INBREEDING DEPRESSION OF CAPTIVE MALAYAN GAUR (Bos gaurus hubbacki) AT JENDERAK SELATAN WILDLIFE CONSERVATION CENTRE, PAHANG

The Malayan gaur or locally known as Seladang (Bos gaurus hubbacki) is the second largest terrestrial mammal in Malaysia. In Peninsular Malaysia, wild gaur can be found in considerable numbers in states of Perak, Pahang and Terengganu (Muhamad Rizal, pers. comm.). According to Conry (1981), the home range of Malayan gaur differ with sex and age. Conry (1981) calculated the home range of a herd in Lepar River Valley (central Pahang) and he found that adult male have an estimated home range of 7,018 ha, adult female with 5,213 ha, and yearling male had a home range of 2,989 ha. Gaur food preference was affected by elevation from sea level (increase in elevation limit choice of food) and types of habitat (i.e. primary forest, secondary forest, agricultural area) within their home range (Ebil, 1982, 2009). Gaur preferred 17 species of shrubs and six species of grasses (Ebil, 2009). According to Ebil (2009) the most preferred shrubs based on habitat are Shorea acuminata (primary forest), Melastoma malabathricum (secondary forest), Erythrina variegata (agricultural area) and as for grasses species, the gaur favour Imperata cylindrica (primary forest), Paspalum conjugatum (secondary forest), and Paspalum vaginatum (agricultural area)

Microsatellite DNA polymorphism of Macaca fascicularis populations in Malaysia

A total of 386 long-tailed macaques (M. fascicularis) from 17 populations in Malaysia was analysed using eight polymorphic microsatellite loci on a microfluidic-based platform (Agilent DNA 1000 Chips on the Agilent 2100 bioanalyzer) to identify and evaluate the genetic polymorphism and population structure. The microfluidic-based chip platform provides simple, reliable and cost effective approach for microsatellite studies. Genetic diversity estimates showed that the Peninsular Malaysian populations are slightly more diverse than their Bornean conspecifics. Furthermore, weak population structuring among the peninsula populations suggest that they comprise of genetically contiguous populations. The Sarawak and Labuan populations were differentiated from the peninsula populations except for the Sabah population which is due to the low sample number from the latter. Interestingly, no matching genotype was found among all samples indicating that the loci set can be used for individual identification of M. fascicularis

Mitochondrial DNA diversity of Tor douronensis Valenciennes (Cyprinidae) from five natural populations in Malaysia

In this study, we examined the genetic structure of Tor tambroides Valenciennes, an important indigenous freshwater fish species in Malaysia, using sequence analysis of 464 base pairs of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase I(COI) gene. In total, 92 T. tambroides samples were analyzed from 4 locations on Peninsular Malaysia (n=87) and a single population from Sarawak (Batang Ai, n=5) on Borneo Island, and 4 sequences of Tor douronensis from Sarawak were used for comparisons. In total, 9 haplotypes were found, with 7 haplotypes being unique and 2 haplotypes being shared among the 5 populations. The phylogenetic analysis using Neighbor-joining (NJ) and maximum-parsimony (MP) methods supported the monophyletic status between T. tambroides and T. douronensis, thus suggesting their status as different species. The clustering of all T. tambroides samples into a single clade suggested that their genetic identity belongs to a single species. The sharing of haplotype HKE4 between Batang Ai of Sarawak (n= 4) and Perak of Peninsular Malaysia (n= 3) reflects the historical connection of drainages between the regions possibly during Pleistocene glaciation periods. Limited variations were found among all peninsular T. tambroides populations. The low level of mitochondrial (mt)DNA differences currently found among T. tambroides populations is probably due to the high proportion of the HKE1 haplotype being found in all the populations (0.736-1.000), or the small number of samples used in the present study. Overall, the present study was able to shed light on the phylogenetic relationships and genetic structure of T. tambroides in Malaysia

Y-chromosomal gene flow of Macaca fascicularis (Cercopithecidae) between the insular and mainland peninsula of Penang state, Malaysia

DNA sequencing of the Y-chromosome testis-specific protein locus (TSPY) and sex-determining region (SRY) was conducted on 27 Macaca fascicularis individuals from eight insular and two peninsula localities of Penang State, Malaysia. Five haplotypes were discovered from the Penang samples, of which four were unique for that population. These haplotypes constituted of related individuals as observed in the Y-chromosomal gene flow within and between the insular and mainland regions. The occurrence of a dominant haplotype shared amongst M. fascicularis from southern Thailand, the Malay Peninsula, and Sumatra could be the result of a recent dispersal event from the common Pleistocene refugia, which had most likely been located in the Malay Peninsula. A combination of nucleotides at 12 sites distinguished the M. fascicularis from the northern region of the Isthmus of Kra from those of the southern region including our samples. The molecular phylogenetic tree confirmed that, unlike conspecific populations from regions north of the Isthmus of Kra, M. fascicularis from the southern region of the isthmus were free of introgression of Y-chromosome from M. mulatta. We dated the last common ancestors shared by the fascicularis group at approximately 1.5 million years ago (mya). Also, we estimated the bifurcation between the insular and the continental lineages of M. fascicularis as approximately 0.7 mya, which had been estimated as 0.4 mya in a previous study. Finally, similarly to the observations on various taxa by previous authors we recognise the role of the Isthmus of Kra area as a genetic barrier to the dispersal of and to gene flow in M. fascicularis

Molecular systematics of Mahseers (Cyprinidae) in Malaysia inferred from sequencing of a mitochondrial Cytochrome C Oxidase I (COI) gene

