher in inland forest but lower in coastal forest. As no other insect survey has been conducted in this study area in the past, this study delivers a basic evidence and dataset of diversity and abundance for insect which may beneficial for further conservation research at Bukit Keluang in the future.

Preliminary report on the herpetofaunal diversity of Batu Hampar Recreational Forest, Kedah, Malaysia

Batu Hampar Recreational Forest (BHRF) is a lowland dipterocarp forest located in the northwestern region of Peninsular Malaysia and has not been surveyed for its herpetofauna until now. A preliminary survey of the herpetofaunal diversity of BHRF was conducted from September 2018 to February 2019 resulting in 103 individuals (37 species) of amphibians and reptiles found. This includes 14 species of frogs from six families and 10 genera; 14 species of lizards from four families and 11 genera; eight species of snakes from five families and eight genera; and one species of freshwater turtle. From these results, Batu Hampar Recreational Forest has a high herpetofaunal diversity with a Simpson’s Index of Diversity of 0.869 and a Shannon-Wiener Diversity Index of 2.930. In the future, additional surveys over longer periods of time should be conducted at BHRF to produce a more complete checklist.