This study examined the molecular systematics among three Mahseers (Tor douronensis, Tor tambroides and Neolissochilus stracheyi) using partial sequencing of a Cytochrome C Oxidase I (COI) mitochondrial DNA segment (466bp). The phylogenetic results using the Neighbour-Joining (NJ) method supported the monophyletic status (hence the taxonomic status) among the three putative Mahseer species. The close genetic relationships (0.1- 0.4%) found between T. tambroides samples from Peninsular Malaysia (kelah fish) and those from Sarawak (empurau fish) also supported their classification as belonging to the same species. The phylogenetic analysis also showed that the T. douronensis mtDNA consisted of three highly distinct lineages supported by high bootstrap values, with the Sabah samples forming its own cluster. Thus, this phylogenetic study, although based on a limited number of samples and only a single mtDNA gene managed to provide useful insights into the systematic status of the Mahseers found in Malaysia

Phylogenetic relationships of the Asian palm civets (Hemigalinae & Paradoxurinae, Viverridae, Carnivora)

The Viverridae (Mammalia, Carnivora), one of the least studied groups of carnivorans, include two subfamilies of Asian palm civets: Hemigalinae and Paradoxurinae. The relationships between and within these two subfamilies have never been thoroughly tested using an extensive molecular sample set. In this study, we gathered sequences of four genes (two mitochondrial: Cytochrome b and ND2 and two nuclear: β-fibrinogen intron 7 and IRBP exon 1) for eight of the eleven extant species representing these two subfamilies. The results showed that: (1) the Asian palm civets (Hemigalinae and Paradoxurinae) have a single origin and form the sister-group of the (Genettinae + Viverrinae) clade, (2) the Hemigalinae (including the otter civet Cynogale bennettii) are monophyletic, (3) the Paradoxurinae are monophyletic and (4) the small-toothed palm civet (Arctogalidia trivirgata) is an early offshoot within the Paradoxurinae. Using a relaxed molecular clock analysis, the differentiation of the (Hemigalinae + Paradoxurinae) was inferred to occur in the Late Oligocene/Early Miocene

A Checklist of Fish Species from Two Feeder Streams of Tasik Kenyir: Sungai Tembat and Sungai Ketiar of Hulu Terengganu, Terengganu

Sampling trips were done on the 22nd until 27th April 2006 and on the 14th until 17th June 2006 for Sungai Tembat (ST) in Tembat Forest Reserve and Sungai Ketiar (SK), located at Hulu Terengganu, Terengganu, respectively. Cast net, gill net, and rod and line were deployed during both trips. A total of 219 specimens representing four orders, eight families and 22 species of fishes were caught. A total of 20 species were recorded for ST while only nine species were caught at SK during the study

Evolusi Projek Konservasi Tapir Malaya

Kertas ini mengupas sejarah penubuhan projek daripada tahun 2002 sehingga kini yang meliputi tim projek, aspek penyelidikan yang dijalankan serta sumbangan penerbitan. Kertas ini menyenaraikan cabaran projek di masa hadapan

Malaysian fruit bats phylogeny inferred using Ribosomal RNA

Fourteen species of the Malaysian fruit bats (Pteropodidae) were used in this DNA taxonomy using 1,334bp of the 12S ribosomal RNA (rRNA), transfer RNA (tRNA) valine and 16S rRNA gene segments. Previous studies using DNA found contradictions between morphology and molecular data in inferring the phylogeny of the fruit bats proposed by Andersen (1912). Our phylogenetic analysis using the neighbor-joining and the maximum parsimony methods did not support the monophyly of the subfamily Macroglossinae and the cynopterine group of the subfamily Pteropodinae as proposed by classical taxonomists. This is congruent with previous molecular studies. Here, we provide the first registered 12S rRNA, tRNA valine and 16S rRNA sequence records for Dyacopterus spadiceus in the GenBank database. This study represents the first attempt to infer the phylogenetic relationship of fruit bats from Malaysia using molecular methods

Phylogenetic relationships among several freshwater fishes (Family: Cyprinidae) in Malaysia inferred from partial sequencing of the Cytochrome b mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) gene

The phylogenetic relationships among 23 species of Malaysian freshwater fishes in the family Cyprinidae was inferred by partial sequencing of the Cytochrome b (Cyt b) mitochondrial gene. Samples were collected from various localities in Sarawak, Sabah and Peninsular Malaysia. The inferred phylogeny appeared to match major groupings currently recognized in the taxonomy but no support was evident for nearly all the higher level groupings. Nevertheless, some interesting insights were gained in relation to the phylogenetic relationships among some genera under study. Meanwhile, the phylogenetic relationship among Mahseer fishes (genus Tor and Neolissochilus) were poorly resolved using the current data alone, but the taxonomic revision of other genera particularly for the genus Puntius could improve this. The current study suggest that P. binotatus and P. sealei could be representative of the genus Puntius, while any other species identified as belonging to the genus Puntius should cluster with this group. The study also revealed that two morphologically similar Barbonymus species (namely, B. gonionotus and B. schwanenfeldii) were phylogenetically distinct (13.0% K2P genetic distance). This indicated that a taxonomic revision of B. gonionotus would be required from its current position within the genus Barbonymus. The results of the current study also revealed two interesting findings for Hampala; (1) the Borneo endemic Hampala forms are distinct from the widespread H. macrolepidota, and (2) two distinct lineage were evident in H. bimaculata from Sarawak. In general, the sequence analysis of the cytochrome b mtDNA region has been proven to be useful for assessing phylogenetic relationships among indigenous freshwater fishes in Malaysia